OK, Here is another book for demonstrating point of view, though that is really not why I love it. I love it because it is about storytelling and imagination. It is, in fact, written in two points of view which could be confusing except the style of illustration changes to clue the reader. The voice also changes. It may sound confusing, but take a look and see. It works!The story starts with one narrator who lends some markers to her friend and then the friend, Bedimmi, starts drawing and telling the stories as she draws, though sometimes the narrator interrupts. The stories are all about cherries.... Cherries and Cherry Pits.
Cherries and Cherry Pits was written by Vera B. Williams who is one of my all time favorite author/illustrators. William's illustrations are always fun and colorful and slightly different. She is brilliant at creating pictures that look as if they were done by children, but are sophisticated at the same time. She was ahead of her time in portraying children of color and also families that are struggling financially, yet it always feels so natural that the reader barely notices. She has won two Caldecott honor awards for A Chair for My Mother and "More, More, More," Said the Baby, and, though, great books, I find them much less complex and interesting than Cherries and Cherry Pits. It's a toss up, for me between this one and Stringbean's Trip to the Shining Sea (first post!).
Teacher Notes: Besides the obvious Point of View modeling, this book is a great example of using pictures to stimulate narrative. After reading this book, I've given students pictures (from National Geographic) and asked them to tell me the story of what is happening. I often used pictures as writing prompts, but usually got more interesting stories after reading this book.
- Cherries and Cherry Pits by Vera B. Williams
- Greenwillow Books (April 29, 1991)
- ISBN-10: 0688104789
- ISBN-13: 978-0688104788
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