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Ant Plays Bear + Discussion Guidelines
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 16:17:43 -0600
Steven Engelfried, I agree with you regarding the book Ant Plays Bear by Betsy Byars. Byars used so few words so effectively in her affectionate depiction of three episodes involving the complicated relationship between two siblings. As you remarked, the humor is effective, and so is the emotional tone of this full color "Easy-to-Read" book published by Viking. Marc Simont's illustrations complement the text without changing the tone - very important for this particular story.
I also want to thank you for your enthusiastic description of why Ant Plays Bear is such a successful book both with kids and as a book, period. Lately I've neglected to emphase that all vocabularies are welcome on CCBC-NET. We should repeat this frequently for new subscribers and long-time participants in this discussion community. We encourage each person to use her/his own vocabulary when discussing a book or responding to someone else's comment. No one needs to try to use unfamiliar terms or phrases in order to participate or to shy away from adding comments to any CCBC-NET discussion because of feeling
"unqualified." It's up to the rest of us to query someone whose comment we don't understand and to the rest of us to be patient about that.
I wish I did have the vocabulary of a literary critic at my command. Some of us do, some don't. This does not mean we can't learn from one another. Ditto, any other terminology, such as that of a reading teacher, for example. This is one of the mainstays of the CCBC Book Discussion Guidelines which we really should post on the CCBC website if they aren't out there yet (huff, puff!).
Another CCBC Book Discussion practice is to always find out "why." Why do you like that book? Why? There's no problem with hearing that someone
"likes" or "loves" a book if that person can immediately back up his/her opinion with a reason. Steven, you gave everyone several "whys" in your good message, and we appreciated this. We also appreciated your willingness (and that of so many others) to jump into the "Favorites" discussion between now and the middle of January! Who's next? ... Ginny
************************* Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison
I loved Betsy Byars' "Ant Plays Bear."
(I'm going to continue to use the L word until directed otherwise by official list policy. I find the emotional reactions I read here as valuable as the objective criticism (which I get plenty of in reading reviews). Also, the absence of rigorous critical standards here (which I perceive, anyway) makes an ordinary person like me less timid about expressing simple, unsophisticated responses, despite being in the company of others who express themselves with so much more clarity, insight, and professional expertise).
Back to "Ant:" I've been sharing the book with 1st graders during class visits. After flashing some cool pictures from "Flashy Fantastic Rain Forest Frogs" and "The Snake Book" (dk), I am amazed how this worked up bunch of kids (the boys especially) become totally absorbed when I read them the first story from "Ant." There aren't any real big jokes; the humor is a bit subtle, but the kids laugh louder each time Ant's brother "grrrrrrrs." They seem to completely understand the two personalities, how the brother doesn't want to play at first, then likes it when he realizes Ant is scared, and how Ant is truly a bit scared even though he's almost totally sure it's really just his brother under the blanket. Byars gets so much personality into those two brothers without using very many words. Almost all of it comes from simple, perfectly paced dialogue. The repeated words and phrases that help beginning readers fit perfectly into the story. In other words, I have examined "Ant Plays Bear" and find it to be a very high quality aesthetic object.
Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library 1595 Burns Street West Linn, OR USA 97068 ph: 503e6x57 fax: 503e6'46 e-mail: steven at westlinn.lib.or.us
Received on Fri 12 Dec 1997 04:17:43 PM CST
Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 16:17:43 -0600
Steven Engelfried, I agree with you regarding the book Ant Plays Bear by Betsy Byars. Byars used so few words so effectively in her affectionate depiction of three episodes involving the complicated relationship between two siblings. As you remarked, the humor is effective, and so is the emotional tone of this full color "Easy-to-Read" book published by Viking. Marc Simont's illustrations complement the text without changing the tone - very important for this particular story.
I also want to thank you for your enthusiastic description of why Ant Plays Bear is such a successful book both with kids and as a book, period. Lately I've neglected to emphase that all vocabularies are welcome on CCBC-NET. We should repeat this frequently for new subscribers and long-time participants in this discussion community. We encourage each person to use her/his own vocabulary when discussing a book or responding to someone else's comment. No one needs to try to use unfamiliar terms or phrases in order to participate or to shy away from adding comments to any CCBC-NET discussion because of feeling
"unqualified." It's up to the rest of us to query someone whose comment we don't understand and to the rest of us to be patient about that.
I wish I did have the vocabulary of a literary critic at my command. Some of us do, some don't. This does not mean we can't learn from one another. Ditto, any other terminology, such as that of a reading teacher, for example. This is one of the mainstays of the CCBC Book Discussion Guidelines which we really should post on the CCBC website if they aren't out there yet (huff, puff!).
Another CCBC Book Discussion practice is to always find out "why." Why do you like that book? Why? There's no problem with hearing that someone
"likes" or "loves" a book if that person can immediately back up his/her opinion with a reason. Steven, you gave everyone several "whys" in your good message, and we appreciated this. We also appreciated your willingness (and that of so many others) to jump into the "Favorites" discussion between now and the middle of January! Who's next? ... Ginny
************************* Ginny Moore Kruse (gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu) Cooperative Children's Book Center (www.soemadison.wisc.edu/ccbc/) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison
I loved Betsy Byars' "Ant Plays Bear."
(I'm going to continue to use the L word until directed otherwise by official list policy. I find the emotional reactions I read here as valuable as the objective criticism (which I get plenty of in reading reviews). Also, the absence of rigorous critical standards here (which I perceive, anyway) makes an ordinary person like me less timid about expressing simple, unsophisticated responses, despite being in the company of others who express themselves with so much more clarity, insight, and professional expertise).
Back to "Ant:" I've been sharing the book with 1st graders during class visits. After flashing some cool pictures from "Flashy Fantastic Rain Forest Frogs" and "The Snake Book" (dk), I am amazed how this worked up bunch of kids (the boys especially) become totally absorbed when I read them the first story from "Ant." There aren't any real big jokes; the humor is a bit subtle, but the kids laugh louder each time Ant's brother "grrrrrrrs." They seem to completely understand the two personalities, how the brother doesn't want to play at first, then likes it when he realizes Ant is scared, and how Ant is truly a bit scared even though he's almost totally sure it's really just his brother under the blanket. Byars gets so much personality into those two brothers without using very many words. Almost all of it comes from simple, perfectly paced dialogue. The repeated words and phrases that help beginning readers fit perfectly into the story. In other words, I have examined "Ant Plays Bear" and find it to be a very high quality aesthetic object.
Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library 1595 Burns Street West Linn, OR USA 97068 ph: 503e6x57 fax: 503e6'46 e-mail: steven at westlinn.lib.or.us
Received on Fri 12 Dec 1997 04:17:43 PM CST
