Around Here It Starts With A Picture Book



If you are teaching all boys (no offense to girls out there) and you are going to learn a little about Japan, you might want to begin with...

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Samurai!: A Deadly Career You'd Rather Not Pursue

You can find all of the seriously gruesome details in this book! Want a handy hint?- "To display your brilliance on the battlefield, bring home some heads of slaughtered enemies!" I say "ick!"- my boys seemed to love it.



Real Samurai

This book is a more serious introduction to this period in Japan's history, but equally as interesting. I like that this book follows the Samurai history by timeline. There are also fact pages that give information about weapons, armor, Japanese castles, and the samurai code of conduct. The boys liked it because they like true stories and there are 20 true stories of these "knights of old Japan"! :)


Erika-San

Lest my boys have a slightly skewed vision of Japan with Samurai warriors running all around, I thought this modern day story would provide some balance. The reader follows Erika on her quest to find a home in Japan- first in the big city (too busy for her!), then she tries a small city (still not what she had pictured), and finally to a remote island (just right!) where Erika finds a home teaching. We love all of the books we have read by Allen Say and this one did not let us down. The full page pictures are especially wonderful.

A few thoughts on picture books- 
Even when I am looking at a subject for older children, I love to begin with a picture book. Picture books generally give a nice overview of the subject. More thorough research may be desired, but a picture book can pique a student's interest more than a straight forward account of the subject. I also find that my student's retention is increased when they are already familiar with a subject through a picture book. They have context to put the information in. And, if your student is a visual learner, a picture book might be just the thing to get him going!


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Comments

  1. PattyFebruary 8, 2012 at 10:28 PM

    Have fun with your Japanese adventure!

    ReplyDelete
  2. PhyllisFebruary 9, 2012 at 6:06 AM

    Thank you for sharing your choice of books...they look fabulous! I absolutely agree with you about picture books. They really help visually oriented kids, like mine, to get a sense of the whole picture! Thanks for sharing with us!

    ReplyDelete
  3. PerogyoFebruary 28, 2012 at 9:25 PM

    We love Erika-san, and all Allan Say books. This one speaks to me, it is so much my story (still in Japan!).

    I will look for the Samurai book too, that will be right up my son's alley, he thinks he is a samurai already. ;)

    Found you through the Read to Me Challenge, glad I di!

    ReplyDelete

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