Thomson, B. (2010). Chalk. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish.WordlessInternational Reading Association: 2011 Teachers’ ChoicesThe wordless picture book could be enjoyed by children of all ages! Since it is wordless young children are capable of enjoying it, but since it is not overly babyish, older elementary students will likely enjoy it too! It is a story about three kids who discover magical chalk that turns their sidewalk art to life! The illustrations are very realistic. The children in the story nearly look like photographs of real kids. In addition, the colors are so vibrant. The sky looks exactly like blue sky on a sunny day, and the green of the dinosaur playground equipment reminds me exactly of colors on brand new playground equipment. My favorite aspect of the story is that the three main characters are children that represent three different races or ethnicities, which means that diverse students are more likely to see themselves reflected in the characters. This story could be an excellent means to provide students with practice retelling the events that occur in the beginning, middle, and end of the book. In addition, English Language Learners could use this book to continue to develop their native and or English language abilities by writing accompanying text in either their native language, in English, or in both languages. By Hannah Edmonds and Taylor O'ConnorChalk is a magical story about three imaginative children who stumble across a bag of chalk in the park. Their ordinary day turns into an unexpected adventure when their drawings begin to come to life. Suns and butterflies are not enough to stop their fun: but a dinosaur is. Faced with perilous danger, the children run around the playground, trying to find a place to hide. The illustrations are one-of-a-kind experience for every reader's imagination. Thomson spends hundreds of hours creating each masterpiece by creating a story board, building and snapping reference photos, and layering his creations with multiple paints, bases, and colors. Thomson “paint[s] over the entire drawing with a mixture of gesso and yellow ochre acrylic paint" to convey warm and cool colors, making his artwork life-like, inviting the reader to join in on the fun. Emotions strongly come through the pages from the children's expressions, having the reader feel the wonder and terror that the chalk drawings have created. Even though the pictures have no words, the sequential plot is strong enough for every reader to understand. The intelligence of the children's minds shines brightly when they use the chalk that had created such a terrible beast to save the park.
What do You think about Chalk (2010)?
Love the ending--I almost got shivers--Impressive storytelling for a book without words.
—tanya
Eh. Just a picture book, nothing really to read. Save your money.
—Tiffany
SO COOL! A great wordless read! I will buy this one.
—Cammy909
Not a word in it, but my kids and I loved it!
—Pratz
