Then ask for their reactions. If you find people hesitant to talk, you may want to break them into smaller groups. One aspect of illustrated picture books that adults and children rarely consider is why the author chose to tell the story in a particular way, and why an illustrator decided to create certain images and not others. It can be especially fun to talk about the language of carefully crafted books, like Mama is a Miner and Drylongso, mentioned above. If the families seem to enjoy a specific book, be sure to encourage them to take it home and reread it together.
Some books lend themselves to thoughtful reflection and written responses.
Especially with a longer book, like Missing May or Drylongso, parents or children may want to keep a journal, alone or together, where they record their reactions and discuss the characters or the story. Parents may want to write their own versions of similar experiences. Children may want to write a poem in response to a story. Remember, people react to different stories in different ways. Rather than making an artificial assignment, let your families take the lead bydeciding which .book they might want to spend more time with and how they might like to respond.