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 At
school with Quentin Blake
Quentin Blake is the sort of illustrator
whose work is recognised instantly by those of us who work with
children and their books. It would be a pretty dull classroom
or children's library that didn't have lots of books by Quentin
Blake on its shelves. With books such as All
Join In, The Green Ship and Clown teachers have ideal
teaching resources that are also hugely enjoyable.
I am going to look at the ways Quentin
Blake's books support teachers in fulfilling the requirements
of the National Curriculum (NC) and the National Literacy Project
(NLP).
Starting points
In the early years, children need
to meet books in shared reading sessions that have "language
with recognisable repetitive patterns, rhyme and rhythm"
(NC) and provide opportunities for "vocabulary extension"
(NLP). Sharing books with groups of children is very supportive
as they begin to read. Many very young children will join in spontaneously
long before they are reading in the conventional sense. Listening
to the adult voice and being included in the reading gives confidence
that will grow into competence as youngsters gradually link the
meaning with the printed word. Books like Simpkin, Cockatoos
and All Join In provide valuable shared reading experiences.
In Simpkin you will find rhymes, a
rhythmic pattern to the language and a rich collection of words
with contrasting meanings.
Simpkin ONCE and Simpkin
TWICE
Simpkin NASTY Simpkin
NICE
I have used All Join In throughout
the primary school and all age groups have enjoyed it - especially
when they are allowed to provide the sound effects to lines such
as:
When Amy throws a tantrum it is
wonderful to see
And when Eric starts his wailing
there is noise enough for three
When Bernard kicks the dustbin
it really makes a din
But the very best of all is when
we ALL JOIN IN
It is never too early to introduce
the idea of exploring the text closely. This may begin with an
exploration of the illustrations that leads eventually to "evaluating
texts" (NC). Cockatoos offers an excellent opportunity to
explore closely as readers are invited to search the pages for
the hidden birds.
Children acquire a knowledge of story
structure for their own writing through the books and stories
they know and love. For example, the sort of story that builds
through an accumulation of events or objects, such as, Mrs
Armitage on Wheels and the new adventure with Mrs Armitage
and her dog, Mrs Armitage and the Big Wave.
Reading beyond the literal
When children become more confident
as readers they will be more aware of the ways deeper meanings
are created. In the National Curriculum, there are statements
about texts at this stage becoming "more challenging"
and "more complex". It is a mistake to assume that these
statements refer to a "challenge" in terms of the number
of words on a page. Clown, despite having no written text at all,
is a very demanding read.
Share Clown with a group of children
at key stage 2 and see what they make of each new page in terms
of character, atmosphere and narrative structure. The clown character
has thoughts, feelings and intentions which children can only
discover by careful consideration of the pictures. Putting their
observations into words stretches children's language skills far
more than reading a short page of written text.
Contributions to a discussion can
help a teacher assess the pupils' level of understanding. Clown
is perfect for practising the skill of prediction (NC) and for
"evaluating behaviour and relationships" (NLP) in a
variety of characters. It is also a rewarding story with powerful
themes of loyalty and perseverance.
The higher order reading skills enable
readers to understand beyond the literal. This can be achieved
most successfully by youngsters when they are not having to struggle
to decode the words.
The Story of the Dancing Frog
and The Green Ship offer accessible texts with complex
themes that are ideal for looking at "more complex narrative
structures and sustained ideas" (NC) and "the organisation
of narratives" (NLP).
 The
Story of the Dancing Frog can be enjoyed on a variety of levels
but, whatever you make of it, the story is complex. The Green
Ship combines elements of adventure, fantasy and childhood memory
in an evocative story that involves slips in time, between real
and imagined worlds. Both these books provide excellent starting
points for discussing reading at "text level" (NLP).
For example, using the guidelines of the National Literacy Project,
a set of questions to ask about The Story of the Dancing Frog
could include:
Who is telling the story? Are we told
or do we guess?
Can we tell when and where this story
happened?
How is time organised in the words
and the pictures?
Is the first page the beginning of
the story?
What do we know about Jo and the story
teller?
Does Gertrude's character change through
the story? How?
Who would you most like to be from
this story? Why?
Many of these questions do not have
straightforward answers or may be matters of opinion. Open questioning
of this sort is a feature of all literary study, whether it is
with eight-year-olds or for an English degree, and it must be
a regular event in a primary classroom.
I am full of questions about The
Story of the Dancing Frog that I would love to explore with
fellow readers. Read it and see if you too don't want to know
more about Gertrude and George. Did George really dance with Fred
Astaire and Isadora Duncan? Or is that my imagination running
riot? What happened to Uncle Geoffrey with the iceberg, and Sarah
with her lions? Is this book really about a dancing frog - or
how families preserve their history - or coping with grief?
As with many of Quentin Blake's books,
I suddenly find myself so involved with the text that pedantic
concerns about reading skills seem irrelevant. I am reminded that
before our children should have to "consider in detail, respond
imaginatively and evaluate the texts that they read" (NC),
they need to know how literature enriches life. Quentin Blake's
books will help create readers because they are high quality literature
- brimming with humanity and joy. How fortunate for teachers and
librarians that his, and all other wonderful children's books,
are the tools of our trade.
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