Age Level: 8-11, Grade: 3-5
Genre: Chicken Sunday is a picture book because it contains pictures/illustrations on all pages. The words and illustrations add to the overall message of the text.
Summary:
Chicken Sunday is a story about a group of three young neighborhood children that want to purchase a special Easter hat for their gramma, Miss Eula. When nearing the hat shop to peruse the Easter hat, the shop owner, Mr. Kodinski, thinks the children threw eggs at his store when actually it was a group of hoodlum children.
To help rectify the situation, the children make special Ukranian-painted eggs to present as a gift for Mr. Kodinski. He enjoys them so much that he allows the kids to sell more of the eggs in his store to earn money.
Reflection:
Patricia Polacco, author and illustrator of this book, uses folk art to depict the story set in the post World War II era in the south. Her use of folk art helps to depict the simplicity of the characters, setting and the locale.
This book contains many themes throughout the story. The main theme I noticed is empathy. The three main characters showed empathy toward Miss Eula by going out of their way to help purchase the Easter hat she so dearly wanted. They displayed thoughtfulness and selflessness by putting others first.
Another lesser theme in the story is cultural traditions. The children made Ukranian eggs (p. 14) native to the Eastern European main character's culture. This theme can also be seen with Mr. Kodinski on p. 15 where he discusses his appreciation of the eggs reminding him of his homeland of Russia. In addition, on p.15 he speaks in Russian language.
The book also has a small theme of family. What is the definition of "family"? Does family only mean blood relatives? On the first page Polacco writes, "Their gramma...was my gramma now." The main character feels as if her neighbors are like her family and treats them as such. This book could be used to help discuss social issues such as what defines a family and the characteristics of families.
Big Question: The main characters were wrongfully accused of "egging" the store. What would you do if you were in their situation?
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Moss, M. (2001). Brave Harriet: The first woman to fly the English Channel. San Diego: Harcourt, Inc..
Age Level: 6-9
Genre: Brave Harriet is a picture book because it contains pictures/illustrations on all pages. The words and illustrations add to the overall message of the text.
Summary:
The book, Brave Harriet: The First Woman to Fly the English Channel, is about Harriet Quimby- the first American woman to get a pilot's license and the first American woman to fly solo across the English Channel. Her successful landing on April 16, 1912 was overshadowed by the sinking of the Titanic on the same date.
Reflection:
Our school uses Covey's The Leader In Me leadership/character building lessons. After reading this book, I immediately thought of the leadership habit- "Begin With the End in Mind." The main character uses determination and courage to follow her goal and dream of aviation in a time when women's roles outside the home were limited especially in the field of aviation. Harriet would not and did not give up on her dream even when others tried to discourage her.
The illustrator, C.F. Payne, uses page bleed on every illustrated page and many pages use double-spread (pgs. 1-2, 3-4, 13-14, 23-24, 27-28). Covering the entire page with illustration adds to the story's message of the vastness and openness of the sky in terms of flying and aviation. The double spread makes the eye move from one page to the next indicating motion much like an aeroplane would do in this story. The illustrations also play a crucial part in the story on page 26 when Harriet does the feat of finally landing in France after crossing the English Channel and no reporters take note because of the Titanic sinking simultaneously. The only mention of the Titanic in the story is in the illustration of the newspaper headline. Without the illustration, one might not know the significance of the date.
Big Question: Imagine you are Harriet Quimby on April 16, 1912 after just landing in France from flying solo across the English Channel. What would your diary entry look like on that day? Describe in detail the thoughts and feelings of Harriet.
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