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1999 favorites

From: Monica R. Edinger <edinger>
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 05:44:49 +0000

Jonathan Hunt writes:

My fourth graders and I are enjoying this book tremendously. I do a Cinderella unit every year and I'm particularly interested in getting my students to consider the theme far beyond the classic folktales. (I think it is one of a handful of basic plotlines for all stories.) Star Wars, Harry Potter, and, for the first time, Charlotte's Web have all come up in our conversations this year. Having enjoyed Ella Enchanted I was looking forward to Dave at Night. I read it on my own and enjoyed it, but had a revelation listening to Gail talk about the genesis of the book at a conference a few weeks ago. It is a Cinderella story too! Dead parents. Mean stepmother and stepfather stand-in (Doom). Fairy godfather (Solly). Princess (Irma Lee). Deadline (has to get back to orphanage before daybreak). etc. Gail seemed quite surprised when I suggested it to her. So then I began reading it to my fourth graders. Without my saying anything they said the same thing. Now we may be seeing Cindy everywhere given our unit; however, if Harry is a Cinderella so is Dave.

I'm curious as to how this book plays outside NYC. Dave's Lower East Side origins were very familiar to my students as we're studying immigration and had just been to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. However, they are totally unfamiliar with the Harlem Renaissance. I must admit I stumble over some of Solly's Yiddish, did you? I worry that I'm doing it totally wrong (and I know what it is suppose to sound like!) Still, at least it is a real language (rather than all those truly impossible-to-read-out-loud languages of Ella Enchanted !) Anyway, Dave at Night is a totally engaging read aloud. I recommend it highly.

I plan to follow my reading of Dave at Night with Curtis's Bud, Not Buddy which I also like. I think the kids will make some interesting connections.

Monica

Monica Edinger The Dalton School New York NY edinger at dalton.org
Received on Mon 13 Dec 1999 11:44:49 PM CST