Literature Links: Pairing Primary Sources with Historical Picture Books

When paired together, primary sources and historical picture books provide learners opportunities to explore and create meaning around small moments in time and bigger events. Compelling primary sources further help students contextualize elements of a story to better understand and relate to it. On the flip side, historical fiction and nonfiction picture books can increase students’ understanding of related primary sources. The story within a primary source can humanize a topic that may feel more distant when students interact with an artifact from long ago. How students understand a moment in time can then be enhanced by clarifying where that moment fits into a bigger event.

As students mature in their ability to interact with historical picture books and primary sources, other benefits may come from combining the two in a learning experience. Instead of connecting readers directly to the story, historical elements can connect them to the author or the time period
depicted in the story.

Review the teaching resources, then dive into the wonderful primary source sets and teaching strategies/activity ideas detailed in American Association of School Librarians Knowledge Quest blog posts curated and created by Tom Bober, elementary teacher librarian, district library coordinator, former teacher in residence at the Library of Congress, and author. Note: All primary source sets are hosted in albums on the TPS Teachers Network and are available to the public; related TPSTN discussions are only available to Network members (join); book read alouds are hosted on YouTube.

Teaching resources

Pairing Primary Sources with Historical Picture Books View PDF | Access the NEA TPS Micro-credential

Pairing Primary Sources and Picture Books Library of Congress webinar recording