Picture Books Sans Frontieres

This is the first book to help teachers to widen children's horizons by bringing picture books from the European member states to British pupils - and to all European primary school children. It does so by: describing each of the books selected by experts to form the European Picture Book Collection; discussing the signs and messages carried by illustration and text in picture books; showing teachers how to help children 'read' the selected texts through the pictures; and showing teachers how the books can help children recognise the similarities in children's experiences throughout Europe.

The 19 books in the collection have a common theme - friendship. The universality of this theme enables children to engage with the books and empathise with the various characters - witches, animals, people of all ages.

This book also enables teachers to use the collection of books to start children off on an exploration of how language works. As pupils learn to "read" the pictures, the text will become more accessible and children will recognise words that are similar to their own language. They will also learn visual literacy.

This book is a breakthrough text for primary school teachers. It supports English lessons and provides specific programs for using in theLiteracy Hour. It is also an ideal resource for Citizenship Education in primary classrooms. While written primarily for elementary and kindergarten teachers, the book will also interest those working in children's literature, whether in the UK or elsewhere.