I loved reading this book. it's true stories that children have said in a kindergarten class. it brings great perspective to how children learn and react to their surroundings and how they comprehend information.

This book was interesting because as an early education major, I was able to connect with this book as a teacher but not as a personal connection. Some of the ideas and methods she does in her classroom I would like to do the same. Such as if my students are invested in an author, I would have the children write letters.

Short but lovely book of insights from a teacher's last year in the classroom. It won't necessarily give you techniques (it's not that kind of book), but it could give you ideas about integrating stories into your work. And it's particularly enjoyable if you're familiar with Leo Lionni, the author her students read and drew and thought and talked about all year. ( )

Genre: autobiographical

This is a good autobiography because she talks about her experience in the classroom. It isn't a complete autobiography because it does not cover her whole life but it does show one full school year in detail.

Age Appropriate: This book isn't necessarily for reading to students but i thought that it was a good resource for the classroom.

Rubric: 24/25 I took out plot because she couldn't control the plot of the story.

Genre: Biography
Age Appropriate: Middle School/Adult
Review: This book is a good example of a biography because the story is factual and is about an actual person's life. The author portrays the character in ways that a variety of people can identify with using multiple perspectives. The author tells about her final year of teaching and how she interacts with her class, especially one of the little girl's, Reeney. The entire class develops a passion for the books by Leo Lionni and they reinvent their classroom around discussions of the stories.
Characterization: Reeny is a dynamic character because she undergoes great change as she reads and becomes familiar with more Leo Lionni books. She is challenged and stretched by the various meanings the books represent. Her character develops as the reader reads the pages and follows her thinking. ( )