Author and Illustrator: Lynne Cherry
Type: Picture
Grade Level: 3-5
Rating: 4 out of 5
A young man is sent into the rain forest to chop down a giant Kapok tree. While taking a break he falls asleep at the foot of the tree. As he rests the creatures of the forest that depend on this tree whisper to him their stories.
The Great Kapok Tree is a wonderful book. The illustrations are colorful and bright and the text draws the reader in. Both the images and the text set the mood for the story (Peterson and Eeds). Through text the animals logically lay down the facts and the pictures bring that to life. Who would want such beautiful and vibrant birds to be forced to live in "black and smoldering ruins?" The book plays with the readers emotions to stimulate their personal connection.
This book is so great for the classroom! There are so many things that students (and teachers!) can learn about from it! You can use it for units on environmental protection, rain forests, their animal life, cause and effect, and so on. The book includes maps of rain forests around the world before and after deforestation which can be used as a teaching tool. There are diagrams of the layers of the rain forests and the animals that live within them. The animals tell the sleeping man the truths of the rain forest that the man (and probably the reader) do not know or understand. The animals codependency on the Kapok and the cause and effect nature of the man's action is clearly shown to the readers. The man's decision to not cut down the tree shows that one person can make a difference. What is something your students could do to make a difference in their environment?
Save the rain forest!
No comments:
Post a Comment