Emily’s Post: Review of Gooney Bird is So Absurd
Are you excited for Part II of the interview with Lois Lowry? Well, you’ll have to contain yourself, because first I have a review of her newest book, Gooney Bird is So Absurd, which the publisher was nice enough to send me. And remember that the RIEMA conference is April 24th, so please make sure you’ve registered and made your lunch choices. I’m having quiche.
The Plot: Mrs. Pidgeon introduces her second-grade class to poetry by bringing in poems her mother wrote. The unnaturally wise Gooney Bird Greene helps the other students compose haikus, couplets, and limericks and encourages everyone to wear two-pony-tail-hats (a.k.a. underwear) on their heads to warm the brain. But the humor is tempered by concern for Mrs. Pidgeon’s mother’s health.
The Good: It’s remarkable how, with a few dashes of dialog, Lowry characterizes each kid in the class perfectly and memorably. I’m always surprised that I can keep Tyrone, Malcolm, Felicia Ann, and Keiko straight. I know it’s not me; it’s her.
The Bad: The physical format of the books has changed! The others had large, welcoming pages, in the tradition of the original The Stories Julian Tells, by Ann Cameron. I’m sorry to see the Gooney Bird books get shrunk from a “transitional” reader to regular chapter book size.* I also felt that this book had that second-installment-in-a-trilogy feel. Although it’s actually the fourth book in the series, it depends on an emotional connection to the characters–particularly Mrs. Pidgeon’s mother–that was established in earlier books.
Who Should Read it:Fans of Gooney Bird, obviously. Plus anyone who’s looking for creative ways to bring poetry into the classroom or address the death of an older person.
Who Shouldn’t Read it: Anyone who does not want their students to come to school with underwear on their head. And anyone who just read Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech, because this covers similar emotional and curricular territory. Comparisons are inevitable. I think I prefer Love that Dog. But I prefer the first Gooney Bird book, which teaches storytelling, to Love that Dog–if that makes it any better.
*However, it occurs to me that the shrink is good news for kids who are ordered to read a book that is at least 100 pages. Gooney Bird is So Absurd is 105 pages long. The others clock in at about 75.
Part II of the Interview is coming soon!
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