PETAA

PAPER 206

Two weeks with Oliver Jeffers:

Developing early language and
literacy with literature
Jon Callow, Robyn Ewing, Kathy Rushton

Learning to be literate is the right of every child regardless of creed,

race, language background, gender, special needs or socioeconomic
status. From birth, most young children strive to make meaning
with the important people in their lives. They observe closely, listen
carefully and explore every aspect of their world through play. For
them, learning to make meaning can be filled with wonder because
they make good use of their imaginations and creative potential.
Early language development and literacy learning continues to be a
hotly contested topic in Australian education. Often there is an over-
emphasis on finding a singular ‘best’ formula or recipe for literacy
learning. This PETAA Paper, however, uses an author study of Oliver
Jeffers (www.oliverjeffers.com/) to focus on the relationship between
playing with language, exploratory talk, storytelling, drawing and
sharing contemporary literature as part of early literacy development.
It will use selected annotated case studies of children learning in
different contexts to explore their growing understanding of the
multiple ways meaning can be made in the 21st century.
Underpinning this discussion is the critical role of the parent and the
educator as enabler, in providing children with appropriate resources,
time, scaffolding and safe spaces for imaginative play, exploration and
the asking of the big questions to help children learn how to create
meaning.

© 2017 PETAA – Primary English Teaching Association Australia. PO Box 3106 Marrickville Metro NSW 2204 Tel 61 (02) 8020 3900 www.petaa.edu.au ISSN 2200-2189 1 ......
 We are one but
we are many
(from We are Australian a song by Bruce Woodley
and Dobe Newton)
The five functions of developing
protolanguage, the earliest use of
language, proposed by Halliday (2004)
include demands for goods and services,
observations, interactions and the
playful, imaginative use of language.
Young children learn their first language
by making meaning in ways that work
well enough to fulfil these functions
and satisfy their personal needs. Once
they begin to talk they often ask deep
philosophical questions and enjoy
storying (Lowe, 2002).
Children of all backgrounds will try
to make meaning by making personal
connections with texts and it is
especially important to support students
from communities which are socially
marginalised (Cummins, Hu, Markus
& Montero, 2015, p.556) by using their
first language or dialect in the process of
learning an additional language.
The central role
of literature in
learning to read
Whether reading a serialised story with
a class, sharing a picture book with a
pre-schooler or enjoying bedtime stories,
reading quality texts with children is not
only fun and engaging for all involved,
but also one of the most important ways
to support children as they continue
to learn through and about language.
Authentic literary texts are excellent
models for a child’s developing language
skills and the shared reading of literature
is highlighted by both The Early Years
...... 2 © 2017 PETAA – Primary English Teaching Association Australia. PETAA Paper 206: Two weeks with Oliver Jeffers
Learning Framework (2009) and The Australian Curriculum:
English. Quality literature is layered so children (and adults)
can take different themes and ideas that relate to their contexts
and experiences.
Extensive research over the past 30 years has confirmed the
importance of quality literature in children’s lives (Krashen,
2013; Saxby, 1997). Interestingly, a recent longitudinal study
identified the number of books in a home as one of the best
predictors of lifelong success (Literacy Trust, 2008 revised 2011).
Parental involvement in their children’s literacy practices is a
more powerful force for academic success than other family
background variables, including social class, family size and
level of parental education.
Literature helps children share their own stories, expand their
knowledge of the world, reflect on thoughts and experiences,
and see their worries and imaginings expressed through
the lives of characters. Children can develop empathy and
compassion by engaging with the lives and circumstances of
others.
Shared reading
Reading to children for pleasure is complemented by shared
or modelled reading experiences, where a book’s engaging
words, enticing rhymes and new vocabulary can be explored
and discussed. Whether children in preschool years are
beginning to develop phonemic awareness as they play with
language and the sounds of words, or there is a focus on
aspects of letter/sound correspondence when more formal
schooling begins, shared reading with quality literature will
engage children, help them build rich vocabularies and
explore the many new ideas and perspectives such books
offer.
Reading with young children is never a completely quiet
affair if there is a connection with the story or theme. While
there are moments where each child might silently reflect on
the story as it unfolds, there are points when reading with
a group that many voices contribute to the telling. Oliver
Jeffers’ work offers many such opportunities for engagement
and discussion: where children are encouraged to persevere
in difficult times (How to catch a star); explore the value of
friendship and kindness (Lost and found) and deal with loss
(The heart and the bottle).
ISSN 2200-2189
Books that provide the reading lessons mother tongue and sometimes
another language or dialect in the first
While traditionally we may think of teachers as providing
few years of life but they have usually
reading lessons, educator Margaret Meek Spencer (Spencer,
only used oral language in familiar
1989) reminds us that stories themselves can provide ‘reading
situations (Christie, 2005). There may be
lessons’. Children and adults can learn the many ways that
challenges for students who are learning
narratives are set in time (past, present and future). Fictional
English as an Additional Language or
characters and imagined events can reveal time-honoured
Dialect (EAL/D), when moving from
truths and wisdom. Different authors develop their own voice
the language of the home to that of an
and style, recognisable across different stories. Texts teach
educational setting. Educators need to
us the different ways that language lets a writer tell, and the
show children how to make appropriate
many and different ways a reader reads (Spencer, 1989, p. 21).
language choices and how to move
Reading secrets can also be found by young and old as they from common sense to educational
begin to make connections across stories they encounter. They knowledge (Painter, 2006). To meet some
may become familiar with characters across books such as of the challenges EAL/D students face,
Jeffers’ boy character who appears in How to catch a star, Lost using ‘we’ in a way that includes the
and found, The way back home and Up and down. Janet and cultures and languages of the families
Allen Ahlberg’s books are the retelling of nursery rhymes in and communities of all the children
quirky ways as in The jolly postman and Each peach pear plum. in an educational setting (Alton-Lee,
Emily Gravett’s fairy tales (Spells, Wolf won’t bite) are parodies 2003) is at least a first step. Choosing
or allusions to bible stories, traditional tales and Greek myths. materials in which the ‘we’ supports all
children is also a way to develop a sense
Oliver Jeffers was born in Port Hedland, Western Australia, of inclusion and to challenge young
but grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland and now lives and children to learn new things.
works in Brooklyn, USA. He is an award-winning author
and illustrator much loved by teachers and children all over If bilingual students are supported in
the world. His children’s stories offer many possibilities for developing their first language as well
enjoyment, discussion, questioning, skill development as as developing English, as suggested
well as artistic and dramatic responses. When explaining the by Cummins (1981), they are at an
development of his style, he talks of drawing on his own advantage academically. The use of
the first language can and should
experiences (like getting lost) as well as his love of stories,
be supported and can be achieved,
and his work as an artist and many years of practice, trial
even by monolingual teachers, by
and error (Penguin Teen, 2010). Reading one or two of his
providing opportunities for families
stories, or undertaking an author study of his work enables
and communities to support bilingual
children to explore not only the imaginative stories and big
learning. EAL/D students often develop
picture themes across his books, but also to look closely
Basic Interpersonal Communication
at how the words and pictures work to give meaning and
Skills (BICS) quite quickly, but take
pleasure to readers. His seemingly simple illustrations hide
much longer to develop Cognitive
careful design.
Academic Language Proficiency (CALP).
For this reason, it is also very important
Identity, wellbeing and when selecting texts for EAL/D students
the mother tongue to give them opportunities to reflect on
Oliver Jeffers understands the important role of storytelling in the author’s language choices and to use
Irish culture. He explains that ‘growing up, I’d be surrounded both the first language or dialect as well
by adults who were telling stories to each other, to kids, to as Standard Australian English (SAE).
everyone’ (Richesin, 2012). Most young children master their

© 2017 PETAA – Primary English Teaching Association Australia. PETAA Paper 206: Two weeks with Oliver Jeffers ISSN 2200-2189 3 ......
 Choosing texts to written. These texts provide opportunities to learn about
support inclusion and the vocabulary and grammar of English as well as the culture
in which it is being learnt.
honour diversity

Building the field

In building a context for a shared reading of Lost and found
with a Year 2 class recently, the teacher chose to set the scene
through a story that would help the children think carefully
about the concepts of ‘lost’ and ‘found’ before reading the
story. She told the children about losing her daughter after
an afternoon visit to the park. Even though it was just for a
few minutes, she shared with them a little of how panicky she
felt and showed them with her face and voice how frantically
she searched. She then asked the children to think about a
time when they had lost someone or something precious or
a time when they had been lost. The children shared their
feelings with a partner and later moved around the room first
moving normally and then more urgently as they searched.
Alternatively, if friendship is the main theme that you are going
to explore you may wish to begin with a discussion around
what it means to have and be a friend.

Reading aloud
There are a number of well-established reading aloud
principles to guide teachers, particularly when reading a
story for the first time. These include:

● Capturing the children’s interest and anticipation

by building the field, as in the section above, or
discussing the covers, or doing a picture walk through
the book, or asking the children to wonder about what
The two picture books, Lost and found might happen using ‘I wonder…’ sentence starters.
and The heart and the bottle written and Reading expressively using pause, intonation or varied
illustrated by Oliver Jeffers were chosen voices and simple gesture is also extremely important
because of their universal themes of in sustaining interest.
relationships with friends and family.
● Encouraging prediction as the story develops – here
Both are supportive for emergent readers asking the children to depict these predictions in a
as they provide opportunities to draw frozen moment (still image or tableau) can be helpful
on personal experiences to participate – prediction being so important in the reading process.
with the text. It is important to provide (Ewing and Simons, 2016; Lowe, 2016)
as many opportunities as possible for
the child to use their own cultural and ● Allowing students to spontaneously ask questions or
social understandings about the world comment (without losing the story thread completely).
to interact with new texts, both oral and Asking your own questions at critical moments in the

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 story or stopping to wonder or think aloud at some instructions and modelling, while the
pages can also be valuable. other child will be sculpted to embody
(adapted from Spence, 2004). the penguin standing on the doorstep
and looking sad. In turn, all the
Talking about the story and children’s ideas and interpretations
sculptures of ‘boys’ can be viewed as
after the reading also allows us to teach our students about
can all the ‘penguins’. How do we show
various literary features as well as model what good readers
surprise and sadness with our bodies?
do when making meaning from story. With careful attention
Having embodied this scene using the
to a balance of instructional guidance, the joy of reading is
picture as a starting point, the partners
complemented by comment on the elements of story including
might think about how the conversation
use of time, setting and identifying the main characters. We
between the boy and the penguin might
might then discuss how the author shapes our thinking about
begin. Similarly, each pair might think
themes, such as friendship, sadness, courage or kindness.
about one of the conversations the boy
Other features including the structuring of the events and
has as he tries to find a home for the
the style of narration can also be explained when revisiting
penguin: with the clerk at the Lost and
particular aspects of the story.
Found office, the seagull, his toy duck,
etc. Would these conversations start in
In Lost and found there is a relatively small amount of text on
the same way or be slightly different
each page. Additional support is provided by the pictures as
depending on their formality? These
they both illustrate the events and elaborate on the feelings
conversations can be recorded for later
of the characters. For instance, on one double page spread
reference.
the text uses a simile: ‘They floated through good weather
and bad, when the waves were as big as mountains ...’ The
Having been unsuccessful in finding a
huge wave almost engulfing the boat with the boy and his
home for the penguin, the class might
friend, the penguin, clearly illustrates the meaning of the
engage in a discussion about what the
simile ‘as big as a mountain’ and suggests visually the words
boy might do. They might then form
that might describe the characters’ emotional responses.
a conscience circle to provide the boy
An image like this supports a discussion which can help
with advice. As one child takes on the
to develop vocabulary by pairing student offerings with an
role of the boy and walks around the
alternative from an adult, for instance: afraid/overwhelmed/
circle, children with suggestions will
khayif (Arabic); drowning/engulfed/ yan si (Chinese). This
offer these so the boy can consider a
is, therefore, also a moment in which the use of the mother
range of options.
tongue by EAL/D students can be supported with an offering
from a bilingual child, a family or community member, or Later, knowing the boy is going to take
even using digital resources like bilingual dictionaries or the penguin back to Antarctica, the
translators. class might do some research about
where Antarctica is and the children
can decide what provisions the boy will
Enactment and embodiment, need to pack. More suggestions can be
and oral language found in the unit developed by Ewing
Educational or process drama strategies (Ewing and Simons, and Saunders (2016).
2016; O’Neill, 1995) can be very helpful in developing
children’s oracy as well as their understanding of the story.
Initially, if Lost and found is being used for close study, the
children can be partnered to sculpt each other. One child
will sculpt their partner as the boy opening the door using

© 2017 PETAA – Primary English Teaching Association Australia. PETAA Paper 206: Two weeks with Oliver Jeffers ISSN 2200-2189 5 ......
 Features of picture books
Using some of Oliver Jeffers’ books as examples, some features of picture books are listed in Table I.

TABLE 1 ● FEATURES OF PICTURE BOOKS

Types of stories Literary genres

While some children’s stories are firmly based in realism, Jeffers’ books mix
and play with genre forms.

●● Realism – The heart and the bottle where real life loss is teamed with the
metaphor of protecting one’s heart in a bottle.

●● Fantasy – children and animals go on all sorts of adventures such as How

to catch a star, Lost and found and The incredible book eating boy.

Story elements ●● Setting – time and place of the story e.g. The great paper caper is set
in a forest, This moose belongs to me has a backdrop of snow-capped
mountains while in Lost and found they travel to the South Pole.

●● Characters – people, animals or things, often with one or two main

characters, e.g. a boy and a penguin in Lost and found, or a set of crayons
in The day the crayons quit and The day the crayons came home.

●● Theme – Jeffers’ books work on different levels, so while there are themes
of friendship and loyalty, there are also more complex themes such as
dealing with loss in The heart and the bottle or perseverance in How to
catch a star

●● Style –authors may develop particular styles using figurative or colloquial

language, humour and conversation. Jeffers’ style has a quirky and
understated humour, mixed with some rich vocabulary and phrasing.

Voice/s ●● Narrators – these are generally written in first or third person, and tell
the story from their perspective. While the crayons tell the story through
letters to Duncan (The day the crayons came home), most of Jeffers’ stories
are told by a third person narrator.

●● Character perspective – the story is told through the eyes and experiences
of a particular character e.g. the young girl in The heart and the bottle.

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Learning about words and pictures
Oliver Jeffers has developed a particular style in his illustrations. Table 2 summarises some key features that
can inform lesson planning and activities (Callow, 2016).

TABLE 2 ● FEATURES OF DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION USED BY JEFFERS

Artistic and design features

●● Media – illustrators may ●● Jeffers uses a variety of media, such as pen and pencil, watercolours,
use drawings, paints, acrylic and collage. Up and down uses watercolour throughout while The
inks, pastels, washes, heart and the bottle uses pencil, acrylics, collage and gouache paints.
photographs and collage.
Digital media can also
complement these
resources.

●● Line – different types of
lines convey different
meanings; vertical lines
suggest height; diagonal or
jagged lines create tension;
curved lines suggest play or
serenity.
●● Jeffers’ drawing style is quite minimal, with many of his characters
having simple stick legs. His books usually begin with pencil sketches.
The day the crayons quit involves child-like crayon drawings, with a mix
of straight, curved and jagged lines. The moose belongs to me uses bold
and thick brushstrokes for the moose, with more detailed paintings used
in the background.

●● Colour – creates a mood or
reaction to a person, place
or object, as well as cultural
symbolic meanings such
as red for danger; blue for
sadness; purple for prestige
or white for peace or purity.
●● As well as the colours of each crayon representing well known objects
as well as different emotions in The day the crayons quit, Jeffers uses
colour to strong effect in all his books. Sometimes there is a subtle use of
blue or green to suggest sadness, or red for anger or action. Colour also
builds background settings, from blue oceans and skies to pastel sunsets
and the green hues of a woodland. A simple white background is also
common, being used to highlight a character or scene, such as the end
papers in Up and down.

When reading a story for the first time, take in the whole story small boat’ or ‘the house across the
together, perhaps stopping at some points for comments or street’ building to ‘a curious whale in
questions. Upon revisiting the book, there are opportunities the wrong place at the wrong time’. The
to discuss how the words and pictures work together. The surreal pictures, clearly not to scale,
comedy build in Stuck begins as Floyd throws things into invite laughter as well as discussion as
the tree to dislodge his kite. As the story progresses, more to what other items the children think
and more outrageous objects become stuck in the tree. The would knock down the kite.
pictures are accompanied by varied descriptions such as ‘a

© 2017 PETAA – Primary English Teaching Association Australia. PETAA Paper 206: Two weeks with Oliver Jeffers ISSN 2200-2189 7 ......
 At points in the story, Jeffers uses
swirling lines to show the movement
of the objects as they are thrown.
Revisit each page and see where
you can identify these action lines –
sometimes they are drawn, other times
the movement of the object is implicit
by the direction in which it heads.
Jeffers actually demonstrates how to
draw Floyd throwing things in this short
video- https://youtu.be/PuUIL6nDKN8
(Harper Collins Children’s Books, 2011).
This exploration can then be the basis
for creating and making some images,
combined with technology use.
using Jeffers’ video instructions, was photographed and
imported into the app Explain Everything (Explain Everything,
2015). The tree was sketched using a simple drawing and
painting app called Sketches (Tayasui.com, 2017), while the
whale was drawn using crayons and markers on paper, then
imported as a photo. Depending on how your classroom is
set up, students could be involved in drawing Floyd and any
other objects they think may have knocked the kite out of the
tree the first time, as well as using iPads to create trees and
other creatures or objects.

Creating and making

images
It is worth looking at this video clip in
which Jeffers explains that his art came
before his move into books (Oliver
Jeffers Picture Book Maker at www.
youtube.com/watch?v=w-8ydwV45no).
Drawing is one of the most underused
activities yet so important for children in
helping them to represent their ideas and
responses to story (Mackenzie & Veresov,
2013). Visual responses to picture books
can include drawing and painting as
well as digital responses using photos,
drawing and video creation. There are
also many other creative responses
including sculpting, models, collage,
murals and puppet making (Gibson &
Campbell, 2013). Teachers may have
children create specific character actions
or emotions, playing with the different
visual elements and designs that have
been explored in a picture book or
author study

Based on Jeffers’ book Stuck, the images

in Figure 1 were made using a variety
of media. The picture of Floyd, drawn FIGURE 1 ● Floyd, a whale and a tree, based on Stuck

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Bringing each object into Explain Everything also allows size Learning about language
and scale to be explored. For example, in Figure 2, Floyd and
structures and features
the whale are similar in size, while in Figure 3, each image
Language is socially constructed and
has been changed to show a scale more like the one used in
developed through choice so learning
Jeffers’ illustrations. More and more objects can be added to
about the use of language structures
the tree, building up a collage which includes each student’s
own art. and features is learning about language
choices. It is very important to recognise
the difference between spoken and
written language as young children
usually write what they say and, in this
way, oral language becomes the starting
point for writing. 

In The heart and the bottle the main

theme of the story is that to experience
happiness we will have to risk sadness
by opening our hearts. The girl, who is
the main character, loses a close family
member and to protect her heart she
puts it in a bottle until another young girl
‘someone smaller and still curious about
the world’ shows her how to release it
again and to live a full and happy life.
These abstract ideas and the continuing
use of the metaphor of the heart in the
FIGURE 2 ● Floyd throws a whale
bottle would be challenging if not for the
pictures which help to tell the story.

We need to be able to predict what a text

may be about by making a connection
between the text and our own experiences.
In this story, the loss of a loved one is
symbolised visually by an empty chair,
a metaphor reminiscent of Granpa
(Burningham, 1984). Language reflects
the purpose and context in which it is
used; this is known as register (Gibbons,
2006). The three variables which make
up any register are field, tenor and mode
(Halliday, 2004): what the text is about
(field), what connection it makes to the
reader/listener/viewer (tenor) and how
it was developed (mode).  This story is
told as if it were a literal sequence of
events, ‘she found an empty chair’ and
FIGURE 3 ● Floyd throws a bigger whale
‘the heart was put back where it came

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 from’, but the story told through the reading process works, and where other key elements, such
pictures enables us to see the girl grow as phonics and phonemic awareness, comprehension skills and
to a woman who wants to learn to love critical literacy can be integrated and developed in a balanced
again. These serious themes, and the fashion.
use of sophisticated language features
Enabling children’s language and literacy development, where
like metaphors, will challenge young
they enjoy, understand and think deeply as they read, using a
readers but they will be able to make
range of culturally relevant literary texts with rich stories and
meaning through connecting their own
illustrations cannot be overstated
experiences alongside the combination
of words and pictures.
This PETAA Paper has
Viewing been created following
The Australian Curriculum: English now the publication of the
mandates the importance of becoming authors’ recent book,
knowledgeable about multimodal texts. Language and Literacy
Children can watch the films based on Development in Early
some of Jeffers’ books and discuss the Childhood (Cambridge
decisions made by the book’s creator University Press) The
compared with the film’s director. For book provides pre-
example, the award-winning film based service and practising
on Lost and found can be viewed and teachers with an
compared with the text. (The trailer integrated approach to
is on Jeffers website – http://www. language and literacy learning in early
oliverjeffers.com/film/lost-and-found- childhood, connecting theory and current
trailer. It also can be bought from itunes research to practice.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/tv-season/
lost-and-found/id462247460.)
Reading Resources
Concluding There are several readings of Jeffers’ picture books including:

comments
The author study in which children
spend ‘two weeks with Oliver Jeffers’
emphasises the importance of playing with
language, exploratory talk, storytelling,
drawing and sharing contemporary
literature. Whether in early childhood
settings or in the first years of school,
parents and educators are enablers of
language and literacy development when
they choose engaging books, make time
for play and explore the big questions of
life with young children. This sets a solid
foundation for understanding how the
How to catch a star
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3oQcKxE-ck
and
Stuck read by Oliver Jeffers himself at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hipx6HJs4XQ
or a reading of the book
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7Ybm9_yqPg
The Children’s Book Council of Australia
http://cbca.org.au
Reading Australia http://readingaustralia.com.au created
by the Copyright Agency showcases the work of leading
Australian writers and illustrators online to enrich our own
diverse cultural identity.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dr Jon Callow, jon.callow@sydney.edu.au
Jon is an experienced teacher, having worked in primary schools, universities and in professional development
for teachers. His areas of expertise include primary English and literacy teaching. His research areas include
visual literacy, multimodality, the use of ICT to support literacy and multimodal learning, as well as student
creativity and engagement.

Professor Robyn Ewing AM, robyn.ewing@sydney.edu.au

A former primary teacher, Robyn is Professor of Teacher Education and the Arts and is passionate about the
role quality arts experiences and processes can and should play in creative pedagogy. In the areas of English,
literacy and the arts, Robyn’s research has particularly focused on the use of educational or process drama
with literature to develop students’ imaginations and critical literacies.

Dr Kathy Rushton, kathleen.rushton@sydney.edu.au

Kathy has worked as an English language teacher, teaching English as an additional language to adults and
students in primary and high schools. She also worked as a literacy consultant for the NSW Department
of Education and Training and has continued to provide professional learning for teachers through her
membership of professional associations and through her work at the university. Her interests include all
aspects of language and literacy development especially with Aboriginal students and students learning
English as an additional language.

All three authors work in the Sydney School of Education and Social work, at the University of Sydney.

ABOUT PETAA
The Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA), founded in 1972, is a national professional
association supporting primary school educators in the teaching and learning of English and literacies
across the curriculum. For information on how to join and to view professional learning resources, visit
the PETAA website.
Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA)
PO Box 3106, Marrickville Metro, NSW 2204, Australia
Tel: (02) 8020 3900 Email: info@petaa.edu.au Website: www.petaa.edu.au

...... 12 © 2017 PETAA – Primary English Teaching Association Australia. PETAA Paper 206: Two weeks with Oliver Jeffers ISSN 2200-2189