Best Die Cut Picture Books

Die cut picture books are a lot of fun.  They are interactive and, often, innovative.  What are die cut books?  Simply, books that use cut out shapes in the story telling or visual learning. Here is a list of some of my favorite books that utilize die cut pages. 

Lois Ehlert is a creative storyteller who often uses shapes, die cuts, and collage.  Color Zoo and Color Farm stack window die cut shapes on top of each other to create animals.  Young children can guess the animals and begin to identify the corresponding spelling of the word because the word is included, large and bold. Each page is also a color the children can recite.  As the reader turns each page, the due cut shape on top is revealed (as is the name, again for early word recognition building).  Ehlert’s books are wonderful for interaction and learning!

Two additional books use animal shapes.  Cock-a-Doodle Who? (Martine Perrine) uses the die cut shapes and patterned papers to create a fun, interactive book.  For instance, the book begins with a solid black page with a die cut of a cow.  The pattern underneath is black and white flowers.  The text reads, “Mooing cow, for whom do you wait?”  children can make a guess.  The next page reveals a large lady with a dress (black and white flower pattern).  The die cut cow is now on top of a pattern with black and white splotches (keeping with the look of the cow).  The text reads, “This maid stepping with a very quick gait.”   The book continues with the same format, each with a die cut animal and a question to answer.  Predicting skills and identifying rhyming words are both essential early reading skills. 

Also, Whoo? Whoo? (by David A. Carter) utilities simple shapes.  Each sequence begins with a solid white page.  One side has a questions mark while the other has a bunch of due cut shapes.  Readers must guess what animals these shapes will create.  The next page reveals the animal, the name, and the sound.  The end of the books depicts all the animals on one page making noise at night which is making at least one person none too happy.  Each of the aforementioned books is ideal for accompaniment with an art lesson.  With various sizes, colors, and shapes, children can be encouraged to create their own real or imagined animals. 

I love Ed Emberley’s imaginative use of storytelling and die cuts.  In Bye-Bye Big Bad Bullybug, suspense is built effectively.  As a UFO comes along, several bugs anticipate with words like “uh-oh!” and “He’s getting closer.”  The enormous bug emerges slowly in the dark of night.  The die cut pages slowly reveal the bug.  First, this three mean green eyes appear.  The next page shows his green eyes with his sharp white teeth.  Each page turn depicts another feature until he is fully realized and it declares, “And now, I’m going to eat you all up!”  Not to worry, the reader can squash it with a big shoe!  Similarly, Go Away, Big Green Monster,  a monster slowly emerges but then disappears with each page turn .  I love the way the child has control the monster’s presence, which translates well to helping children learn to control their fears and imagination.  

I Spy Under the Sea (by Edwards Gibbs) combines the “I spy” game with the die cut window guessing game.   The text begins with “I spy with my little eye…”  The facing page a small description.  For example, the first one states, “something with stripes.” A small circular window reveals a small part of the underwater animal.  In this case, it is an part of a clownfish.  The child-reader makes a prediction.  The next page is the “big reveal.”  There are different numbers of animals for counting practice.  The numeral, number word, and animal name are included on the reveal page.  This book is a fun way to learn about ocean life and numbers.  

Likewise, Cat and Mouse: The Hole Story (by Christyan and Diane Fox) delights youngsters with a determined feline on the prowl to catch an adventurous rodent.  Each window gives a glimpse of the mouse’s activities as he seeks out a piece of cheese while the cat tries to sneak up on him. 

The final two books combine numbers and die cut windows.  One Boy (by Laura Vaccaro Seeger) is an entertaining beginning reader.  In the first sequence, a picture is framed.  The text reads “1 one boy.”  A turn of the page uses part of the previous text to read “All alone.”  The picture is a boy sitting all alone with empty chairs all around him.   One Foot Two Feet (by Peter Maloney & Felicia Zekauskas) combines teaching numbers and singular/plural words.  For instance, a die cut window frames one mouse.  With the turn of a page, three mice are shown.  Children learn about irregular plural words.  

Picture Book (Science): Look Once, Look Again Series

I love perusing through the books in the library.  During one of my library explorations, I found an amazing book set for science exploration called Look Once, Look Again (by David M. Schwartz).  There are 24 books in the series broken into two subsets: Exploring Habitats and Exploring Plants & Animals.  I previewed three of them:  At the Pond, Underfoot, and In the Park.

The books follow a pattern.  For the Look Once page, a close-up picture of some part of an animal or plant is shown with a riddle of sorts.   In the Pond, for example, begins with a photograph of two connected circles with smaller circles inside them.  The riddle is:  “This insect has enormous eyes.  Some people think it is as scary as a dragon.”  Then, the reader/listener has the opportunity to guess what is depicted.   On the back page is the Look Again  picture with a dragonfly depicted and a few details about it (The Look Once picture is an extreme close-up of the dragonfly's eyes).  The facing page on the right has a new Look Once picture.  The Look Once, Look Again pattern continues until the end.  The final pages offer an opportunity for review. 

I like this series because it prompts reader/listener interaction and critical thinking skills.  Young children will have fun predicting what living thing is revealed in word and photograph as well as the joy of success as they get it right (if not the first time, in successive reading sessions).   Another great aspect of the series is that it encourages children to look carefully at the world around them and to make their own observations about it.   The captivating and vivid photographs by Dwight Kuhn, also, make this series worthwhile.  Every page feels like a new discovery and wonder. 

There is a book for many of the most common early childhood science experiences.  The titles are:  Among the Flowers, Animal Ears, Animal Eyes, Animal Feathers and Fur, Animal Feet, Animal Mouths, Animal Noses, Animal Skin & Scales,  Animal Tails, At the Farm, At the Pond, At the Seashore, At the Zoo, Fruit & Seeds, In a Tree, In the Desert, In the Forest, In the Garden, In the Meadow, In the Park, Plant Blossoms, Plant Leaves, Plant Stems & Roots, and Underfoot.   I recommend utilizing this series before visiting or studying these locations/subjects.  The Look Once, Look Again series is ideal for ages 3-8. 

This post is linked up with Science Sunday at Adventures of Mommydom where there are always dozens of amazing science-related posts.  

Picture Book (Science): Deep in the Desert (by Rhonda Lucas Donald)

Summary of Deep in the Desert: 

Poems are set to familiar nursery rhyme and song tunes to reveal the wonders and secrets of desert life.  Readers learn about less commonly known animals, such as the javelin, tarkawara, thorny devil, and Gila monster.  The wonderful poetic text, set to favorite childhood songs creates an engaging reading experience that will not soon be forgotten.  Who can forget “I’m a Little Teapot” after reciting it a few times?   Children will remember how a javelin looks and lives after reciting these poetic lines to the same tune:

I’m a javelin, short and stout.

Here are my hooves, and here is my snout.

I will eat cactus, not a trout.

It’s a desert life for me, no doubt. 

The following lyrics to the poem describe his predator, his survival mechanism, his noises, and more. More familiar animals are also covered like a meerkat, desert tortoise, fennec fox, ostrich, and camel.  The life of an ostrich is easy to recall when singing it using the tune “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”:

There is an odd birdy that never could fly.

I wonder why the bird cannot fly.

Do you know why?

There is a fast birdy that runs on strong legs.

You can’t believe the size of its eggs.

It runs on strong legs because it can’t fly.

I wonder why the bird cannot fly. 

Do you know why?

Three additional stanzas celebrate this bird’s unique features.   Each poem in Deep in the Desert follows a similar format to illuminate how the animals survive and function in their habitat as well as to reveal the distinctive climate and vegetation of the desert.

Evaluation:

Rhonda Lucas Donald has written an entertaining and educational book of poems.   Children are exposed to the sound of poetic words, providing opportunities to practice or to teach about rhyme (slant, eye, and true), alliteration, and onomatopoeia.  Repetitive phrases and familiar tunes prompt children to participate in reading and reciting after a few exposures to the poems.   Donald uses a variety of sentence types—declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory.  Adults should point out these marks and teach how they are read differently.  Older children can learn their names and functions.   Most of the songs blend well with the poetic words.  Parents may want to practice briefly before beginning to get the hang of it.  I was not familiar with a few of them, but tunes are not difficult to find on the Internet.  One of the best parts of Deep in the Desert is the illustrations by Sherry Neidigh.   Whether it is a sweeping view of the horizon or an up close picture of small area of ground, her detail and color choices are impeccable.  They are an essential element of the overall desert habitat experience. 

For more excellent teaching opportunities, check out the teaching guide and book’s page at the Sylvan Dell website. 

In honor of Poetry Friday, check out the other blogs highlighting poetic works at Book Aunt.

Activities & Ideas: The Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Squires

The Gingerbread Cowboy (ages 4-8) compliments The Cowboy & the Black-Eyed Pea.  Both are based on well-known fairy tales and have a cowboy/Texas theme.  The setting is a ranch on a desert plain.  As a result, some of the animals who make their homes there, such as the horned lizard, roadrunner, javelina, and coyote, are highlighted. 

Also, The Gingerbread Cowboy has some good similes and alliteration.  Even at a young age, you can discuss figurative language with children.  Maybe they won’t “get it” until they are older, but it doesn’t hurt to begin introducing the concept.  Besides, you might have a child or some children who understand the concept early.  For a while now, my 9 year old has been able to identify figurative language such as puns and similes.  He also understands ironies and parody.  Don’t be discouraged if they don’t get it, but don’t hesitate to talk about it early either. 

Extension Activities

• See The Cowboy & the Black-Eyed Pea.  Many of those ideas would work here as well.
• Read other versions of this story, such as Jan Bret’s beautifully illustrated The Gingerbread Baby or Gingerbread Friends and Eric Kimmel’s classic version The Gingerbread Man.  Use a Venn Diagram to record the similarities and differences.
• Make and decorate gingerbread cookies, a gingerbread house, or other gingerbread recipe.
• Research the setting (desert) and some of the animals in that habitat.

Activities From the Internet
DLTK Activities
Crafts, Recipes, & Activities
Five Day Theme Unit
Math Activities