Paul Fleishman and Kevin Hawkes created a worldless masterpiece in Sidewalk Circus. The story includes illustrations that portray the Garibaldi Circus, coming soon - but the young girl who watches on at the bus stop watches "performers" nearby, although they are not in the ring.
Hawkes' use of comparasions in illustrations between performers and people working inside and outside of the building allow readers to find similarities between both groups of people, while they sit back and watch a circus peformance before their very eyes. The use of bright and dark coloring on the children and adults shows how young ones see the world in a different perspective, and can create a story within their own minds.
I was suprised but glad that Fleishman took the words out of Sidewalk Circus as it initially contained; with the absence of words, the illustrations allow readers to make their own interpretations and, combined with the pictures, enhance their creativity and individual understanding of the story.
Before reading Sidewalk Circus, I had the opinion that these books can only be used for young readers in the preschool to primary grades; however, I found after researching a bit that they can be beneficial in middle and high school levels. According to the Journal for Adolescent and Adult Literacy, "wordless books enhance creativity, vocabulary, and language development, and in all content areas. Along with teacher guidance, wordless books can especially benefit linguistically and cultural different readers and writers, as well as the more experienced ones in middle and high school years," (Cassidy, 1998).
Hawkes' use of comparasions in illustrations between performers and people working inside and outside of the building allow readers to find similarities between both groups of people, while they sit back and watch a circus peformance before their very eyes. The use of bright and dark coloring on the children and adults shows how young ones see the world in a different perspective, and can create a story within their own minds.
I was suprised but glad that Fleishman took the words out of Sidewalk Circus as it initially contained; with the absence of words, the illustrations allow readers to make their own interpretations and, combined with the pictures, enhance their creativity and individual understanding of the story.
Before reading Sidewalk Circus, I had the opinion that these books can only be used for young readers in the preschool to primary grades; however, I found after researching a bit that they can be beneficial in middle and high school levels. According to the Journal for Adolescent and Adult Literacy, "wordless books enhance creativity, vocabulary, and language development, and in all content areas. Along with teacher guidance, wordless books can especially benefit linguistically and cultural different readers and writers, as well as the more experienced ones in middle and high school years," (Cassidy, 1998).
Wordless books allow all readers of varying levels and experiences to find the words that are just right for them, while instilling a sense of enouragement and confidence in their abilities as sucessful readers in the classroom.
Wordless Books: No-Risk Tools for Inclusive Middle-Grade Classrooms
Judith K. Cassady
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Vol. 41, No. 6 (Mar., 1998), pp. 428-432 (article consists of 5 pages)
Published by: International Reading Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40016768
Wordless Books: No-Risk Tools for Inclusive Middle-Grade Classrooms
Judith K. Cassady
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Vol. 41, No. 6 (Mar., 1998), pp. 428-432 (article consists of 5 pages)
Published by: International Reading Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40016768
Paul Fleishman and Kevin Hawkes team up in Weslandia, and I, too, am in awe of the illustrative genious of their collaborative works. Hawkes has a true talent of allowing his picture to tell a story from, like you said, several perspectives. I found the excerpt from the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy interesting, as well. Great communication, vocabulary, and creativity can come from wordless books...sometimes it takes a risk on the part of the teacher to introduce those opportunities to our students. :)
ReplyDelete