xiaosugar

This is a story of a 5th grade girl who struggles with reading. Like many of Patricia Polacco's books, Thank you Mr. Falker, is autobiographical. Although hard to imagine, Polacco struggled with learning to read until the 5th grade when her teacher, Mr. Felker, took an interest in her. Polacco's story is narrated by Trisha. Trisha has always struggled with reading and is often teased by the other children. Trisha spends her time drawing pictures to keep her mind off of her disability. As she gets older, "reading was just plain torture." She would make excuses to stay home from school just so she wouldn't have to read in class. Mr. Falker, the new teacher in 5th grade, compliments Trisha on her drawings. He sees the other children bullying her and tries to find out the cause of it. Mr. Falker realizes that Trisha has been pretending to read, memorizing full passages. Trisha works with him and a reading specialist and "almost as if it were magic..." Trisha starts to read. This is a wonderful book for children struggling with reading difficulties. Students will be able to identify with Trisha and the stress that she goes through to be like the other children. This book is a tribute to all those teachers out there who care about their students and who make an impact on them.

2022-11-14 17:20