Tadpole's Promise Strikes Again

No, I'm afraid there is not a sequel to Tadpole's Promise by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross, but I can never resist telling their tale. There are few picture books that are easier to prove the point that even older students can enjoy a picture book. In December Aunt Betty went to two fifth grade classes with a large suitcase full of new books. (Yes, she could come to your class. I could, too, for that matter.) She began each class with a telling of Tadpole's Promise and the lesson learned is that you shouldn't skip the short books- they aren't always just for the little ones. As you may recall, this book falls into the "don't shoot from the hip because it might backfire group."

While there, Aunt Betty booktalked some of the newest trends in literature for middle grades- series, comics, nonfiction. The hour went by quickly. Interspersed were some great books that fifth graders might miss because they are in the "easy section." Aunt Betty told them that they could always use them to read to their younger siblings. They are really short stories that might give them an idea about their own writing. Pictures are amazing...

I just got a book of thank you letters from the classes. Two letters especially made me laugh out loud.

Dear Aunt Betty,
I really appreciate you coming to our class and telling about all new books. I thought that the story The Tadpole's Promise was pretty funny. I can relate to that story because my mom wants me to stay her little baby but I can't and I told her to expect change. So thanks for coming to our class.
Sincerely,
D

Dear Aunt Betty,
Thank you for visiting my school and sharing books with us. I really liked the books you showed us. The stories that you told us were awesome because I told the tadpole and caterpillar story to my mom and my dad and they loved it. And I told the story to my baby brother for bedtime story and he went right to sleep.

Sincerely,
E

Well. There you go...

Don't Shoot From the Hip- Again

Once in a while a book comes along that takes you by surprise. It’s simply spoken. Simple illustrations. Suddenly, wham! It jumps out and gets you. You realize its simplicity is genius. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen, published by Candlewick Press, is just the book. The pattern in the text hypnotizes you, enabling you to laugh out loud (or gasp) at the surprise ending. The title has already won a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year.

The story is about a bear who has lost his hat. He meets animal after animal in the forest. No one has seen his hat. Well, actually, he has seen his hat. He remembers after Reindeer jogs his memory. What happens to Rabbit when Bear catches up with him? You’ll have to read it yourself. But beware- this book is my favorite genre- Don’t Shoot From the Hip ‘Cause it Might Backfire.

The link to Candlewick Press includes a book trailer and a 13 page teaching guide that includes this title and other new titles from the publisher.Check out my list of other books like this in an early blog post.

Don't Shoot from the Hip...it might backfire

Don’t shoot from the hip…it might backfire- or at least not be appreciated for the genius bit of writing that it is.

Reading aloud can be a powerful tool towards increasing the literacy of our students. Publishers try to help us by providing a reading interest level to guide us in our choices. However, one needs to be conscious of the fact that a book that is promoted interest level K-3, may not, in fact, be a good idea to read to kindergarten. They really work better with older students. If you have ever read Amelia Bedelia books to young students, you know exactly what I mean. I call these books: Don’t-shoot-from-the-hip-because-it-might-backfire books.

For example, one of my favorites is Tadpole’s Promise by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross. It’s a love story about a caterpillar and tadpole who fall in love and promise to never change. That’s what these creatures do. They are all about change. The tadpole changes faster than the caterpillar. He is her “shiny black pearl” and she is “his beautiful rainbow.” When he breaks his promise the third time, she goes away angry and cries herself to sleep. Time passes and she has transformed into a beautiful butterfly. She has also lost her anger and decides to forgive him. She flies down to where the lily pad meets the water where a little green frog sits. “Have you seen my shiny black… But before she can finish her sentence, the frog leaps up and eats her- in one great gulp. And there he sits thinking fondly of his beautiful rainbow and wondering where she went. The end.”

Sometimes when I read this with adults, even they are taken aback. If you share this with your high school students, they will see the power of writing. They appreciate the surprise ending. It breaks the ice in a new class because people want to talk about it. If you read these to kindergarten, you may have to get out the box of tissues and spend the rest of the morning consoling little souls. So use the following books as a starter list of books that may be recommended by the publisher for K-3, but they will be better appreciated by grades 3-12.

Tadpole’s Promise by Jeanne Willis
Where Willy Went by Nicholas Allan
Whatever by William Bee
Beware the Frog by William Bee
Princess Justina by Ellen Dee Davidson
The Library Dragon by Carmen Deedy
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Deedy