A new, interactive approach to storytime, The Whole Book Approach was developed in conjunction with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and expert author Megan Dowd Lambert's graduate work in children's literature at Simmons College, offering a practical guide for reshaping storytime and getting kids to think with their eyes.
 
Traditional storytime often offers a passive experience for kids, but the Whole Book approach asks the youngest of readers to ponder all aspects of a picture book and to use their critical thinking skills. Using classic examples, Megan asks kids to think about why the trim size of Ludwig Bemelman's Madeline is so generous, or why the typeset in David Wiesner's Caldecott winner,The Three Pigs, appears to twist around the page, or why books like Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express and Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar are printed landscape instead of portrait. The dynamic discussions that result from this shared reading style range from the profound to the hilarious and will inspire adults to make children's responses to text, art, and design an essential part of storytime.

   • Foreword
   • Preface - Reading with Children
   • Introduction - How I learned to Think with My Eyes

   • Chapter 1 - That's About the Size of It
Trim Size and Orientation

   • Chapter 2 - Coming Attractions
Jackets and Covers

   • Chapter 3 - Visual Overtures
Endpapers

   • Chapter 4 - Slow Down and Look
Front Matter

   • Chapter 5 - Knocked Out by Type
Typography

   • Chapter 6 - Gutter Talk and More
Page Design

   • Chapter 7 - "Children, Children, What Do You See?"
Nurturing Visual Intelligence

   • Chapter 8 - The Picture Book Playground
The Benefits (and Fun) of hte Whole Book Approach

   • Conclusion - The Story Continues
   • Acknowledgments
   • Resources
Leading Whole Book Approach Storytimes
Whole Book Approach Sample Questions
Gloassary of Book and Storytime Terminology
Further Reading
   • Notes
   • Image Credits
   • Index