Session 10: Realistic Fiction

Grade Level this book was selected for: Kindergarten

APA Citation: Reynolds, P. (2004). Ish. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Description: Ramon loses confidence in his ability to draw, but his sister gives him a new perspective on things. (From the title page of the book.)



This book is appropriate for: Ages 0-8; Kindergarten-Third grade

Justification: I would read this book as part of a story time presentation and have students ask and answer questions about unknown words in the text demonstrating CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. (english Language Arts Standards >> Reading: Literature, Retrieved from Common Core State Standard Initiatives on November 3, 2017: http://www.commoncorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy.RL.K.4/ (Links to an external site.) Links to an eternal site.



Keywords: Artist🖌Acceptance🖌Tolerance🖌Identity

Scholarly Review: Reynolds follows The Dot (Candlewick, 2003) with this companion story about creativity and the artistic process. Ramon loves to draw: "Anytime. Anything. Anywhere." When his older brother laughs at one of his pictures and points out that it does not look like a real vase of flowers, a dejected Ramon crumples up all of his efforts. However, he soon learns that his younger sister has hung the discarded papers on her bedroom walls. When he declares that the picture of the vase doesn't look like the real thing, she says that it looks "vase-ISH ." The child then begins to produce paintings that look "tree-ish ," "afternoon-ish ," and "silly-ish ." His "ish art" inspires him to look at all creative endeavors differently. The watercolor, ink, and tea illustrations have a childlike charm. Set against white backgrounds, the quirky line drawings and restrained use of color combine to create an attractive, unique picture book. The small size lends itself to one-on-one sharing and thoughtful examination. Ish , like Leo Lionni's Frederick (Knopf, 1967), encourages readers to see the world anew.–Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI --Shawn Brommer
Citation: Brommer, S. (2005, January). Reynolds, Jason. ish. School Library Journal, 51(1), 97. Retrieved from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com/novp/detail?vid=14&sid=41817584-37ef-43c9-b7bd-4171b13dc85b%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9bm92cC1saXZl#UI=130375&db=neh(Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.