Savvy

Savvy 

By: Ingrid Law

Published by: Penguin Group

Copyright: 2008

Reading Level: Grade 6-8; Lexile: 1070

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read

Web Resources:

All About the Book:  Want to find out more about Savvy? This website gives you a lot of information about the text such as a synopses, information about the author, teacher's guide, illustrations, and more! You can also find out about the book Scumble by the same author, Ingrid Law.

Author's Site: Here is the link to the Ingrid Law's website. At her site you can find information about her, the books that she has written, including Savvy, appearances that she is going to make, illustrations from her books, and so much more.

For more ideas on discussion questions to help students engage in the text and think explicitly as well as implicitly about the text. 

Discussion Question Examples 1

Discussion Question Examples 2

Vocabulary: 

• Fizgiggly
• Flummoxed
• Froufrou
• Humdrum
• Pellmell
• Scritch
• Flibbertigibbety
• Foofaraw
• Gewgaws
• Jimjams
• Persnickety
• Tchotchkes
• Flimflamming
• Frippery
• Hobbledehoy
• Mollycoddled
• Razzmatazz

Suggestions for Activities for Students: 

During Reading - 

Savvy has some interesting vocabulary within the text such as "flimflamming" and "flibbertigibbety". Many of these words aren't really words that we use in every day conversations. So, instead of having students simply looking up ordinary words in a dictionary, a teacher could use this FUN word search to find these unordinary words. After they have done that they can go to this dictionary link to find out what "hobbledehoy" and "frippery"actually mean! Although these vocabulary words aren't ones taught in every classroom or ones that students will be assessed on by standardized state exams, students will still be exercising their ability to identify and define words that they don't know. Sometimes usual vocabulary can be fun to use with younger students. 

(This activity come from this website. You can find a number of other activities and discussion guides to use in your classroom. Check it out!!!)

Awards and Acknowledgements: 

2009 Newbery Honor Book

Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award

New York Times Bestseller

An ALA Notable Book for Children 2009

Midwest Booksellers Association Honor Award 2009

Lamplighter Award 2011

Judy Lopez Honor Award

A Kirkus Best Children’s Book of 2008

A Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of 2008

Booklist “Top Ten First Novels for Youth 2008”

Booklinks “Lasting Connection 2008”

#1 Children’s Booksense Pick

Publisher’s Weekly Flying Start

Borders Original Voices Selection

Association of Booksellers for Children New Voices Pick

Oprah’s Reading List Pick

New York Public Library “100 Best Books for Reading and Sharing”

A San Francisco Chronicle Best Fiction Book for Young Readers 2008

A Kansas City Star Noteworthy Children’s Book 2008

A Chicago Tribune “Book Not to Miss” 2008

A Bank Street College of Education's Best Books of the Year

2008 Cuffie Award: “Book We Couldn’t Stop Talking About”

2008 Cuffie Award:  “Favorite Jacket”

2009 Cybil Award nominee

2009 Andre Norton Nebula Award Nominee

2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award nominee for Children's Literature

2009 Indie Choice Nominee: Best Young Adult Buzz Book 

School Library Journal Review:

Grade 4–7—Mississippi Beaumont ("Mibs" for short) simply cannot wait for her 13th birthday. There's the allure of finally becoming a teenager, of course, but in the Beaumont family, 13 is when family members get their "savvy," or unworldly power. For Mibs's older brother Fish, it's control over the elements, and for her mother it's the ability to do everything perfectly. Unfortunately, Mibs's excitement is cut short when her father is injured in a car accident. Convinced that her new powers will be able to save her Poppa, she and some new friends climb aboard a bus toting pink bibles on her birthday, in the hopes of getting to the hospital. Instead they find themselves headed in the wrong direction with the cops looking for them, Mibs's powerful brother seriously angry, and the son of a preacher man she has a crush on coming dangerously close to figuring out the Beaumonts' secret. Mibs's real savvy isn't what she expected, and neither are her traveling companions. Though the story never lives up to the brilliance of its opening chapter, Law has a feel for characters and language that is matched by few. With its delightful premise and lively adventure, this book will please a wide variety of audiences, not just fantasy fans. Definitely an author to watch.—Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library 

Booklist Review:

*Starred Review* Upon turning 13, each member of the Beaumont family develops a supernatural ability, or “savvy, ” which must then be tamed. Well aware of the problems savvys can bring (the family had to relocate when one child had difficulty controlling his storm-producing savvy), 12-year-old Mississippi (Mibs) awaits her birthday eagerly but with a bit of trepidation. Then Poppa is seriously injured in an accident far away, and Momma goes to his side, leaving Mibs and the rest of the family to cope with Mibs’ 13th birthday on their own. Initially believing that her savvy is the ability to restore life, Mibs sets her course for Poppa. Joined by her brothers and the local preacher’s kids, she sweet talks her way onto a traveling Bible salesman’s bus. On the journey, however, Mibs realizes her savvy isn’t what she thought, which opens the way for a number of lively adventures both geographic and emotional. Law’s storytelling is rollicking, her language imaginative, and her entire cast of whacky, yet believable characters delightful. Readers will want more from Law; her first book is both wholly engaging and lots of fun. Grades 5-7. --Francisca Goldsmith

Dog Song

Dog Song

Gary Paulson

Published by Scholastic Inc. New York

Copyright 1985

 Russell Susskit is a fourteen year old Alaskan Eskimo boy who is lives in a culture where old traditions are fading and "outside" influences are taking over. Russell has come to an age where she is struggling to find who he is and what his path in life should be. Unable to get the guidance he needs from his father, Russell looks to the oldest man of the village Oogruk who still follows the native ways and is able to help Russell begin his journey to find himself; to find his Dog Song. Along with his newly acquired dog sled team Russell sets out  on his journey and must find ways to survive on his own against situations such as hunger and polar bears. What do you think is going to happen to Russell? What will he encounter on his journey? Will he be able to find his way? Find out when you read DogSong by Gary Paulsen. 

Reading Level: Grade 4-6; Lexile 930L

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud, Independent Read, Guided Reading

Web Resources:

Activities, Discussions, etc.- This website offers ideas about ways to approach this text. It gives examples of discussion questions that support inferential comprehension and making connections, hands on activities, and writing prompts for essays and research papers about the native people of Alaska. 

Across the Curriculum - This website offers ideas into how you can incorporate this text into different content areas such as social studies and science. Here you will find brief descriptions of ideas for activities and discussion questions for students to engage with.  

Vocabulary:

• Eskimo
• Arctic
• Breechclout
• Cache
• Carcass
• Creek
• Doze
• Forlorn
• Game
• Gee
• Harness
• Haw
• Musher
• Tundra
• Umiak
• Wick

Suggestions for Activities for Students:

Before Reading/During Reading - 

 In order to help students understand the setting of this text a teacher could introduce cultural information about the Eskimos that are present in this text. This could be linked to a Social Studies lesson that focuses on different cultures, environments, and lifestyles. By understanding the different cultural aspects presented in this text the students could begin to make connections or comparisons between how their cultural beliefs, environment, and lifestyles are different from what Russell experiences during this story. The students could record these connections or comparisons in their reading or writing journals as well as fill out Compare and Contrast Worksheets provided from the teacher. Below are links for examples of Compare and Contrast Worksheets that would help students organize their thoughts and guide their discussions and or journal entries. These examples come from ReadWriteThink.org. 

Compare and Contrast Chart Example 1 

Compare and Contrast Chart Example 2

Teachers might also want to check out an interactive compare and contrast chart that you could have students use on a computer. 

Interactive Compare and Contrast Chart Example 

Awards and Acknowledgements:

Parents' Choice Award, 1985

ALA Notable and Best Book, 1985

Newbery Honor Book, 1986

Children's Book of the Year Award, 1986

Volunteer State Book Award, 1989

A Tale Dark & Grimm

A Tale Dark & Grimm

Adam Gidwitz

Published by Dutton Children's Books 

Copyright: 2010

 Ever heard the story of Hanzel and Gretel? You probably remember the bread crumbs through the forest, the edible house, and the old woman who wanted to eat them, but in A Tale Dark & Grimm you will find that there is so much more to the story. Of course the narrator does warn the reader that this is NOT your usual bedtime, happily ever after version of this story. In fact the narrator warns, at moments of the book for small children and individuals with weak stomachs to leave the room or stop reading…it's just that gruesome. This version of the tale is full of adventure with dragons, magic, beasts, and even that old woman who wants to eat children. But, there is also a lot of blood and a lot of gore. So before you begin to read the true story of Hanzel and Gretel just …. BEWARE!

Reading Level: Grade 5-6; Lexile: 690L

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read

Web Resources: 

Author's Site: This is a link to Adam Gidwitz's website where you can read more about his book. You can also read more about the author himself, other books he has written, etc.  

Adam Gidwitz

Discussion Questions and Activities: This is a link to discussion questions and activities for the book A Tale Dark & Grimm. These discussion questions and activities come from the publisher Dutton Children's Books. This document can be used as a guide for teachers when meeting with students about what they are independently reading (if they are reading this book).  

Key Vocabulary: 

• Inheritance
• Incredulously
• Dilapidated
• Fascination
• Adoration
• Warlock
• Complicit
• Indiscreet
• Merriment
• Ludicrous
• Taxidermied
• Eviscerated
• Emaciated
• Turrets
• Porticoes
• Obsidian
• Menacing
• Simultaneously
• Tangentially
• Succulent
• Patricidal

Suggestions for Activities for Students:

During Reading - 

 As a student reads this book it would be helpful for the teacher to provide the student with graphic organizers such as sequence of events charts, story maps, etc. These will help develop the student's ability to comprehend and communicate what is going on in the text he or she is reading. They will also guide students when they are writing journal entries about their books during guided reading or writing workshops/groups. This will help them develop their note taking skills, summarizing skills, and explicit comprehension skills. 

Below are a few examples of Sequencing of Events Charts that can be used in your classroom. These worksheets come from the website ReadWriteThink.org where you can find a number of worksheets, lesson, interactive activities and so much more to keep your student engaged!

Sequencing of Events Chart Example 1 

Story Map Example 2 

Awards and Acknowledgements: 

School Library Journal Review- 

Gr 3 Up–Starred Review. With disarming delicacy and unexpected good cheer, Gidwitz reweaves some of the most shocking and bloody stories that the Brothers Grimm collected into a novel that's almost addictively compelling. He gives fair warning that this is no prettified, animated version of the old stories. “Are there any small children in the room now?” he asks midway through the first tale, “If so, it would be best if we just...hurried them off to bed. Because this is where things start to get, well...awesome.” Many of humanity's least attractive, primal emotions are on display: greed, jealousy, lust, and cowardice. But, mostly it's the unspeakable betrayal by bad parents and their children's journey to maturation and forgiveness that are at the heart of the book. Anyone who's ever questioned why Hansel and Gretel's father is so readily complicit in their probable deaths and why the brother and sister, nonetheless, return home after their harrowing travails will find satisfying explanations here. Gidwitz is terrifying and funny at the same time. His storytelling is so assured that it's hard to believe this is his debut novel. And his treatment of the Grimms' tales is a whole new thing. It's equally easy to imagine parents keeping their kids up late so they can read just one more chapter aloud, kids finishing it off under the covers with a flashlight, and parents sneaking into their kids' rooms to grab it off the nightstand and finish it themselves.–Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NYα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review-

As if Hansel and Gretel didn’t already have it tough in their original fairy tale, Gidwitz retrofits a handful of other obscure Grimm stories and casts the siblings as heroes. Connecting the dots, he crafts a narrative that has the twins beheaded (and reheaded, thankfully), dismembered, hunted, killed, brought back to life, sent to hell, and a number of other terrible fates en route to their happily ever after. Some adults will blanch at the way Gidwitz merrily embraces the gruesomeness prevalent in the original tales, but kids won’t mind a bit, and they’ll get some laughs out of the way he intrudes on the narrative (“This is when things start to get, well . . . awesome. But in a horrible, bloody kind of way”). The author also snarkily comments on the themes, sometimes a bit too heavy-handedly. The question many readers might have about the Grimms’ tales is perfectly pondered by the long-suffering twins: “Are there no good grown-ups anymore?” Not in these forests, kiddos. Grades 4-7. --Ian Chipman

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Grace Lin

Published by Little, Brown and Company, New York & Boston

Copyright 2009

Minli is a young girl from China who is desperate to help her mother and father bring more fortune to their family. They live with the barely enough rice to serve between the three of them. Minli finds comfort in her father's stories while her mother finds them to be misleading and unimportant. One day a man with gold fish comes through their village and tells Minli that these gold fish will bring fortune to her family. Using the little money she has, Minli buys one of these gold fish. Her mother finds it absurd that she purchased a gold fish that the family now has to share their little rice with. After considering one of the stories her father told her, she sets out on an adventure to find the Old Man of the Moon. He holds the answers to her questions about how to help her family. Minli's journey leads her down dangerous paths, encounters with dragons, and so much more. Does Minli ever find the Old Man of the Moon? If she does, do you think that she will get the answer she so longs for? To find out the reader must look to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. 

This text has colorful imagery and brilliant stories within the story. I personally couldn't put it down. 

Reading Level: Grade 3-6; Lexile: 820L

Suggested Delivery: Whole Class Read-Aloud, Guided Reading, Independent Read

Web Resources: 

Author's Site: Here is Grace Lin's website where you can learn about the author, the other children's books she's written, video interviews and previews of her books, etc. For students who have a sight impairment or have problems reading text this website also provides an audio recording of this text. 

Activity Book: This activity book includes interactive activities that a teacher can share with their students. Make a compass like Minli's, draw a dragon, learn more about Chinese symbolism, etc. This is a great resource to further student's engagement in the text. 

The following links are examples of lesson plan and activities to share with students that will help students think inferentially about the text while also keep the students highly engaged. 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Lesson/Activity Example 1

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Lesson/Activity Example 2

Key Vocabulary: 

 reverence

 indignant

 disobedience

 magistrate

 subordinates

 manipulation

 placidly

 oddity

 inkstone

 emissary

 kowtow

 penance

 flamboyant

 abacus

 coquettish

Suggestions for Activities for Students: 

Before Reading: To introduce the text a teacher could use this video link to initiate a discussion about what the students believe the text they are about to read is about. The video shows some of the illustrations within the text and this can serve as a picture walk-through. Generate a discussion about what the students believe the story is about based on the images they see in the video. 


During Reading: In the back of the book the author has included a Reader's Guide. These questions will the students connect with the text as well as ask them explicit as well as implicit  questions. These questions also give students the opportunity to respond to the text in a personal way. The author asks how the reader might respond to different situations that occur in the text.  Have the students answer these questions as they read the text so that they will be able to make reflections about the reading as well as assess whether the students are able to comprehend what they are reading. 

After Reading: It would be a fun idea to try out some of the activities that have students creating objects from the text. At the above link titled "Activity Book" there are a number of great hands-on activities that you can share with the students. You can create the compass that Minli used in the story, have students draw their own dragon that might just come to life from the paper, etc. 

Awards and Acknowledgements: 

Newbery Honor, 2010

NY Times Bestseller, 2010

IndieBound Bestseller, 2010

Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award, 2010

Indies Choice Book Awards Finalist for Middle Reader Book of the Year, 2010

Al Roker's TODAY Show Kid's Book Club Pick, December 2009

Mythopeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, 2010

Booklist Top 10 SF/Fantasy for Youth, 2009

Parents' Choice Gold Winner, 2009

CCBC Choice List, 2010

EB White Read-Aloud Honor Book, 2010

Massachusetts Book Award for Children/Young Adult Literature, 2010

School Library Journal Review:

Starred Review. Grade 3-6–Living in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain, Minli and her parents spend their days working in the rice fields, barely growing enough to feed themselves. Every night, Minli's father tells her stories about the Jade Dragon that keeps the mountain bare, the greedy and mean Magistrate Tiger, and the Old Man of the Moon who holds everyone's destiny. Determined to change her family's fortune, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, urged on by a talking goldfish who gives her clues to complete her journey. Along the way she makes new friends including a flightless dragon and an orphan and proves her resourcefulness when she tricks a group of greedy monkeys and gets help from a king. Interwoven with Minli's quest are tales told by her father and by those she meets on the way. While these tales are original to Lin, many characters, settings, and themes are taken from traditional Chinese folklore. The author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning. Minli's determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her absence, is compelling and thoroughly human.–Jennifer Rothschild, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Oxon Hill, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review:

*Starred Review* In this enchanted and enchanting adventure, Minli, whose name means “quick thinking,” lives with her desperately poor parents at the confluence of Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River. While her mother worries and complains about their lot, her father brightens their evenings with storytelling. One day, after a goldfish salesman promises that his wares will bring good luck, Minli spends one of her only two coins in an effort to help her family. After her mother ridicules what she believes to be a foolish purchase, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, who, it is told, may impart the true secret to good fortune. Along the way, she finds excitement, danger, humor, magic, and wisdom, and she befriends a flightless dragon, a talking fish, and other companions and helpmates in her quest. With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude. Lin’s own full-color drawings open each chapter. Grades 3-6. --Andrew Medlar

A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple (Dear America Series)

Dear America: A Journey to the New World

Kathryn Lasky

Published by Scholastic Inc.

Copyright 2010

     Twelve year old Remember Patience Whipple (Mem for short) is a young girl who goes with her family on the Mayflower in order reach the New World where they will be able to practice their religious beliefs without being persecuted by King James of England. On her journey Mem experiences loss as well as hope for the future in a new place. Young readers will find, as Mem did, that nothing is as it seems. They will learn about how difficult the journey from Holland to the New World was, the hardships of settling on new land, the first real Thanksgiving, and much more. 

Kathryn Lasky

Reading Level: Grade 4-9; Lexile: 900L

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read, Guided Reading

Web Resources: 

Author's Site: Here you can find out more about Kathryn Lasky, the author of A Journey to the New World and many other children's and young adult novels. 

Activities and Discussion Questions: Here you will find discussion questions and fun student activities to share with your students. Make succotash, the recipe that one of the Indians shares with Mem in the story. You can also read an interview with Kathryn Lasky and find helpful websites to further the students' understanding of the Plimoth Settlement.

The following links are lesson plans to help students further their knowledge of how it might have been for the Pilgrims who came to the New World on the Mayflower. The second link will lead you to a number of resources that focus on different events and people that are mentioned in A Journey to the New World such as the first Thanksgiving, the Mayflower Compact, Squanto, etc. 

A Journey to the New World Lesson Example 1

A Journey to the New World Lesson Example 2 

A Journey to the New World Lesson Example 3 

Key Vocabulary: 

 scours

 petticoats

 turpentine

 contortions

 sieve

 providence

 incredulous

 sundry

 draught

 cajoling

 cantankerous

 victuals

 scurvy

 adze

 tansy

Suggestions for Activities for Students:

Before Reading: Before having the students read this text I would suggest having a discussion about what the students know about the Mayflower, Pilgrims, and the first Thanksgiving. The teacher could record the student's thoughts on a KWL Chart (What they Know, What they Want to Know, and What they Learned). It would be interesting to see what the students know or think they know about these different topics. A teacher might find that they need to address some misconceptions that the students have. Should a student say something about these topics that are wrong the teacher should ask where they got that information and advise them to pay close attention the text they are about to read to see if that truly happened or not. 

Teachers can also help the students fill out the "What they Want to Know" part of the KWL Chart. Ask students what they wish to learn about these topics. This will help them engage in the text because they will be looking for information to help them find answers to their questions. 

During Reading: While reading the text have the students focus on the vocabulary. In their reading and writing journals have them write down what page they saw the vocabulary word on, what they think the word means based on context clues, and what the word actually means after they have looked it up in a dictionary or online. 

After Reading: Have the students fill in the rest of the KWL Chart with what they learned after reading the text. Go over the misconceptions that students had and have the student who had the misconception explain what happened in the text that was different from what they stated at the beginning. For comprehension purposes have the students respond to inferential discussion questions. These may help them make connections to personal experiences or perhaps make connections to other texts that students have read. Click here for examples of thought provoking questions to ask students after they have read the text. 

Awards and Acknowledgements:

"More than a supplement to classroom textbooks, this series is an imaginative, solid entre into American history." -- Publisher's Weekly

"Engaging, accessible historical fiction." -- School Library Journal 

Thank you, Mr. Falker

Thank you, Mr. Falker

Patricia Polacco

Published by Philomel Books 

Copyright 2001

Mr. Falker

In school, have you ever felt as if you just weren't getting things as quickly as the other kids? Maybe you don't do your math times tables as fast? Maybe you weren't as creative when it came time to draw or paint? Maybe you didn't run as fast? For Trisha, she couldn't seem to read as well as everyone else. As years went on her teachers really never paid much attention to the fact that she wasn't able to read very well. She could create beautiful pictures but when it came to words on a page all she saw was a jumble of letters. Soon other students started to pick on her and bully her. This caused her to become very isolated and scared. It wasn't until her teacher Mr. Falker realized what the issue was and was determined to help Trisha overcome her reading problem - dyslexia. Trisha became very thankful to her teacher Mr. Falker for helping her overcome her fears, frustrations, and reading impairment. These are the types of teachers who make a difference and help children realize what their potential really is despite what others may say or do to make us think otherwise. 

Reading Level:  Grades 3-5; Lexile: 650L

Suggested Delivery:

Read-Aloud, Small Group Read

Web Resources: 

Patricia Polacco

Author's Cite: This is the author's website where you can find information about the book and it's author, art work from the text and you can even create your own postcard with the illustrations from the text. You can also browse the other children's books that she has created!

Lesson Planning: This is an example of a lesson plan that focuses on the development of comprehension using the text Thank You, Mr. Falker. This lesson plan provides worksheets, diagrams, and helpful discussion questions that will engage the reader all while helping them develop their comprehension skills. 

The following links are more examples of lesson plans that could be used to help students expand their thinking about the text and other connections they can make to other subjects, life situations, etc. These lessons include writing activities, vocabulary, art, topics for journal writing, etc.

Thank you, Mr Falker Lesson Plan Example 1

Thank you, Mr. Falker Lesson Plan Example 2

Key Vocabulary: torture, elegant, cunning, bravery, ladle, twilight, mole, odyssey

Suggestions for Activities for Students:

Before Reading: Before showing the book cover ask the questions (Questions were taken from this lesson plan by Nancy Drew of Tecumseh, Ontario) - 

• Have you ever really wanted to learn to do something? How did you do it? Was it easy or difficult?
• If it was difficult, how did you feel? Were you able to do it? Who or what helped you? Who or what didn't help you?

These discussion questions can be used as a good initiation to get into the text. As the student discuss what challenges they have had or are having the teacher could write these challenges on a large piece of chart paper. (Note: Do not write names next to the difficulties each student is having as it might be a sensitive subject and we want to make it clear that they are not the only ones who may have this difficulty. Maybe give examples of other well known individuals that might have their difficulty.) Next to what the students might be having difficulty with write down what they say helped them or what other students say might help that 

difficulty.

Other questions you might want to ask the students before reading the text are:

What are your predications for this story after seeing the cover of the book?

Why do you think the author titled the book Thank you, Mr. Falker?

Who is Mr. Falker?

It would also be helpful to mention the vocabulary words that the teacher selected for the students to focus on during the read-aloud or small group reading.

During Reading: As the teacher reads the story students should focus on the vocabulary that was mentioned before the lesson. After reading the sentence in which the vocabulary word is in ask the students if they can use context clues to help them figure out what the word means. Have the students try and connect the vocabulary words to their own life or an experience that they have witnessed. For example, ask the students if they have ever met someone who was "cunning" or if they can share with the class an act of "bravery" that they have seen or heard about.

After Reading: A fun and creative activity that a teacher can use to give to their students would be to make a character time-line. The students could be given a sheet of paper that has the significant events that happened to Trisha in the story (click here for an example). Explain that the students have seen the illustrations in the book but you want them to make their own illustrations using what they know from the story. Encourage the students to make their illustrations as original and creative as possible and not rely so much on the illustrations in the book but just the text and the information on the timeline provided. Students can take long pieces of blank white paper, cut out the words from the timeline provided, paste them on their timeline paper, and begin to draw/color their illustrations to go with the text.  

Awards and Acknowledgements: 

Parent's Choice Honors, 1998
Rhode Island Children’s Book Award Winner, 2000

Publisher's Weekly Review:

Fans of Polacco's (Thundercake; Pink and Say) work know well her talent for weaving her colorful family history throughout her picture books. Here Polacco shares her childhood triumph over dyslexia and discovery of reading in an inspiring if slightly formulaic story. Young Trisha is eager to taste the "sweetness of knowledge" that her grandfather has always revered (here symbolized by drizzling honey onto a book and tasting it, which harkens back to Polacco's earlier The Bee Tree). But when she looks at words and numbers, everything is a jumble. Trisha endures the cruel taunts of classmates who call her "dumb," and falls behind in her studies. But finally the encouragement and efforts of a new fifth grade teacher, Mr. Falker, trigger a monumental turning point in Trisha's life. She begins to blossom and develop all of her talents, including reading. Polacco's tale is all the more heartfelt because of its personal nature. Young readers struggling with learning difficulties will identify with Trisha's situation and find reassurance in her success. Polacco's gouache-and-pencil compositions deftly capture the emotional stages?frustration, pain, elation?of Trisha's journey. Ages 5-up. 

Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Booklist Review:

Ages 5^-9. Like many of Polacco's picture-book stories, this one is autobiographical. Who would believe that this gifted storyteller had started off with a serious learning disability? From kindergarten on, Trisha gets attention because she can draw; but she hides the fact that she can't read--all she sees on the page are "wiggling shapes" --until her fifth-grade teacher discovers Trisha's problem, gets her special help, and sets her free. "That little girl was me," Polacco says in a final note. As always she tells the story with intense emotion: no understatement here; reading is "torture." The big line-and-watercolor illustrations are bright with color and theatrical gesture, expressing the child's happiness with her grandparents in a family of readers, her fear and loneliness in the classroom ("she hated hated hated school"), her anguish when the kids jeer at her in the schoolyard, and her joy when finally she reads the words on the page ("she was happy, so very happy"). Trisha isn't idealized: we see her messy and desperate, poring over her books. This will encourage the child who feels like a failure and the teacher who cares. Hazel Rochman

School Library Journal Review:

Kindergarten-Grade 4AOnce more Polacco shares a personal story with engaging results. This moving saga of her struggle with a learning disability makes an inspiring picture book. Young Tricia wants desperately to read but when she starts school she finds that the words "wiggle" on the page. Teased by her classmates, she retreats into dreams and drawings. It's not until the family moves to California and Tricia has managed to reach the fifth grade that a new teacher finally recognizes her pain and distress. What's more, he does something about it. Without belaboring the point, the author clearly shows the ways that children internalize critical comments made by others and suffer for their differences. This touching story is accompanied by illustrations in Polacco's signature style. Youngsters, as well as adults, may find themselves choked up at the emotions so eloquently described in words and pictures. Yet, like the tears young Tricia cries at the end of the book, these are ultimately tears of joy. Thank you, indeed, Mr. Felker (the real name of the teacher involved) for making it all possible. Readers will be grateful for the chance to recognize, appreciate, and share in Polacco's talent and creativity.ALisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

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