Archive for November 18, 2016

Gary

Written and Illustrated by Leila Rudge

Gary is a pigeon. A racing pigeon who doesn’t fly. When the other pigeons go out to race, he sits at home and waits for the others to return. And dreams of all the places he could have gone. He has a scrapbook of their mementos and stories. Accidentally, he goes out with the flock one day. Since he can’t fly, he’s left to figure out how to return home by other means. When he steps off the bus and tells the others of his adventures, they see the wisdom of solution and start using alternate transportation themselves.

The beautiful and detailed illustrations complement the story perfectly. Gary has things in his scrapbook that help him find his way in the world: what appears to be a subway map, a street map, drawings of various modes of transportation so he can recognize them. The pigeons wear jerseys. A few wear backwards baseball cap or stocking caps.

As a read aloud or independent reading for second graders, this book offers a jumping off place for learning about venturing out into the world. Kids will have fun spotting all the details in the illustrations and figuring out how Gary gets home. Heartwarming and funny at the same time.

 Buy on Amazon

  • garyTitle: Gary                                                            
  • Author/Illustrator: Leila Rudge
  • Published: Candlewick Press, 2016
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • Grade Level: PreK to 2
  • Genre: Picture book
  • ISBN: 978-0-7636-8954-4

 

 

Pizza at Sally’s

Written by Monica Wellington

Definitely worth another look, this book from ten years ago still has a fresh approach to learning about where the food we eat comes from. Sally grows tomatoes, destined for the pizza, in her garden. Wheat comes from the farm, helped along by the farmer and his equipment. Cheese, from the shop next door, is made from milk. When Sally opens her shop, she takes the orders and assembles the finished pizza for take-out and eating in. She begins by mixing and working the pizza dough. Sauce, cheese, and added ingredients follow.  

As an illustrator, Wellington includes all sorts of information, such as many of the things other than cheese that come from milk. This is a helpful, simple, and subtle message that promotes comprehension and literacy skills. Each step of the process is deftly shown, complete with many details. Through it all, Sally’s cat assists her. Kids can look for details such as the names of the ingredients, the names on the order pad (which partially match the book dedication), different vehicles, Italian words and their translations, etc.

A fun book about a favorite food. 

Buy on Amazon

  • pizza-at-sallysTitle: Pizza at Sally’s
  • Author: Monica Wellington
  • Published: Dutton Children’s Books/Penguin, 2006
  • Reviewer: Sue Poduska
  • Format: Hardcover, 32 pages
  • Grade Level: PreK to 2
  • Genre: Fiction, Picture book, Food, Cooking
  • ISBN: 978-0-525-47715-0
  • Extras: Pizza recipe