This month we had our first ever virtual meeting of Book Chat Thursday on Zoom. We had eight participants and a lively discussion. With libraries and book stores closed, we did not attempt to read books ahead of time. Instead, Ann Paul chose two books off her shelf and read them aloud, showing the illustrations via a second screen. The first was
Something to Tell the Grandcows by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Bill Slavia, a fictional telling of a true event. We loved the way the cow conveyed her emotions and excitement of the adventure and at the same time was very cow-like. We also liked the inclusion of so much information about the trip and Antarctica–what they brought (suitcases, building material, even a ukelele) and what they saw (icebergs, seals, endless sunshine in summer and endless nights in winter.) We liked the language of the story and the illustrations that paralleled the light-heartedness of the text. Here’s a link to an article about the actual expedition:
Cows in Antarctica
Our second book was
The Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery, illustrated by Jean Cassels. This book tells the true story of a dog and a cat, both without tails, who got left behind during Hurricane Katrina and after fending for themselves for four months, finally found a friend at a construction site, and eventually a permanent home. We liked how the story depicted the friendship of the two animals and the way they helped one another. This book felt much more matter-of-fact than the first story. We discussed whether it would be shelved with fiction or nonfiction in the library. Some felt that it was fiction because no one knew exactly what happened to Bob and Bobby before they were rescued; others felt that as a true story, it should be classified as nonfiction. In any case, we felt that young children would enjoy hearing this story of friendship and learning more about the impact of Hurricane Katrina.
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