The Book that Jack Wrote by Jon Scieszka: It must be lots of fun!!

You may recognize the author, Jon Scieszka, the author of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! (If you don’t know the two books, stop reading right now and go get them. They are funny, engaging and will appeal to the most hesitant of readers.) What I love about Scieszka’s writing is that it is electrifying. Kids just want to read his books again and again. The Book that Jack Wrote will be a springboard for many educationally valuable activities that can be implemented by parents and teachers alike.

1. Memorization has gone out of favor in some educational circles, but remains a valuable skill for children. The Book that Jack Wrote employs a cumulative pattern that will be famliar to the reader, creating a template for memorization with ease.
2. As children are memorizing, they may be motivated to perform their recitation of the book. Public speaking and vocal performance are both wonderful activities for children.
3. The allegorical references in the book may inspire students to make connections in their reading. The adult may set up the challenge: “As you read, you will find references to characters and events from other stories. See if you can find them all.” Then go back to the original source of the characters and events. Making connections is a valuable reading strategy for all readers to learn.
4. Students may want to create their own “cumulative” stories, either using Jack or another initiating character.
5. Everyone will enjoy discussing the genre of “humor”: what makes Jon Scieszka’s writing so wonderful? You will also enjoy studying closely the illustrations by Daniel Adel.