Pistes d'exploration

Bring in a scanned copy of one of your least favourite photos. Create a WANTED poster using this photo. Include fictional facts about your crime, a humorous physical description, the amount of a monetary reward for your capture, etc.

Discuss the photographer’s tactics. Do you think the person fidgeted with the camera on purpose? Why didn’t the main character want a perfect picture? Will his strategies work next year? Write a sequel about next year’s picture day. 

Discuss emoticons and their use. Match emoticons to the images found opposite the inside cover title page. In pairs, create a new emoticon. 

Discuss what is expected of students on picture day. How should students prepare for their photo? Should the photo be “perfect”? What makes for a perfect photo (according to a photographer, your parents or you)? 

Describe the boy’s perfect picture day. Is he happy or frustrated in the end? What does his mother think of his school photo? What do you think of it?

Take photos of a classmate expressing different emotions. Show and describe each photo to the class. Which one do you think is a perfect picture?

Select one or two photos from your past school years, write a short caption under each one and post them on the classroom wall. 

It's a Snap!: George Eastman's First Photograph, Hair

Mots-clés

Picture book , anticipation , mischief , photography , school life , surprise endings , teachers

Commentaire descriptif

The trials and tribulations of school picture day are related to hilarious effect by a boy with big plans to achieve the perfect look for his photo this year. The language sets up young readers for a bumpy ride: “But some days, not everything goes according to plan.” Bedhead (“Exhibit A” through “D”), syrup-face (“described as a large syrup disaster”) and trouble on the school bus (“my picture day face was fixed in a scowl”) seem an inauspicious start. Comical characters are created with strong yet smooth painted strokes for a soft, almost airbrushed effect. Packed layouts add image upon image for enriched storytelling. Our messy, scowling hero is too far back in the line to receive a complimentary comb. He makes a face in the camera viewfinder. Children will love the twist ending: “the monstrous messes, the muddles … the whole day … had gone … even better than planned!” The boy’s celebration is quickly followed by another twist, as the flash of the camera surrounds him in celestial light, and his wide, jubilant smile is captured forever: “Mom says it’s my best picture ever.”