My Spree to Paree
Rebecca Amerson, School Library Media Specialist, Woodstock High School, Woodstock, GA
“What I did on my summer vacation” now has a different meaning to me! I spent two weeks last summer living in an apartment in Paris! It was the most amazing trip, and I took almost 1000 pictures! Don’t you love digital cameras?! I was traveling with a retired media specialist, and we did our homework before we left, reading everything we could. One of the things I read was the newly released The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. I knew this creative story would go far, but I certainly never expected the Caldecott Medal! I enjoyed Brian’s webpage and the additional information he provided about the historical setting of the book. While I was in Paris, I looked for the real places mentioned in the book to be able to share them when I returned.
In planning a presentation for media specialists in the North Central District, I began to look at other children’s books set in Paris. I saw many illustrations of things I had photographed myself, and soon my presentation began to expand. We know that authors and illustrators do a great deal of research themselves, and this presentation would reinforce that fact. “My Spree to Paree: A Visit to Paris through Children’s Literature” was growing!
I used PowerPoint to organize my Paris photographs and an Elmo Visual Presenter to show the book images. This was a great opportunity to demonstrate the power, clarity, and zoom capability of using a document camera. Two screens were set up side by side for easy comparison of the illustration and my photograph. I also prepared a bibliography of the titles I would be using during the presentation.
I began the session by sharing a new website: www.lookybook.com . There are hundreds of books that you can read (and purchase!). A keyword search brought up A Spree to Paree by Catherine Stock. A click in the corner allows you to turn the pages of the book! Look out Paris, here we come!