Make It! Write It! Read It! - by Wendy M L Libby (Paperback)

About the Book

"Crafting projects that provide literacy and curriculum ideas to enrich the classroom Make It! Write It! Read It! develops art and literacy skills through the craft of bookmaking, inspiring elementary-aged children to read, write, and tell stories with their creations. Creative, fun, field-tested projects include 17 different blank book designs such as accordion fold, coffee filter, hanging tassel, and paper bag books. These designs are then applied to 23 specific book projects kids are sure to love, with suggestions for making literary connections--writing poems, paragraphs, or simple stories related to their creations. Kids will delight in making books that include three-part fish, a creature pop-up, a double-sided mountain, and an ocean scene, among many others. Carefully crafted with teachers and parents or caregivers of kids aged 4-10 in mind, each activity has educational objectives for the project; skills developed; materials needed; clear, illustrated, step-by-step instructions; literary connection ideas; and space for evaluation notes. The text is specific enough for beginners who need more direction yet offers open-ended possibilities for imagination and creation for more experienced bookmakers, writers, and artists"--

Book Synopsis

2015 Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award Winner in Activity Book Category

Perfect for preschool through elementary-level educators seeking to enhance classroom lessons or parents and other caregivers looking for fun and creative hands-on activities for children, Make It! Write It! Read It! includes field-tested bookmaking projects that encourage self-expression while building both art and literacy skills. Seventeen easy-to-follow blank book designs--such as Accordion Fold, Hanging Tassel, and Paper-Bag-Pockets books--are presented and then applied to 23 specific cross-curricular book projects, including Alphabet, Pop-Up Jungle, and Flapping Insects books.

The projects require nothing more than imagination and standard classroom art supplies. With gentle prompting, kids can write poems, paragraphs, or simple stories related to their creations. Each activity includes educational objectives; skills developed; materials needed; clear, illustrated, step-by-step instructions; and literary connection ideas.

Longtime art educator Wendy M. L. Libby guides beginners who might need more direction but also suggests open-ended possibilities for more experienced bookmakers, teachers, and artists.

Review Quotes

"Make It! Write It! Read It! is a helpful resource for educators looking for an interesting way to support their students to consolidate their learning in any curriculum area and to develop creative expression." --Canadian Teacher Magazine

About the Author

Wendy M. L. Libby has been an elementary art teacher for 35 years and has received many teaching awards. She is the author of Enriching the Curriculum with Art Experiences, Using Art to Make Art, and Using Stories to Make Stories. She lives in Brewer, Maine.