Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment Lesson Activity

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Maureen Schlosser

Cover of the picture book Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment by Parker Curry, Jessica Curry and Brittany Jackson.

Think of a time when a painting made you pause and wonder. What was it about the artwork that caught your attention? When Parker Curry was two years old, the portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama stopped her in her tracks. She was entranced by the “queen” who looked like the women in her family. This connection opened a world of possibilities for Parker. She wrote Parker Looks Up with her mother to explain why the portrait resonated with her.

Readers are going to love the digitally rendered illustrations. Falling confetti and twinkling sparkles float around the pages like magic. There’s a sense of play with the words, too. Some words show up bright and pink, while others are bold and black. Speech bubbles in blue, pink, purple and yellow bring more fun to the pages. Ellipses fill readers with suspense about the wonderful possibilities that could appear on the next page.

Double-page spread of Ava and her sister running through the National Portrait Gallery. The painting Young Omahaw, War Eagle, Little Missouri and Pawnees hangs on the wall.

Parker Looks Up Lesson Activity

AASL Standards Framework for Learners: I.A.1 Learners display curiosity and initiative by formulating questions about a personal interest or a curricular topic.

Here’s a lesson activity for the book Parker Looks Up by Parker Curry, Jessica Curry and Britanny Jackson:

Parker noticed nine paintings in the National Portrait Gallery. Create a Padlet with links to the paintings mentioned in the book (see links below). Ask learners what painting intrigues them? Give them time to appreciate the work of art. Learners will record what they notice and wonder about the art on the Padlet.

August Belmont and Isabel Perry by Wouterus Verschuur

George Washington Carver by Betsy Graves Reyneau

Albert Einstein by Max Westfield

Frida Kahlo by Magda Pach

Peacocks and Peonies by John La Farge

The Chinese Fishmonger by Theodore Wores

Young Omahaw, War Eagle, Little Missouri, and Pawnees by Charles Bird King

The White Ballet by Everett Shinn

First Lady Michelle Obama by Everett Shinn

Click here to see Parker share her story on the Ellen Show.

Click on this link to find more lesson activities on our blog based on the Inquire Shared Foundation.