From: StuAll at aol.com <StuAll>
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 22:52:56 -0400 (EDT)

Paterson's "Bridge....." is also a favorite of mine. I have found the understanding of death within this story as abstract for young readers as in
"real life". I have felt more success in having students look at the value of relationships ..relationships with family, with other students, with their own emerging identitiy, as a core for understanding. ( K. Paterson does a much better job of writing about this.)

 Paterson wrote brilliantly of a child trying find some identity in an unforgiving world. A "child coming of age".

 The friendship aspect is too easily parroted by better young readers. It seems that there are so many people in this story looking for a friend.

 Jess. like any child, "bridges" that span from reliance on his friend to a deeper understanding of himself. I think a value of this story is that good readers find themselves thinking about themselves when they close the book.
   Thanks for the chance to sound-off Stuall
_at_aol.com
Received on Mon 14 Apr 1997 09:52:56 PM CDT