Picture Book: Room On Our Rock

room on our rock

Room on our Rock. By Kate & Jol Temple and Illustrated by Terri Rose Baynton.

I am a huge fan of picture books, and many get the wrong impression that picture books are only for primary-aged kids. But there is so much that can be drawn from teaching high school students using picture books!

 “Secondary teachers who routinely incorporate picture books into their curriculum attest to their success.” (Reiker, 2011)

 The key is finding a QUALITY picture book. In my opinion, quality picture books are books that make students think critically and deeply, includes visual cues and clues within its illustrations AND the most important of all, one that portrays the message of HOPE. This book, Room on our Rock, is one such book. It can be used across all ages! And that's the beauty of it! From Kindy right to adults! Of course, as young adults and adults, we dig deeper into the elements of the book and dissect the book using literary techniques. 

This book is written in short verses and can be read both forwards and backwards. Three seals occupy a large rock and when two others approach (when you read the book frontwards) the resident seals says they cannot accept newcomers and refuse to allow the desperate and terrified pair to take refuge on their safe, large rock. However, upon reaching the last page, the reader is urged to read the story backwards and see if anything changes…  The magic begins when you start reading the book backwards. When pages are read in reverse order, it becomes an uplifting tale of acceptance, encouragement, and HOPE (and there in lies my definition of a QUALITY picture book). 

 This book contains two different ways to behave – helping people in need, or keeping resources for yourself – and is sure to spark discussions with empathetic young readers. It's a great companion picture book to go with the topic of Refugees for the seals exemplify the differing attitudes that can be found within human communities to the plight faced by many refugees these days. 

 Watch the reading of this book on the youtube clip below to see the brilliance of this book. It is a MUST HAVE in every teacher's book collection! 



So much can be done with this book, so much talk that this book can generate. Apart from the general message of the book, we could even do an author study and talk about both the writing and illustration styles. What is so interesting is that this book almost didn't get published! How much the world would've missed out on the brilliance of this book! 

 Writing Style:
- written throughout in verse
-story at first glace, appears to be a typical example of the genre in terms of language BUT becomes unique when read backwards, telling a completely different tale that has a whole different message.

Illustration Style:
- experiences and facial expressions on the different seals appropriate to the situation described in the text, regardless of which way it is being read. 
- Baynton uses a subdued palette of soft blue-grey watercolour tones to portray the marine environment


The combination of its text and images makes the book thought-provoking. It is a brilliant picture book that exhibits particular characteristics of new literacies, which according to Anstey (2002), requires readers to read and engage with text in new ways and reading practices associated with multiliteracies which involves multiple modes and technologies (p. 87). This is in line with the new NSW Syllabus outcomes, which states that at Stage 4, students are expected to learn to respond to and compose texts beyond a literal level. Through exploring this text, students will also be taught aspects of visual literacy to see how it works together with the written text. The multimodal features will enable them to engage with the “powerful mix of images and words” (Callow, 2012). Simply put, it is to recognise that authors make a choice when “they create any type of text, spoken, visual or written [and] as readers and viewers, we can choose to step back and consider what choices are made and why they might have been made” (Callow, 2013, p.108). 

English K-10 Syllabus Outcomes:
EN4-1A responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis, imaginative expression and pleasure
EN4-2A  A student effectively uses a widening range of processes, skills, strategies and knowledge for responding to and composing texts in different media and technologies.
    • Text features - Recognise salience and symbolism in picture books
    • Identify themes - Refugees and belonging
    • Students:
      • Use a range of software, including word processing programs, to create, edit and publish texts imaginatively (ACELY1728)
      • Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that raise issues, report events and advance opinions, using deliberate language and textual choices, and including digital elements as appropriate (ACELY1736)
      • Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects (ACELT1632)

 EN4-4B Makes effective language choices to creatively shape meaning with accuracy, clarity and coherence

 EN4-7D demonstrates understanding of how texts can express aspects of their broadening world and their relationships within it

 References:
Anstey, M. (2002). More than cracking the code. In Crossing the boundaries (pp. 87-105).         French’s Forest, Prentice Hall.  

 Callow, J. (2013). Working with visual and multimodal texts. In The shape of text to come (pp. 98-12).                     Marrickville: PETAA.  

 Callow, J. (2012). The rules of visual engagement: images as tools for learning. Screen Education (65), 72-79.    
NESA, NSW. (2013). NSW syllabus for the Australian curriculum: English K-10 Syllabus 

 Reiker, M. (2011). "The Use of Picture Books in the High School Classroom: A Qualitative Case Study" (2011). Master of Liberal Studies Theses. 5. https://scholarship.rollins.edu/mls/5
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