As a reader I liked how this book pointed out a different kind of bullying. The gender roles that are challenged in this book are what make it interesting. Pinky is a boy whose favorite color is pink and his best friend is Rex, who is a girl. The author picked names that were very opposite, but I think that it did a good job making the point for younger readers.
As a teacher I would use this beginners chapter book in small groups. I want kids to understand that anyone can like the color pink, no matter what their gender. I would use this book as a way to discuss with students what they think of gender roles, and to make sure that they understand that they are all free to be individuals. I think that this would also be a good opportunity for students to role play what they would do if they were confronted by a bully.
I really enjoyed this book. The whole book was written as a rhyme, which made it flow off of the tongue and made it enjoyable to read. I enjoyed the message behind the book, about how some people can't control their differences so they shouldn't be bullied for them. I also liked how they pointed out that some differences can end up helping a person.
As a teacher this might be a book that I would start a bullying unit with. I think that students would like how the whole book rhymed. I would want the students to take away the fact that Betty Lou may have had big feet, but that was something that was out of her control, and so that was not something they should bully her for. She overcame her bullys by being the better person and saving them all from the snow storm, which should show students that people have so much more to offer. I think that this would also be an interesting book to do a reader's theater with. Since the words rhyme, it could help with their fluency when they perform it. A poetry lesson could also come from this book where students could write a poem based on this story.
I really enjoyed this book. I think that it is a book that many children would love to read, because the pictures were colorful and the book was informative, but it was told in a way that made learning fun. I liked how at the end of the story the author included how the reader could plant their own garden.
As a teacher I would use this book for younger grades. I would probably use it to tie into a science lesson about plants and gardens. I think that it would be a great resource to talk about how to plant a garden, and what certain animals eat in gardens. In the back of the book the page on how to create a garden would be a good way to tie the science lesson in. Students could plant a flower, grass, a vegetable or something else and watch it grow, just like the boy in the story watches his garden grow and learns about what the different bugs eat.
As a reader, I enjoyed this book. I could definitely see loving this book when I was younger, since I always dreamed of being a flower girl. I thought that the book used a lot of humor when Henkes made Lilly act as though the whole day was about her. I think that a lot of little girls and adults can relate to this story because being in a wedding is something many people think about.
As a teacher I would use this book in a small reading group. I think that this book would really get girls who may be reluctant to read, interested in reading. The books are funny and colorful with a story that many young girls can relate to. There are also other books about Lilly written by Henkes, and so this might spark an interest in students going out on their own and reading other books about Lilly or other picture books with similar plots. I think that this book could really help young readers get interested in reading and learning more.
As a reader, I found the language of this book to be hard to follow. The characters talked in broken English, which was what made it harder to follow. However, I did enjoy the plot of the story. The children all had to go out to pull their weight in the family so that they might enjoy a meal. They try to help their mother out, only to find they have collected mostly rocks instead of potatoes. Although the language was hard to follow I enjoyed the book overall.
As a teacher, I might use this book as an accompaniment to a social studies lesson. This book shows a family that is struggling financially when the children decide to go harvest potatoes. The farmer could have turned them away, but he says that if they pick up stones they can keep the potatoes they find. This could be linked to a lesson on the Great Depression to relate it to the struggles that families went through at that time.
I thought that this book was a cute children's book that I think a lot of kids would like. It used language that could be read by early readers, but the themes explored in the book were ones that could be used for any age level. I liked how it showed a different side to bullying besides physical and verbal abuse. This shows classmates making fun of Chrysanthemum for her name, something that she can't change, and how they eventually learn that all names should be appreciated.
I would use this in a classroom either in a small reading group or as a read aloud book. I think this would be a good book to help introduce the topic of name calling and making fun of others for things that they cannot control. A good writing lesson could also come from this book. Students could write about their name and what it means to them or write a story about their name. This might also be a good opportunity for them to research the actual meaning of their names and share it with the class. This book could help create a good classroom community.
As a reader I found this book confusing at first, but after reading it a second time it became more clear. The illustrations in this picture book are amazing and really help to tell the story since there aren't as many words. I really enjoyed the message in this book about how persistence can get you where you want to be.
As a teacher I would use this book as a read aloud book. Since it is about an eagle, it could be tied into a social studies lesson. This book would also be a good lesson on persistence. The eagle doesn't learn to fly the first time it tries, it takes a few trys and a lot of persistence for the eagle to fly. This can help teach students that not everything will come easily to them, but if they keep trying they will eventually reach their goals.
