Thanks for visiting! Dig in using the navigation buttons above to explore purposeful pairings of primary sources with the IL State Readers’ Choice Awards and ALA Book Awards. Primary sources integrate important visual literacy skills and enhance lessons, storytimes, book groups, and displays.

The 2021 IL State Readers’ Choice Lists are ready! Click for the Monarch, Bluestem, and Caudill lists. For each book, you will find a publisher’s summary, a description of the primary source that has been paired with the award-winning title, and questions for discussion. The book’s webpage is designed to be lesson-ready for display or student use. The primary source image is viewable on the webpage and linked at the bottom of each page.  For the 2021 lists, I am adding additional notes about how to support the primary source analysis process in a variety of learning environments. I welcome any feedback and strive to make this resource user-friendly and effective.

Use the zoom in (CTRL +) and zoom out (CTRL -) to fully view the larger images on the book pairing pages.