Picture Books to Teach Basic Elements of Literature, Literary and Dramatic Devices
Alliteration
A My Name is Alice by Jan Bayer
Animalia by Graeme Base
Animals From A-Z by David McPhail
Aster Aardvark's Amazing Adventure
Dashing Dog by Margaret Mahy
Four Famished Foxes and Fosdyke or Some Smug Slug by Pamela Duncan Edwards
Matthew A.B.C. by Peter Catalanotto
Old Henry by Joan Blos
Walter Was Worried by Laura Seeger
The Web Files by Margie Palatini
The Worrywarts by Pamela Duncan Edwards
Allegory
Riding the Tiger by Eve Bunting
Allusion
Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini
The Three Silly Billies by Margie Palatini
Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey
Beginnings
A Dog Like Jack by Anne Disalvo-Ryan
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One by Kate Duke
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka H. Noble
Duke Ellington by Andrea Pinkney
Going Home by Eve Bunting
Hey, Al by Al Yorinks
Mirette on a High Wire by Emily McCully
My Great Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston
Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivazas
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorist
There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer
When I Was Five by Arthur Howard
Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull
Compound Words
How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck by Danny Adlerman
Conversation/Dialogue
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
The Prince of the Butterflies by Bruce Coville
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Dashes to add an afterthought
Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest
The Web Files by Margi Palatini
Endings
- Circular
Handful of Seeds by Monica Hughes
Henry's Baby by Mary Hoffman
How To Make An Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
- Poignant
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting
My Great Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston
Letting Swift River Go by Jane Yolen
William's Doll by Charlotte Zolotow
- Surprise
Arthur's Computer Disaster by Marc Brown
Chocolatina by Erik Kraft
Hey, Get Off Our Train by John Burningham
Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clement
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
The Stranger by Chris VanAllsburg
The Sweetest Fig by Chris VanAllsburg
Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
Figurative Language
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
The Barn Owls by Tony Johnston
The King Who Rained by F. Gwynn
In November by Cynthia Rylant
Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant
Metaphors
Listen to the Rain by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archmbault
Summer Is...by Charlotte Zolotow
Personification
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia
Similes
Dimity Dumpty by Bob Graham
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Shaw
Mad as a Wet Hen by Marvin Terban
Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
Fluency
Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris VanAllsburg
Brave Irene by William Steig
Come On, Rain by Karen Hesse
Georgia Music by Helen Griffith
Piggins by Jane Yolen
Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Tough Cookie by David Wisniewski
Foreshadowing
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Just Plain Fancy by Patricia Polacco
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
How To
How a Book is Made by Aliki
How a House is Built by Gail Gibbons
How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird by Mordica Gerstein
Imagery
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Shrek! by William Steig
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Imagination
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Masaichiro and Mitsumasa Anno
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman
Out of the Ocean by Delira Frasier
Inference
Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles
Black and White by David Macaulay
Dandelions by Eve Bunting
Fables by Arnold Lobel
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
June 29,1999 by David Wiesner
The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
Riding the Tiger by Eve Bunting
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
Teammates by Peter Golenbock
Tight Times by Barbara Hazen
Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett
Tuesday by David Wiesner
The Wall by Eve Bunting
Zoom by Istvan Banya
Internal Monologue
Alexander and the ....by Judith Viorist
Earrings by Judith Viorist
Ghost Eye Tree by Bill Martin Jr.
I Know a Lady by Patricia MacLachlan
Memory Box by Mary Bahr
The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini
Strong to the Hoop by John Coy
Irony
The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Sciescka
Horned Toad Prince by Jackie Hopkins
Jake's 100th Day of School by Lester Laminak
The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins by Lester L. Laminak
Main Idea
Chickens Aren't the Only Ones by Ruth Heller
Now One Foot, Now the Other by Tomie DePaola
Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorist
Two Bad Ants by Chris VanAllsburg
Memoirs
26 Fairmont Avenue by Tomie DePaola
All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan
Angel for Solomon Singer by Cynthia Rylant
Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe
Memory Box by Mary Bahr
On My Way by Tomie DePaola
Pictures From Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins
Roxaboxen by Barbara Cooney
Streets of Gold by Rosemary Wells
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
When the Relative Came by Cynthia Rylant
Patricia Polocco books
Message
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
The Hickory Chair by Lisa Rowe Fraustino
The Prince of the Butterflies by Bruce Coville
Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
Mood
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Narrative
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming
My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother by Patricia Polacco
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
The Summer My Father Was Ten by Pat Brisson
Onomatopea (sound effects)
Animal Lingo by Pam Conrad
Mice Squeak, We Speak by Arnold Shapiro
Rattlesnake Dance by Jim Arnosky
Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae
Snow Sounds: An Onomatopoeic Story
Organization
The Alphabet Theatre Proudly Presents the Z Was Zapped by Chris Van Allsburg
Boundless Grace by Mary Hoffman
A Drop of Water by Walter Wick
Fables by Arnold Lobel
G is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book by David M. Schultz
Henry's Baby by Mary Hoffman
How Many Days to America by Eve Bunting
The Paper Boy by Dav Pilkey
Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini
Rimshots by Charles R. Smith
Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
When Lightening Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Parody
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Parentheses
Dog Eared by Amanda Harvey
Persuasive Writing
Don't Let the Pigeon... by Mo Willems
I Wanna Iguana by Karen Orlaff
The Perfect Pet by Margie Palatini
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
Person vs. Nature
Phrases/phrasing
Flicker Flash by Joan Bransfield Graham
Night of the Gargoyles by Eve Bunting
Tough Cookie by David Wisniewski
Puns
Mom and Dad are Palindromes by Mark Shulman
Word Play ABC by Heather Cahoon
Plot
Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella by Tony Johnston
Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel
Strega Nona by Tomie de Poala
Point of View /Diaries
All About Sam by Lois Lowry
Amelia Takes Command by Marissa Moss
Diary of a Fly by Denise Cronin
Diary of a Spider by Denise Cronin
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French
Diary of a Worm by Denise Cronin
Hey Little Ant by Phillip Hoose
I Am a Caterpillar by Jean Marzollo
Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume
True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezska
Two Bad Ants by Chris VanAllsburg
Repeated Words
Click Clack Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg
Repetition of a Specific Phrase
America’s White Table by Margot Theis
And the Rain Came Down by David Shannon
Magic Hat by Mem Fox
In November by Cynthia Rylant
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
The Sunsets of Miss Olivia Wiggins by Lester L. Laminack
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
Yo! Yes! by Chris Raszka
Sentence Fragments
Jake's 100th Day by Lester Laminack
Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest
The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill
Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant
Sentence Fluency
Gathering the Sun by Alma Flor Ada
John Henry by Julius Lester
Night of the Gargoyles by Eve Bunting
Oh! The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
Piggie Pie! by Margie Palantini
The Web Files by Margie Palantini
We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the US by David Catrow
Sequencing
And Then What Happened Paul Revere by Jean Fritz
Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith
I Know An Old Lady by Linda Williams
Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema
Setting
A Child’s Eye View of History by Fiona MacDonald
Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
Out of the Ocean by Debra Frasier
Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barrett
Stella Louella’s Runway Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
The Web Files by Margie Palatini
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Stacking Words
Come On Rain by Amy Hest
Jake's 100th Day by Lester Laminak
The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill
Uptown by James Collier
Stretching out the Print - FONTS
Clay Boy by Mirra Ginsburg
Geronimo Stilton
Hurty Feelings by Helen Lester
Max's Words by Kate Banks
The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill
Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
Theme
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Time
Apt 3 by Ezra Jack Keats
Author's Day by Daniel Pinkwater
Bad Day at Riverbend by Chris Van Allsburg
Be Good to Eddie Lee by Viginia Fleming
Beneath the Ghost Moon by Jane Yolen
Dance at Grandpa's by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka H. Noble
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe
Time (cont)
Ghost's Hour, Spook's Hour by Eve Bunting
Great Kapok Tree by Lynn Cherry
Night Tree by Eve Bunting
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
A Very Important Day by Maggie Herald
Voice
Alexander...by Judith Viorist
Cinderella's Rat by Susan Meddaugh
A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech
Gathering the Sun by Alma Flor Ada
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull
Hooray for Diffendorfer Day! by Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelustky
How are You Peeling? Foods with Moods by Saxton Freymann
John Henry by Julius Lester
Lilly’s Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
My Secret Camera: Life in the Lodz Ghetto by Frank Dabba Smith
Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini
Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver
Rachel: The Story of Rachel by Carson Amy Erlich
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
The Spider and the Fly by Tony DiTerlizzi
Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs
Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler
Tough Cookie by David Wisniewski
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Strengthening Conventions -
(edit text: sp/punctuation, grammar, usage, capitalization and paragraphing)
Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver
Writing prompt
The Secret Knowledge of Grown Ups by David Wisniewski
Word Choice (diction/syntax)
Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger
Animalia by Graeme Base
Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
Double Trouble in Walla Walla by Andrew Clements
Duke Ellington by Andrea Pinkney
Ghost's Hour Spook's Hour by Eve Bunting
John Henry by Julius Lester
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Matthew's Dragon by Barbara Cooper
Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia McKissack
Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver
The Unbeatable Bread by Lyn Hoopes
Under the Quilt of the Night by Deborah Hopkinson
We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the US by David Catrow
Wordless Books
Anno's USA by Mitsumasa Anno
The Cinder-Eyed Cats by Eric Rohmann
Dylan's Day Out by Peter Catalanotto
Home by Jeannie Baker
June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner
The Red Book by Barbara Lehman
Time Flies by Eric Rohmann
Tuesday by David Wiesner
Word Play
Antics by Catherine Hepworth
CDB by William Steig
Cool Booper’s Choppers by Linda Oatman High
Miss Alaineus: A vocabulary Diaster by Debra Frasier
Piggie Pie! by Margie Palatini
The Weighty Word Book by Janet Stevens
The Word Eater by Mary Amato
Sources:
Book Links – March ‘07
Cracking Open the Author’s Craft – Lester L. Laminack
Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8 Ralph Fletcher and Joann Portalupi
Keep The Rest of the Class Reading and Writing…..While You Teach Small Groups – Scholastic Professional Books
NJEA Review Dec. ‘07
Using Picture Books: to Teach Writing with the Traits – Ruth Culham
What’s New in Children’s Literature – Dr. Peggy Sharp