Title: Frederick
Author: Leo Lionni
Illustrator: Leo Lionni
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Date: 1967
Age Range: All
Summary: Frederick the field mouse sat on the old stone wall while his four brothers gathered food for the approaching winter days. The other mice felt that Frederick was not doing his share of the work, but when the food ran out, Frederick saved the day with that he had gathered.
Strengths:
The illustrations are adorable and simple. The overall story is good and at first I thought it was going to be more like the ant and the grasshopper but it this ends happily. I like how it shows that you can help your family by making them happy with art.
Concerns:
The ending is a little too abrupt for me. Subconsciously, as an adult, I just keep thinking that they aren't going to make it through the rest of the winter. I am happy for Frederick but it's still an odd way to end. I think he could have done both (collecting thoughts and gathering food) at the same time. Maybe with the food he gathered would have helped his family just a little bit more. I'm stuck between "Yay art and poetry saves the day" and "He shouldn't be lazy like that"
1 comment:
Maybe if you shared this with students, you could have an interesting discussion about the ending! Art or survival??
Post a Comment