Picture Book Thursday: The Pencil
Written by Allan Ahlberg
Illustrated by Bruce Ingman
Candlewick Press
Age Range 4-8 yrs
Hey folks. Glad you could join us here on Picture Book Thursday. Not to be a downer while summer is in full gear but the clock is ticking for school to start back up and I know you’ll be looking for books to kick off the year. You should check out Allan Ahlberg’s The Pencil, a zany tale of a pencil that draws a world populated by talking animals, somewhat fickle folks and an eraser that’s a bit of a loose canon.
For a quick activity try drawing half a picture for your students to finish. It sounds daunting, I know, but stay with me here. Draw half a house, half a sun, half a tree, half a cloud and half a person and you’re half way there. Make copies of your drawing and have your students draw in the parts that are missing. If you want to create some buzz, use a fine tip Sharpie to draw a face on the pencils before handing them out.
To show students how pencils are made, check out the Let’s Make a Pencil video. You could also go to the Faber-Castell site for colored pencil drawing techniques. They have some interesting tips, including drawing on sandpaper!
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