Module 2 – The Egg Tree
Summary
This story shares the tradition of the Easter egg tree. In the story, the two main characters, Katy and Carl, are spending their first Easter on their grandmother’s farm, along with four of their cousins. On Easter morning, they go on their first egg hunt, but Katy has a hard time finding any eggs. She is feeling sad about it and goes into her grandmother’s attic where she finds six beautifully decorated eggs that her grandmother had packed away many years ago. When she brings the eggs downstairs, grandmother declares that while Katy may not have found the most eggs, she found the most beautiful eggs. She tells Katy how she had made the eggs herself when she was a little girl and then decorates a tree with the colorful eggs. The kids all love her story and want to find more eggs to decorate the egg tree.
My Impression
I love this story, because not only touch it teach about an Easter tradition, it also shares how children can do great things. Often, children will feel like they are too young to help or too young to participate and are left feeling discouraged and left out. This story has a special way of reminding children that they are wonderful and that they can do great things no matter their age.
Library Setting
This would be a great story to read to the class around Spring Time when learning about Easter or springtime activities. I would read the story and then the children could decorate a paper egg. The picture on their drawing would be about something that they like to do to help in their class or when they are with their family. Then, after the eggs are all finished, they would share their egg with the class and hang it on the class egg tree.
Reviews
1. "True to the tradition from which the Easter Egg Tree sprang, in her story as well as in her pictures, (Milhous) has given life and a lovely present-day atmosphere to an old custom that is sure to find wide acceptance".--The Horn Book.
Powell’s Books (1994-2011) [Review of the book, The Egg Tree]. Retrieved from
http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780689715686-2
Caldecott Medal Honor January 1951>
Module 2 – Mr. Lincoln’s Way
Summary
Mr. Lincoln is the principal of an elementary school and is admired by all of the students, except one. Eugene “Mean Gene” always terrorizes other students on the playground. One day, Mr. Lincoln saw Eugene admiring a cardinal in a tree. He invites him to come look at the bird book that he has in his office. Eugene loves the book and opens up a little with Mr. Lincoln as he shares with him about his grandpa’s farm. This inspires Mr. Lincoln to build a bird atrium at the school. He thinks that this would create a positive environment for Eugene to change his behavior. For a while it does work and Eugene is practicing nicer behavior to the other children and he is truly excited about all of the amazing birds that the atrium has attracted. However, a couple of days later, a teacher reports to Mr. Lincoln that Eugene had made racial comments to two students in the lunch line. Mr. Lincoln calls Eugene into his office, where he learns that Eugene’s dad was mad that Eugene had been spending so much time with Mr. Lincoln because he’s African American. Mr. Lincoln shows Eugene that he cares for all of the birds the same, regardless of their color.
My Impression
This was such a wonderful way to show Eugene that all people are special no matter their color. I am grateful that Eugene has the positive influences from his grandfather and Mr. Lincoln. Young children are very impressionable and it is important that they learn to understand how to respect and treat others no matter their similarities or differences.
Library Setting
This would be a great book for teaching the same lesson in class. Whether it is a 1st grade class or a 6th grade class, children would enjoy the story. A great idea to do after reading this story would be to have the class make their own atrium. It doesn’t have to be a bird atrium. A fun idea would be for them to bring in a picture of their pet and share with the class why it is special to them. They would also write about why their pet is special to them under the photograph. Then, they could hang it up on the bulletin board for the class to see. Together, they cold think of a title that would best represent the meaning of the bulletin board, like “Why We Are Beautiful Inside And Out”.
Reviews
1. Ages 5-8. Mr. Lincoln is the coolest principal ever, except in the mind of Eugene "Mean Gene"Esterhause, a bully of legendary proportions. Certain that Gene is only troubled (rather than rotten to the core), Mr. Lincoln sets out quietly to discover Gene's strengths (he is an avid bird watcher) and enlists his help in creating a bird sanctuary for the school. The principal also learns the source of Gene's racial intolerance and makes some important strides toward reversing the boy's prejudices. This story is vintage Polacco--a multicultural neighborhood setting, a cast of believable characters (some larger than life), and a satisfying ending guaranteed to bring tears to even hard-boiled cynics. Polacco's signature watercolor illustrations take on springtime hues here; they're especially apparent in Mr. Lincoln's bright pink shirts and ties. An excellent choice for storyhours, this should prompt some interesting discussions about bullies and their motivations.
(2001, September 1). Booklist [Review of the book Mr. Lincoln’s Way]. (Vol. 98, No. 1) Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=b80cf2ede076bbd8cb392d70e7da0d0b
2. A "cool" principal helps a bully become a model citizen and conquer his racism by capitalizing on the boy's interest in birds. Although the illustrations are engaging, the story of the bully's transformation is both sanctimonious and unconvincing. Eugene is too self-aware for his age, and Mr. Lincoln is too flawless to be interesting.
(2002, Spring). Horn Book [Review of the book Mr. Lincoln’s Way]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=b80cf2ede076bbd8cb392d70e7da0d0b
3. Everyone thinks Eugene "Mean Gene" Esterhause, the school bully, is trouble "with a capital T." Everyone but Mr. Lincoln, that is, "the coolest principal in the whole world," who is determined to reach the boy after he's caught calling an African-American first-grader a racist name. Mr. Lincoln enlists Eugene's help in attracting birds to the school's new atrium, a project the fourth grader embraces with enthusiasm. Nevertheless, he again makes racist remarks and lands in the principal's office ("My old man calls you real bad names, Mr. Lincoln. He's got an ugly name for just about everybody that's different from us," the boy says to the African-American principal). Mr. Lincoln points out a heavy-handed parallel the diversity of the birds that Eugene loves. Mr. Lincoln helps free the boy from intolerance, just as Eugene finds a way to free the baby ducklings and their parents from the atrium so they can reach the pond outside. Polacco's (Thank You, Mr. Falker) artwork is assured, from the carefully delineated birds to the expressive faces of her characters, but the intertwining themes result in a thumping message and a too-tidy solution. Ages 6-9. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
(2001, July 9). Publishers Weekly [Review of the book Mr. Lincoln’s Way]. Retrieved from
http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=b80cf2ede076bbd8cb392d70e7da0d0b
4. Gr 1-4-In her many books, Polacco has dealt sensitively with a broad spectrum of circumstances and issues. Here she tackles both intolerance and bullying. Mr. Lincoln is the "coolest" principal: he is Santa at Christmas, lights the menorah at Chanukah, and wears a dashiki for Kwanza and a burnoose for Ramadan. The author chronicles his attempt to reclaim "Mean Gene," a child who sasses his teachers, picks on other children, and makes ethnic slurs. "`He's not a bad boy, really,' Mr. Lincoln said. `Only troubled.'" However, the distinction is not clarified. When the principal discovers that the boy is fond of birds, he capitalizes on this interest. He involves him in attracting the creatures to the school atrium while at the same time showing him that just as the differences in the birds render them beautiful, so do the differences in people. While the theme is an important and timely one, Polacco has allowed her message to overwhelm both plot and character development. The story emerges as didactic, laden with heavy-handed metaphor, and too simplistic a solution to a deep-rooted problem. The book may be useful to schools in need of a springboard for discussion of the topic and is graced with impressive watercolors, but it is not up to the author's usual literary standards.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Oliff, G. (2001, August 1). School Library Journal [Review of the book Mr. Lincoln’s Way]. Retrieved
from http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=b80cf2ede076bbd8cb392d70e7da0d0b
