Tuesday. Written and Illustrated by: David Wiesner. Genre: Picture Book. Award: Caldecott Medal. Copyright:1991. Pages: 32.
What could possibly happen at the stroke of eight on a Tuesday to change the lives of the frogs and toads of the pond down the road? What if I was to tell you, that suddenly the lily pads would begin to fly? And that these amphibians would be taken on all sorts of different adventures! That is exactly what happens in this book, Tuesday. If it sounds to you that this is far to unlikely of a story, I highly recommend that you read this book, because real or not, this is one magical adventure you do not want to miss!
Summary: Everything seemed fairly normal at the pond on Tuesday, just before 8'oclock. That was until just after 8'oclock. Suddenly all the frogs and toads that casually lay upon lily pads started floating up towards the sky. And away they went, floating off on an adventure surely none of them would forget, leaving the turtles and other animals behind. Around 11:21pm they soared through the town, passing by houses with unsuspecting humans finishing up late night snacks. They soared through gardens where laundry hug to dry, picking up parachutes along the way, increasing the excitement of the night. Eventually they ended up in a little old woman's house and watched T.V. while she slept in her chair, using their tongue to change the channel. Around 4:30am, they found themselves back out side, soaring the gardens on their lily pads. This time, their flight came to an abrupt halt as they almost ran smack into a dog. Quickly the dog gave chase, but soon the frogs and toads realized that they out numbered him and they turned on the dog and gave chase to him.
When morning struck, the lily pad's lost their magical powers and fell to the ground. Frogs and toads flying to the ground with them. Eventually they made it back to the pond but the lily pads stayed behind. This lead to a great level of confusion for the town when they awoke to lily pads everywhere. This puzzled everyone except for the man who thought he saw frogs flying the night before while he was eating. He tried to plead his case to the media but it was a tall story, that was really hard to swallow.
The following Tuesday at 7:58pm, all you see is a barn, and on there are shadows, and the shadows are of pigs, flying in the sky...
My Assessment: I thought that this book was so much fun! The drawings were fantastic and so easy to read! They told a terrific story and the adventure was easily translatable. I think all children would love it. This would also have great use with ELL students or those on IEP's as they would be able to make the story up as they go along.
Teaching Tips: This is a fantastic book to use to help students write their own stories. They could take on page of illustrations and create adventures based on it. This is also great for beginner readers to learn how to read pictures. This is a terrific story to spark creativity in children of all ages. I think that this is a great book and would be a fantastic addition to every classroom library.
My Favorite Part: One of the things that I love the most about this book is David Wiesner's ability to create these characters out of frogs and toads that are capable of complete human expression. You can read the absolute joy and glee in their faces and it is just fantastical! I also love the idea how at the end this man is trying to retell this highly improbable story and the next Tuesday it shows you what is only sure to be, pigs flying. I love the humor in that. I also really loved how the frogs and toads took over the sleeping old lady's house and were watching TV. The personification was terrific! What a great read!
What could possibly happen at the stroke of eight on a Tuesday to change the lives of the frogs and toads of the pond down the road? What if I was to tell you, that suddenly the lily pads would begin to fly? And that these amphibians would be taken on all sorts of different adventures! That is exactly what happens in this book, Tuesday. If it sounds to you that this is far to unlikely of a story, I highly recommend that you read this book, because real or not, this is one magical adventure you do not want to miss!
Summary: Everything seemed fairly normal at the pond on Tuesday, just before 8'oclock. That was until just after 8'oclock. Suddenly all the frogs and toads that casually lay upon lily pads started floating up towards the sky. And away they went, floating off on an adventure surely none of them would forget, leaving the turtles and other animals behind. Around 11:21pm they soared through the town, passing by houses with unsuspecting humans finishing up late night snacks. They soared through gardens where laundry hug to dry, picking up parachutes along the way, increasing the excitement of the night. Eventually they ended up in a little old woman's house and watched T.V. while she slept in her chair, using their tongue to change the channel. Around 4:30am, they found themselves back out side, soaring the gardens on their lily pads. This time, their flight came to an abrupt halt as they almost ran smack into a dog. Quickly the dog gave chase, but soon the frogs and toads realized that they out numbered him and they turned on the dog and gave chase to him.
When morning struck, the lily pad's lost their magical powers and fell to the ground. Frogs and toads flying to the ground with them. Eventually they made it back to the pond but the lily pads stayed behind. This lead to a great level of confusion for the town when they awoke to lily pads everywhere. This puzzled everyone except for the man who thought he saw frogs flying the night before while he was eating. He tried to plead his case to the media but it was a tall story, that was really hard to swallow.
The following Tuesday at 7:58pm, all you see is a barn, and on there are shadows, and the shadows are of pigs, flying in the sky...
My Assessment: I thought that this book was so much fun! The drawings were fantastic and so easy to read! They told a terrific story and the adventure was easily translatable. I think all children would love it. This would also have great use with ELL students or those on IEP's as they would be able to make the story up as they go along.
Teaching Tips: This is a fantastic book to use to help students write their own stories. They could take on page of illustrations and create adventures based on it. This is also great for beginner readers to learn how to read pictures. This is a terrific story to spark creativity in children of all ages. I think that this is a great book and would be a fantastic addition to every classroom library.
My Favorite Part: One of the things that I love the most about this book is David Wiesner's ability to create these characters out of frogs and toads that are capable of complete human expression. You can read the absolute joy and glee in their faces and it is just fantastical! I also love the idea how at the end this man is trying to retell this highly improbable story and the next Tuesday it shows you what is only sure to be, pigs flying. I love the humor in that. I also really loved how the frogs and toads took over the sleeping old lady's house and were watching TV. The personification was terrific! What a great read!