All About Authors and Illustrators

Ready to teach a 15 Minute Circle Time that introduces children to the roles of authors and illustrators? Here is a plan to get you going.

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Attention Getter: Empty Book

Prepare an empty book to show the children by stapling 6 blank pages inside a colored cover. At circle time tell the children that you have brought your favorite book to class today. Emphasize how excited you are about your favorite book. Show them the blank cover. Continue to turn the pages and exclaim your excitement about the story. Soon the children will be pointing out that the book has nothing in it.

Ask them what is missing and begin a discussion of the missing elements. The children will point out that the book needs pictures. When they do, take out a picture of Elephant and put it on one page and a picture Piggie and place it on the next. Then, when the children point out that the book needs words, take out a word bubble and place it above the elephant picture and ask the class what word should go in that word bubble? Do the same for Piggie. The children will begin to see that your favorite book is getting better!

The teacher is showing the class her favorite book...but it is empty!

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Activity 1: Authors and Illustrators

Ask: “Who do you think writes a book?” It’s the Author. Discuss how the author has to think of the words for a story and write them down.

Ask: “Who do you think draws the pictures in a book?” It’s the Illustrator. Point out how the illustrator draws all of the pictures for the story.

Explain that sometimes the same person will be the author and the illustrator. Show the picture of Mo Willems and show that he is the author and the illustrator for We Are In a Book.

Discussing the roles of authors and illustrators. Illustrators draw the pictures and authors have to think of the story.

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Book: We Are In A Book

Read “We are in a Book” by Mo Willems. Point out the elephant and piggy pictures that the illustrator drew and the words in the word bubbles that the author wrote.

Show the class that you have a word bubble for each one of them. Each child will get to be an author and tell you a word to put in their word bubble. Write each word on a word bubble for the class to see.

Reading, We Are In a Book. This book should be read with expression and like a conversation between Elephant and Piggie. The children love it!

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Activity 2: Class Book

Before class create a large class book similar to the “We are in a Book”. Use pictures of the children and write a simple story in word bubbles. Read the book to the children. They will be very surprised that THEY are in a book!

The teacher is showing the class that she has a book with the same title as the Elephant and Piggie story.

The children are surprised to find out that this story is all about them because it is filled with their pictures.