Picture Books for Older Readers Are a Fabulous Context in Literacy for Meta-Cognitive And

Picture Books for Older Readers are a fabulous context in literacy for meta-cognitive and meta-learning work with Middle Years students. They are a powerful and beguiling genre. They often have an uncanny ability to engage older readers with complex subjects. Apart from appreciating the sheer beauty of their written texts, visual images and design layout they can be used in the following ways:

 to model Aidan Chambers '3 Sharings' oral language/thinking framework  to model & as a context for '3 Level Guides'  to explicitly teach and model Luke & Freebody's '4 Resources Model'  as mentor texts for modelled reading and writing

The Rabbits (1998) John Marsden & Shaun Tan, published by Lothian, ISBN 0-85091-878-2

 Themes: White Settlement of Australia, Indigenous Australia, Post-Colonialism

Weslandia (1999) Paul Fleischman & Kevin Hawkes, published by Walker Books, ISBN 0-7445-4099-2

 Themes: Individuality, giftedness, bullying, difference

Fox (2000) Margaret Wild & Ron Brooks, published by Allen & Unwin, ISBN 1-86448-465-9

 Themes: Friendship, fables, jealousy, manipulation, gullibility, revenge

Into the Forest (2004) Anthony Browne, published by Walker Books, ISBN 0-7445-9797-8

 Themes: Fairytales (inter-textual references), fear, resilience, family

Voices in the Park (1998, pb edition 1999) Anthony Browne, published by Picture Corgi Books, ISBN 0-552- 54564-3

 Themes: socio-economic culture, friendship, different world views, art (many visual inter-textual references to surrealist art movement)

Changes (1990) Anthony Browne, published by Julia MacRae Books, ISBN 0-86203-435-3

 Themes: change, disorientation, inter-textuality, sibling rivalry, impending birth

Memorial (1999) Gary Crew & Shaun Tan, published by Lothian, ISBN 0-85091-983-5

 Themes: War, war memorials, ANZAC traditions, sustainability

The Drover's Boy (1997) Ted Egan & Robert Ingpen, published by Lothian, ISBN 0-85091-840-5

 Themes: Indigenous Australia, love, deception, grief, Post-Colonialism, gender stereotypes, equality

The Island (2005) John Heffernan & Peter Sheehan, published by Scholastic Australia, ISBN 1-86504-813-5

 Themes: Difference, philosophy, alternate world views, blindness, ownership, happiness, work/life balance