Literature for discussion of the Concepts listed in the PYP

This is an initial list of literature, which could be used to support the various concepts listed in the
Primary Years Programme. The concepts are:

Form: What is it like?
Function: How does it work?
Causation: Why is it like it is?
Change: How is it changing?
Connection: How is it connected to other things?
Perspective: What are the points of view?
Responsibility: What is our responsibility?
Reflection: How do we know?

Form: What is it like?

Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles
Edward is the most expressive emu imaginable as he shows his boredom at being an emu and tries to imitate the other
animals in the Zoo.

My Map Book by Sarah Fanelli, In this book Sarah shows us a uniquely childlike perspective of her world drawn through
maps. She is able to fit her life and what she does through her maps. This book will enthuse children to draw unique maps of
their lives. (5-9 years)

Stars beneath your bed : the surprising story of dust by April Pulley Sayre
Presents  a full-color illustrated drawings that describes what dust is, the different kinds of dust such as pollen, house dust, dirt from
the farmer's plow, dust storms, fires, and ash from volcanoes. ( 5- 9 years)

Seahorse reef : a story of the South Pacific   by Sally M. Walker
Describes a sea horse living in the coral reefs of the central Philippines, its habitat, life cycle, food, and how it protects itself
from predators. (5-9 years)

Function: How does it Work?


Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen

This one deals with science concepts.  The boat sinks further each time that donkey, then cow, pig and sheep get into the boat.
The boat finally manages to float and then sink with the mouse. The question is who sank the boat?(4-11years)

Mr. Archimedes’ Bath by Pamela Allen . Mr. Archimedes is having a bath with various animals, as they get into
the bath water splashes over the side. Again Pamela is getting children think about what is happening? (5 years up)

Drip! drop! : how water gets to your tap by Barbara Seuling
Jo Jo and her zany dog Willy explain the water cycle and introduce experiments about water filtration, evaporation, and
condensation. ( 5 years and up)

Get to know levers   by Karen Volpe
Simple text, illustrations, and hands-on activities introduce children to simple machines, discussing levers and describing
their various functions. (5 years and up) 

Causation: Why is it like it is?

Duck In the Truck by Jez Alborough 
A wonderful story describing how duck’s truck gets stuck in the mud and how his three friends help get the truck out.(3-6 Years)

Seedfolks by Paul Fleishchman
This book begins with a young girl from Vietnam planting a line of beans in the vacant land where her family lives in Ohio.
This simple act gradually sparks a succession of plantings by different people of ethnic backgrounds and with different reasons
for planting. Even more it is the spark of clearing the garbage and begins the way of community gardening. Simply written,
absorbing and inspiring. (8-10)

Aani and the tree huggers by Jeannine Atkins
Based on true events in India in the 1970s, young Aani and the other women in her village defend their forest from around
the trees, making it impossible to cut them down. (6 years and up)

Why should I save water?   by Jen Green ; illustrated by Mike Gordon.
A young boy whose family wastes water puts some water-saving strategies in place after his neighbor Kirsty helps him
imagine what would happen if the world ran out of water. (6 years and up)

Change: How is it changing?

Guess the baby by Simon French and Donna Rowlins
A Picture book about a young class of children who each bring a photo of themselves as a baby to school. Lots of animated
discussion results especially about  the baby they don’t recognize until they realize  that it must be their teacher Mr.Judd.
(3-7 years)

Window by Jeannie Baker
This book is a study of a changing view through the window of a house as more and more houses encroach on the countryside
seen from the window .It is a textless picture book.

Listen to the wind: The story of Dr.Greg and Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Susan L Roth
This picturebook is written in the words of the children of the village of Korphe in Pakistan where Greg was nursed back
to health and where he promised to return and build a school. In simple words it describes how the children feel about the
new school and how it was built.(5-10years)

First the egg  by  Laura Vaccaro Seeger.
Die-cut pages show the transformations of various animals and objects, such as a seed to a flower, paint to a picture, and
a caterpillar to a butterfly. (5 – 7 years)

Connection: How is it connected to other things?

All in a Day by Mitsumaso Anno A remarkable book showing cultural differences and similarities of children in
eight different parts of the world in one 24 hour day. It shows wherever they are there is one Sun and one Moon
on all earth.(6-11 years) 

Night Noises by Mem Fox
Lily Laceby is an old lady and is sitting at home alone and dreaming of happy times long ago when she was a child. She is a
woken by strange noises outside which turnout to be her large extended family come to wish her happy birthday.(5-9 years)

Mirror by Jeannie Baker
This is wonderfully innovative and surprising book of an extra ordinary collage artist. Inspired by the trip to Morocco he

has two stories in one book. Page by page we experience the life of two boys and their families one in inner Sydney and the
other in a remote village, Morroco. The collage work is extraordinary and the images convey so much without words.(6-13years)

Sitti’s Secrets by Naomie Shihab 
When Sitti goes across to the earth to visit he grandma they cannot speak to each other as she speaks English and her
grandma speaks Arabic. But they soon invent their own language and have no problems of understanding each other.(6-11years)

Perpective: What are the points of View

Erine Dances to the Didgeridoo by Alison Lester

Describes six new Aboriginal friends who Erine meets when he goes to live in the north of Australia. These new friends have
different attitudes of what they like and dislike. This is a vibrant introduction to Aboriginal life and to the tropical season in
north of Australia.(5-8 years)

Clancy the Courageous Cow by Lachie Hum  
The book has a charming sense of humour  in both text and illustrations. He courageously takes on bigger cows in the annual
COW wrestling Competition. A very funny book, which can be used to discuss discrimination and difference. (3  -6 years)

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf Drawings by Robert Lawson.
It is a story of Ferdinand who was huge, very impressive bull but who loved to sit quietly under his favourite cork tree and
smell the flowers. There so many different perspectives to this story.(4-9years)

The Name Jar by Yangsook  
A story of an young Korean girl who thinks she will choose an American name to fit in better. A lesson on cultural
understanding.(6-9years)

How my Parents Learned to Eat by Ina Friedman  
A charming story of a young girl recounting how her parents one as a Japanese girl and the other a US sailor were very
apprehensive about learning how to eat with the utensils  of each others culture(5-9years)

Responsibility: what is our Responsibility?

Let’s get a Pup by Bob Graham
A wonderful evocation of a family the type of warm slightly zany family that Bob Graham creates so well. When Kate
breathlessly decides she wants a pup they end up getting Dave also decide they can’t leave Rosy at the dog shelter.(4-8years)

The Big Bahzooley by Peter Carey
Sam has a misplaced notion that he needs to take responsibility for his parents since they are inept at making money.
Other parents have a very strange responsibility as they enter their children into beauty pageants in the hope of making money.
(9-14years)

Don't forget! by Anastasia Suen
Sam learns a lesson in being responsible when he neglects to feed the class rabbit before school and has to give up his recess
time to take care of the job. (5-7 years)

William and the guinea pig by Gill Rose
William does not want his sister to spend time with the guinea pig he received for his birthday, but later he finds a reason to
change his mind. (6 years and above)

Reflection: How do we know?

 Sunday Chutney by Aaron Blabey Sunday
Chutney is always starting new schools because her family shifts very quickly to different places round the world. This has
many advantages that she lists but she can’t help hating the first days of new school though she has developed her own ways of
coping with it. Kids would love to give their own thoughts about Chutney’s life.(7-10years)

What you know first by Patricia MacLachlan
As a family prepares to move away from their farm, the daughter reflects on all the things she loves there so that, when
her baby brother is older, she can tell him what it was like. ( 6 years and up)

Batter up! by Neil Johnson.
As he stands at bat for the first time for his Little League baseball team, a young boy reflects about all the effort it took to
get where he is now.

It's going to be perfect! by Nancy Carlson.
A mother and her young daughter reflect on the daughter's growing up, including her infancy, potty training, first words, and
starting school, noting how nothing has been what the mother expected. (4 – 6 years)