I chose the topic of figurative language as an extension of a challenge I have faced as a teacher: how to help my students understand and remember what words like "onomatopoeia" and "alliteration" mean. I have searched for and used some texts to show them, but I thought about how having a ready-made list would have made my task much easier. That is one of my primary goals for when I become a school librarian, to support my teaching peers by providing the resources they need when they need them. I decided to focus on picture books because they can be used with all ages of elementary students for instruction. One challenge in compiling this list was trying to use recent publications; many recommendations that I found from teachers, reviews, and publishers were of respected but older books such as Owl Moon. I decided that quality literature from any age that supports educational standards has a place in the elementary school library.
In addition to selection tools such as School Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly, I found that Goodreads was a better source of information than I had realized. I appreciated the diverse opinions found there that gave me an overview of the books, as well as helpful comments about the types of figurative language or special features the books had. I found a few regular reviewers whose voices were especially interesting and helpful in my choices. One conclusion I have made is that librarians need other librarians, teachers, and readers in general to help in making selection decisions. It is too big of a job to do by one's self.
This collection is one that I will keep and continue to update as I find new examples of figurative language. It is a resource that will be useful to me as both a classroom teacher and librarian.
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