Monday, October 15, 2007
Not-So-Weird Emma
by Sally Warner.
A book before Super Emma in the series. In this book, there is a rash of name-calling and hurt feelings in Emma's classroom, and she is the new kid, trying to make friends. Emma and her friend Annie Pat feel bad about their part in it, but don't know how to say so, as the whole thing seems to have taken on a life of its own. The teacher catches wind of what has been going on, and chews out the whole class, threatening to take away a treat she has planned for them. After a series of apologies, everyone feels better, and they enjoy playing with a parachute together, as one big group.
This book and Super Emma are simple enough, being early chapter books, but they take on some of the types of situations that arise in classroom dynamics, and the author really seems to get how it looks to a child, how difficult it is to know how to handle it when you're in the middle of it all. The voice is realistic, not one of those wacky girl books so popular right now, and I think these could be a nice read for a child having some trouble navigating the social jockeying of school. They don't offer up pat solutions, but not feeling alone can go a long way, and they might even try what works for Emma.
A book before Super Emma in the series. In this book, there is a rash of name-calling and hurt feelings in Emma's classroom, and she is the new kid, trying to make friends. Emma and her friend Annie Pat feel bad about their part in it, but don't know how to say so, as the whole thing seems to have taken on a life of its own. The teacher catches wind of what has been going on, and chews out the whole class, threatening to take away a treat she has planned for them. After a series of apologies, everyone feels better, and they enjoy playing with a parachute together, as one big group.
This book and Super Emma are simple enough, being early chapter books, but they take on some of the types of situations that arise in classroom dynamics, and the author really seems to get how it looks to a child, how difficult it is to know how to handle it when you're in the middle of it all. The voice is realistic, not one of those wacky girl books so popular right now, and I think these could be a nice read for a child having some trouble navigating the social jockeying of school. They don't offer up pat solutions, but not feeling alone can go a long way, and they might even try what works for Emma.
Labels: 2005, early chapters, enh, issues
# posted by kittenpie @ 7:44 PM 
