Chester's Way

Chester's Way

Written by: Kevin Henkes 
Publisher: Greenwillow Books; Pap/Cas edition September 1997
Genre: Animal Fiction

Readability Lexile: 570

Summary:

This is a book about two best friends that do everything together. They have their own way of doing things and they really like it. They do not want to change the way that they do things. There is this new girl that moves into town that wants to be their friend but they do not want to be friends with her because she does not do the same kind of stuff that they do. They get bullied and she helps them and stands up to them and scares the bully away so they all become friends.

Evaluation:

This is a good book to about not judging people before you get to know them. IT is a book that has great pictures and text that help us to get really involved in the story. The characters grow and accept her as their friend. They also have strengths and weaknesses. When reading this book aloud I was able to hear the characters voices and personalities come out from my own words. It also teaches students about judging others and how it is not a good thing to do.

Literary Elements:

-          Theme- the theme of this book is judgments. When you judge someone before you know them you do not get a chance to see what they are really like. You could be completely wrong so it is not good to judge people.

-          Plot- The plot of this book is about two boys who are best friends running into someone who wants to be friends with them but hey are too stuck in their own ways to accept her. But she turns out really nice and helps save them from a bully.

-          Characterization- You are really able to get to know the characters in this story and go on their journey with them. You are able to see their emotions, personality, and way they act.

Mini Lesson:

When reading this book I would use the theme to teach my students that it is not good to judge others. I would show a picture of someone and they would write down what they think about them. I would do this with about 5 different pictures. Then I would show them clips of them on the TV and they would be able to see that they are probably a lot different than they thought they would be.

Illustrations:

The illustrations are great. They are colorful and fun. They draw the reader into the book and show what the text is trying to say.

Target Audience:

Early Elementary