Three of My Favorite Picture Books To Use In World Literature

We often associate picture books with young children, but using picture books in high school can be an amazing way to review or teach literary concepts. Plus, have you spend much time looking at picture books recently? There are some AMAZING ones out there.

I’m only focusing on 3 picture books in this post, but I’d love to hear what you’ve used in your classroom or what picture books you use with your own young kids.

Why Use Picture Books In Your World Lit. Class?

Picture books are a fantastic way to illustrate abstract ideas and the techniques of an author’s craft. They can also make these ideas more accessible to students—no matter their academic level. Additionally, with picture books, you can easily differentiate resources for differing comprehension or language levels with scaffolds to meet every need in the room.

There are so many absolutely gorgeous picture books from authors all around the world that display so many different cultures and society’s, so picture books just make sense to use in a World Lit. class.

Let’s take a look at 3 timeless picture books that reflect diverse geographical and cultural experiences! And don’t worry if you can’t get physical copies of every picture book in your classroom. You can teach these lessons using links to these stories, too! This is one awesome benefit of our digital age.

Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland

This historical fiction selection is created in the style of a graphic novel. It is the perfect choice to meet a wide range of comprehension needs and engage students with a style that may feel familiar to other YA (young adult) literature genres.

In the book, Azzi is a young girl experiencing the conflict of war in her home country. She and her parents attempt to flee while leaving her beloved grandmother behind.

This book is unique because it does not include names of countries, locations, or specific landmarks. The absence of specificity allows the reader to focus on the images of the book and the refugee experience without a lot of background knowledge. Students can identify elements of Azzi’s journey that they can connect across texts and stories, as well as themes of resilience and belonging.

Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say

Allen Say’s beautiful watercolor pictures and narration earned Grandfather’s Journey a Caldecott medal in 1994. His detailed images of his family story will intrigue students and draw them into a multi-generational story of finding a home between two places.

Say’s grandfather travels back and forth from Japan to the United States and develops a love for California. He experiences the wonder of travel and exploration of new places, and Say expertly portrays the celebration of cultures and geographical locations. Near the end of the book, Say describes his own adventures and how he comes to understand his grandfather.

This lighter tale is a great choice for helping students recognize common themes that exist no matter where they are or where they go. They will have engaging discussions about Say’s artistic choices and how they represent the places his grandfather called home.

The Paper Boat by Thao Lam

High school students may need to examine this wordless book a few times to interpret the meaning. Once they do, the symbolic concepts are rich and thought-provoking!

This story details a piece of the author’s own family history. It also portrays the symbolism of a side-by-side journey of an ant colony. As Lam uses collage art to illustrate her family’s emigration from Vietnam to Canada, readers can sense the tension and emotions associated with the journey.

This picture book would be an excellent resource for scaffolding symbolism concepts for English language learners. It will also spark excellent discussion among students about their interpretations of the pictures and attention to detail.

How You Can Use Picture Books To Teach Symbolism and Theme in World Lit.

To teach or review symbolism or theme with picture books, one great strategy is the jigsaw strategy. This works well for teaching and reviewing complex topics because it allows students the opportunity for repeated practice. They will also hear or see these concepts presented in a variety of ways through collaboration and discussion.

Here’s How Jigsaw With Picture Books Works:

Begin by assigning or randomizing students to groups and designating a picture book(s) for each group. Groups will read and analyze a picture book together. After reading and analyzing the picture book, students will be assigned to new groups, where they will share their summaries and key takeaways with a new group of students.

In their first group, it’s important that students not only focus on the plot of the book, but on the specific literary concept you’re discussing, such as symbolism or theme.

Symbolism and theme can be difficult concepts to understand when students have an entire novel to think about, but when they have a picture book it is simpler. The book itself is short enough to be read multiple times, plus quite often the images and text work together to reveal symbolism and theme.

Thus, students can focus on understanding or reviewing the literary concept without the obstacle of decoding difficult reading passages or remembering details of a lengthy plot line.

We have a lesson in the English Teacher Vault that has this entire thing laid out step-by-step. Find out more about joining the vault HERE. If you’re already a member, access this lesson HERE.

The English Teacher Vault lesson outlines suggested variations of the jigsaw strategy to make it work for your high school students.

More Resources for World Literature

Are you teaching world literature this year for the first time? Or, are you a veteran teacher looking for fresh ideas? We’re so glad you’re here!

The English Teacher Vault is currently building out its entire World Literature section. Each of our World Lit. units include essential questions, suggested anchor texts, and engaging activities that foster critical thinking and appreciation of stories from around the world.

Right now, you can access the lesson detailed in this post – plus hundreds more – for just $1! Sign up today for a trial membership. Discover the incredible supply of resources for English teachers created by English teachers.