Strike the balance
ISBN 10 : 14424 16556
ISBN 13 : 978 14424 16550
ISBN 10 : 14424 16556
ISBN 13 : 978 14424 16550
Balancing is very important to life (No, it does not refer to physical balancing). We balance work and fun, food and diet and almost everything in life. The author-cum-illustrator Chris Raschka has enunciated another balance, 'Giving' and 'Taking', through this brilliant story.
When a farmer (along with his dog) harvests apples from his orchard, he meets a tiny man "Take". Upon "Take's" advice, he takes lot of pumpkins from a neighbor, which he doesn't like at all. Next day, he meets another tiny man "Give". Today, he gives up all his apples and ends up with nothing.
The third day, he meets both of them and finally balances his give and take. And, all is well.
Publisher : Atheneum Books For Young Readers
Classification : Moral (Balancing Give and Take)
Age : Kindergartener, Grades 1 - 3
My Comment :
Never tell a kid to balance giving and taking. Obviously, they cannot understand it. So, better, introduce this book to them. The narration is so simple and enthusiastic, that kids can grasp the moral right away. The pain of taking too much and giving everything is rightly pinned by the story.
My kids loved the plot including tiny men "Give" and "Take". (I loved the way of using tiny men instead of normal characters, as the kids might find it appealing). The farmer checking the oldest apple tree on the first day, the tallest tree on the second day and the greenest tree the third day is another lovely note.
Being Chris Raschka (Winner of Caldecott and Caldecott Honor), the illustrator of the book, I know what you are expecting. Yes, the illustrations are cute. But, they are overloaded in pages, to the extent of eyes getting distracted from the story. (Actually, it took me some time to register the title through the cover image). Since, we loved Chris Raschka's illustrations in "Yo! Yes" and "If you were a dog" (by Jamie A. Swenson), this is a painful factor in the book.
But the book is an adorable book with a unique moral.
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