Author: Bill Thomson
Illustrator: Bill Thomson
Publisher: Two Lions
Publication Date: March 8th, 2016
Genre/Format: Fantasy/Fiction/Wordless Picture Book
GoodReads Summary: Using just nine words, the award-winning creator of Chalk takes readers on another unforgettable journey. When three children discover a typewriter on a carousel, they are transported on an adventure of their own creation—complete with a giant beach ball and a threatening crab. Stunning, richly colored artwork is paired with limited text so children can tell their own version of the story.
What I Think: I vividly remember bringing home Chalk by Bill Thomson when it first came out. Peanut loved it and was fascinated by the illustrations. Then we loved Fossil and now we have The Typewriter. Throughout them all, Bill's artwork continues to be amazing. His drawings are so detailed and definitely lifelike.
Students in an art class at one of the schools I work at were lucky enough to Skype with Bill last week for World Read Aloud Day and they got to hear about hiw process and how long it takes him to complete one drawing/painting. You can tell from the illustrations that he takes a lot of time bring each picture to life. One of the students asked him about the butterfly which is in all three books...you'll have to look for it and see what you think it means that the butterfly can be spotted in each book!
As a mentor text, I adore wordless picture books because of the opportunity to allow students to tell the story based on what they see on the page. Kids naturally make inferences but a wordless picture book gives them the opportunity to realize that taking in the information and determining something based off of the information is an inference. Besides inference practice, wordless picture books gives students the opportunity to write their own stories. They take away the stigma of not being able to read words and just let kids fall into a story and to tell it on their own. The whimsy in this story and others by Bill Thomson invite readers to imagine and it's lovely.
Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 5
Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 5
Read With: Journey by Aaron Becker, Bluebird by Bob Staake
Writing Prompts: Write about a time in your life when you discovered something new to you for the first time.
Topics Covered: Exploration, Discovery, Adventure, Curiosity
Additional Resources:
Bill Thomson is the creator of Chalk and Fossil and the illustrator of Baseball Hour, Karate Hour, Soccer Hour, and Building with Dad, all written by Carol Nevius. Thomson’s books have received many accolades: the National Parenting Publications Gold Award, designation as a Notable Children’s Book by the American Library Association, a Teacher’s Choice selection from the International Reading Association, a Booklist Editor’s Choice, the Connecticut Book Award for Children’s Illustrator, Kentucky’s Bluegrass Award, Ohio’s Buckeye Children’s Book Award, and the Prix Livrentête in Paris, France. Thomson’s artwork has also received more than 75 awards in the country’s most prestigious juried illustration competitions.
Thomson lives with his family in Southington, Connecticut and is also a professor of illustration at the University of Hartford. To see more of his artwork, visit: www.billthomson.com.
Download a CCSS-aligned curriculum guide for The Typewriter.
I *heart* It:
Follow all of the stops on his tour!
Fri, Mar 4
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Teach Mentor Texts
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Mon, Mar 7
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The Book Monsters
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Tues, Mar 8
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Kid Lit Frenzy
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Wed, Mar 9
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5 Minutes for Books
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Thurs, Mar 10
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Cracking the Cover
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Fri, Mar 11
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Unleashing Readers
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Mon, Mar 14
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Sharpread
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Tues, Mar 15
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Jean Little Library
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Wed, Mar 16
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NC Teacher Stuff
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Thurs, Mar 17
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A Rup Life
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Fri, Mar 18
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A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust
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Tues, Mar 22
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Library Fanatic
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*Thanks to Blue Slip Media for
a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review
and the opportunity to offer the giveaway above!*
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