Julius, the Baby of the World

Julius, the Baby of the World

Written by: Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Greenwillow Books in September 1995

Genre: animal Fiction

Readability Lexile: 460L

Summary:

This book is about a mom dad and son that have a new baby come into their family. The older son is really jealous and does not like it that he does not get all the attentions so he says not so nice things about the baby. When someone else starts to say things about the baby the older brother decides that the baby is really cool and stands up for him. He ends up liking that they have a new baby in the house.

Evaluation:

This is a great book to read to children who are about to get a new sibling. It shows that the feelings are okay to have but the baby can be really cool. It also gives them something to relate to so they do not feel alone. This book really teaches children the value of family and sticking up for each other. When reading the book aloud I can hear the characters talking and coming to life. The language also sounds natural. The character grows through the book and has his strengths and weaknesses.

Literary Elements:

-          Theme- The theme of the book is having a new baby in the house and adjusting. This is something that happens all the time for children of this age so it is really nice to be able to read this to them so they do not feel alone.

-          Plot- The plot of this book is about learning to cope with a new baby in the house. At first he does not like the baby but then he stands up for it and learns that he loves it and the baby is actually really cool.

-          Characterization- You are really able to learn a lot of the characters feelings and emotions in this book. You get up close and personal with him.

Mini Lesson:

I would teach a mini lesson to adjusting to new things. The students would figure out something that they are scared to adjusting to and then write one thing or a few things that would help make it easier.

Illustrations:

The illustrations in this book are really good. They show what the text is saying and are really fun and exciting to look at. It helps the story to go more into depth.

Target Audience:

Early Elementary