Author/Illustrator: Mercer Mayer
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Age Level: Lower Elementary
Rating: 3 stars
Mercer Mayer’s Just Grandma and Me is an adorable tale about a little boy and his grandma. The characters are all animals of some sort, and the main character is an ambiguous critter. The cartoon art is colorful and smooth, with a lot of detail that adds to the story. With short sentences per page, the illustrations add a lot to the story by showing facial expressions, the background and setting, etc. The storyline involves the boy spending the day with his grandma, and how much fun he has at the beach with her. I remember my grandma reading this book to me when I was a child, and I found it to be the perfect bonding experience. The language the boy uses while he narrates is relatable to a child of a young age. For example, the boy states “I wanted to blow up my sea horse, but I didn’t have enough air. So Grandma helped a little.” The illustration shows the grandma doing all the work, and helping much more than a little. This was something typical of me as a child- trying to claim I was doing things on my own, without the help of an adult. I find this book to be a simple and short story that could easily bring a smile to a child’s face.
This book would not be particularly useful in a classroom, as there is not a very deep and prominent message suitable for a classroom setting in comparison to other stories. However, this is an enjoyable book that I would read to my own children or grandchildren in my future. It could also be useful for very lower elementary students who are just learning to read, because the sentences are short and the vocabulary is simple. It seems to be more of a "for fun" book, which children could enjoy as a free reading choice.
This book would not be particularly useful in a classroom, as there is not a very deep and prominent message suitable for a classroom setting in comparison to other stories. However, this is an enjoyable book that I would read to my own children or grandchildren in my future. It could also be useful for very lower elementary students who are just learning to read, because the sentences are short and the vocabulary is simple. It seems to be more of a "for fun" book, which children could enjoy as a free reading choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment