Book Detail

Library, The

Publication Information
Author:  Stewart, Sarah Illustrator:  Small, David
Title:  Library, The Date:  1995
Publisher:  Farrar, Straus & Giroux City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  none ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Yes Young Adult:  
Picture:   Yes

General Information:
Book Type(s):    easy reading, true story, biography and autobiography, poetry

HSE Descriptor(s):   

Summary:
A delightfully illustrated story in verse about a shy, avid reader who gave her books to form a town library.

Teaching Ideas:
Use this charming book with the small text set on librarians and libraries. Read it aloud to anyone who will listen. The illustrations reveal more each time they are viewed. Readers will want to reflect on the visual motifs, visual jokes and allusions, the relationship of the main color illustration with the black and white sketch opposite the verse etc. Although the character of Mary Elizabeth Brown is revealed indirectly, readers should enjoy discussing and writing a character sketch of her. What might the townspeople think of her? How do shy, quirky peole function in today's world? Have you ever met anyone like her? It might be fun to use the book as a model and write a description of that person in verse. Ask students to plan a "readers' olympiad. (See the publisher's web site www.fsgkidsbooks.com/teachersguides/stewart_small.htm.)

Teaching Strategies:
bullet Bleich's Heuristic for Responding to Reading
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/bleichs_heuristic.pdf
bullet Copy Change
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/copy_change.pdf
bullet Helping Students in the Writing Process
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/help_writing_process.pdf
bullet Reader's Theater
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/readers_theater.pdf
bullet Brainstorming Activities (Guidelines)
   http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/brainstorming.pdf

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Education > literacy
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > giving/generosity
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > life choices
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > love
bullet Communities > urban > city
bullet Science > scientists/inventors > Newton, Isaac


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