Remember the old assignment that all kids seem to endure when school starts in the fall — the one where you have to tell about what you did on your summer vacation?
I hated doing those silly essays. It always seemed that my family never did things that were as much fun as everyone else. Plus, it’s probably not the best way to encourage writing.
Then I read Lynne Rae Perkins’ Pictures from Our Vacation (Greenwillow) in which a regular family takes a long road trip to visit the father’s family home.
It reminded me that all vacations have both ups and downs; that photographs and journals can only provide snapshots; and that the strongest memories are kept in the vacationer’s mind.
It also made me think that this would be a neat way to enliven a boring old assignment or a fun way to create a family memory book. Perkins’ engaging book provides a model for children — even young children — for making memory books. The book could include accounts of things that really happened, or things that come from the child’s imagination.
Pictures from Our Vacation presents the imaginings of the young narrator as she describes the motel she’d create as well as “actual” photographs from her vacation. Young children could dictate their stories or write them down themselves, use actual photos, or find images in magazines.
Gee, sounds like fun! I may even put together an album from this year’s family vacation…
About the Author
Reading Rockets’ children’s literature expert, Maria Salvadore, brings you into her world as she explores the best ways to use kids’ books both inside — and outside — of the classroom.
Publication Date
September 5, 2007