Thank You, Mr. Falker

Title: Thank You, Mr. Falker
Author: Patricia Polacco
Genre Study: Contemporary Realistic Fiction grade level 2-4

I'm sure I have either read or have been read this story aloud sometime before even if I do not remember.  It is a great story that would be greatly important to read aloud to a classroom.  Though it is a short and easy picture book, the message is huge.  I also believe that more than one lesson or message can be found within this short text.  The main character, Trisha, is a brave and adventurous young girl excited about her grandparents tale of knowledge and reading.  She then learns how to accept events of death in her life.  The main and most important message is about the pace of learning.  I think this would be a great book to read aloud to a classroom in the beginning of the year.  With this lesson I would express the importance of acceptance of peers and the understanding that every individual learns differently and at a different pace.  This book is a great example because if is partially a true story of the author's own experience.  She had a lot of difficulty in school when she was a kid, and now she is an award winning author.  In my classroom this understanding and value of acceptance will be very important to me.  This is a great story to go along with the lesson, and the illustrations are also beautiful.  They go along with the story, and help the reader to picture the struggles of this young girl.  I loved this book and would recommend it to all.