What You Need to Know:
• Most kids will relate to this twist on the typical chick hatching school project.
• Readers will find a subtle message that it is OK to be different.
• Illustrator Andrea Wesson also created the illustrations in the Evangeline Mudd Series.
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Sweet Book Summary:
Sally’s class is doing a science project. They put eggs in an incubator and watch them until they hatch. From the start, everything is different for Sally. Her egg is bigger and has spots. Her teacher, Mrs. Henshaw, says “don’t be difficult. Some eggs just look different.” So much for that advice! When it hatches, it looks even more unusual. Her “chick” as everyone continues to call it, looks more like a dinosaur. In an irregular font, we’re told that it is “green” “scaly” and has “big yellow eyes.” Mrs. Henshaw is unperturbed, repeating, her catch phrase about not being difficult. As the chicks grow, Sally’s becomes a bit of a terror and they’re forced to separate it from the other chicks/kids. Sally begins to feel badly that her chick, now named Argus, isn’t like the others, but when he goes missing, she realizes how special he is and that being different is not so bad. The fun illustrations nicely capture the classroom setting, the mischievous Argus and Mrs. Henshaw’s casual attitude. |
Author: Michelle Knudsen Illustrator: Andrea Wesson Published: 2011, 32 pages
Themes: Animals, Humor, Identity, Individuality, School, Science |
Sweet Discussion Questions:
• Have you done any science projects that didn’t go exactly as planned?
• How would you feel if your class project was different from all the other kids?
• Do you have a favorite experiment that you’ve done in school or at home?
• Why does Sally change her mind about how she feels about Argus?
• Do you have any teachers like Mrs. Henshaw?
• Is it good or bad that she doesn’t seem to notice that Argus is different?
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| This recommendation was written by: Melissa G. |
| Support Independent Book Shops: Click Here to Buy this Book on IndieBound |
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Capture the Flag
