One advantage of working in a Pre K-12th school is that I get to hear about good books at all levels. As the meetings began at the beginning of our pre-week began (all you teachers out there know the drudgery of such meetings), I ended up next to the 1st grade teacher. She was really excited about a new book. She pulled it out of her bag and told me I had to read it right then.
This wasn’t a hard choice because the leader of the meeting was doing the “so tell me about your summer” shtick, so I cracked the cover and dove in. What a good choice I made.
This is a great book to not only capture the reader’s interest and get his/her mind thinking about their relationship with ideas, it also creates a rich environment within which to discuss the the readers’ responses.The premise of the story is that there’s a boy who finds an idea. Except that unlike in our world, an idea in his is a real thing. In fact, it looks like an egg with legs. He doesn’t know what to do with this idea that keeps following. Ultimately he works out what to do with the idea.
What is exceptional about the book is the illustrations. The art not only reflects the abstract world of ideas and the mind of a child, but they mirror the mode of each section of the story. Those kids who may not be able to read well or independently will be able to follow the story using what sight words they may know and the illustrations together.
As a teacher, this book is a great way to spark students’ interest in what their thoughts are for what to do with ideas and specifically their ideas.