I was searching for some realistic fiction picture books for a children's literature class when I came upon this gem, published in 1992. Zolotow has written a number of realistic fiction picture books. This book brought tears to my eyes.

In each double-page spread, on one side a young girl looks, in various locations in the house, at photographs of her mother at different ages. She describes each photograph in one sentence beginning with "This" and ending with "is my mother." The "photographs" take up the full-page other half of the spread, in Lobel's lovely watercolor and gouache illustrations. The book ends with an illustration of the narrator as a baby with her mother and the text, "And here is where I begin."

The book is perfect as a read-aloud for very young children, and the short and repetitive text is also good for beginning readers. I also think this would be a lovely gift for Mother's Day, especially for a mom who was a child in the 60s and a teen in the 70s, like the mother in the illustrations (and like me). ( )

This book is a good example of realistic fiction because it contains realistic life events, such as a daughter learning about her mother when she was younger, but is a fictitious story.
Authors style:sentence repetition for begging eat sentence
Art Media: watercolors and gouache

This represents a Realistic Fiction book because it is a story that is convincingly true to life. Students can understand the story and probably apply it to their own lives. The character telling the story is a round character since we continually see her grow throughout the book. As the story unfolds we learn more about her. She is revealed through her appearance and her thoughts most. The media used in this book is watercolor and gouache paints. It is most appropriate for the Primary Level.

This story could be about any young child looking at old pictures, so this is a good example of realistic fiction. The setting is not very detailed but the illustrations show a young girl looking at pictures around her house. The setting is vague but it doesn't detract from the story. In fact, this lack of description allows the reader to see him/herself as the child in the story.
Media: Watercolor and gouache paints ( )

This book is a good example of realistic fiction because the plot is very plausible. Readers can also relate to this story very easily when they are trying to learn more about their mother. The plot in this book is very weak. There is not conflict on any rising action. This makes the book very boring and slow. ( )