Title: Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand
Author: Arthur A. Levine
Author: Arthur A. Levine
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 32
How Found: In a box of children's books given to me by a co-worker.
Lexile: None listed. (Included in Soar to Success Level 7 pack)
Awards: None listed.
Plot Summary: Pearl has lived on the same street for a long time. She and her mother lived there when it was Smith St., and it changed to Gingko St. when Pearl's mother had beautiful trees planted there. Over the years, different families of different cultures moved in and out on her street, but they all enjoyed the beauty and shade of the trees. Sadly, many of the trees were removed first for housing, and then for a bus stop, but one beautiful tree remained. Then one day a young man from the electric company comes to remove the last tree. Pearl and the other women on the block do their best to distract him at first, but finally Pearl takes a stand and chains herself to the tree!
Relationship to Theme: This is a great example of many different cultures living together and enjoying their differences.
Personal Connection: The unique title caught my eye, and I laughed out loud as I read about the women distracting the poor electric company worker by stuffing him with food (knishes, lox, bagels, kasha, noodle pudding, etc.) and showing him endless pictures of their families. I liked the messages in this story too, like all the cultures getting along and sharing, and how they helped take a stand to save the tree. (I also found it interesting that the author, Arthur Levine, is also the American editor of the Harry Potter series.)
Possible Readers: Grades K-4 would enjoy this book, although for younger readers I would read aloud because the high amount of names could be frustrating.
Instructional Ideas: This could be included as a read-aloud introduction to an environmental unit, or when studying immigration because of all the different cultures the author describes moving in and out on the street.
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 32
How Found: In a box of children's books given to me by a co-worker.
Lexile: None listed. (Included in Soar to Success Level 7 pack)
Awards: None listed.
Plot Summary: Pearl has lived on the same street for a long time. She and her mother lived there when it was Smith St., and it changed to Gingko St. when Pearl's mother had beautiful trees planted there. Over the years, different families of different cultures moved in and out on her street, but they all enjoyed the beauty and shade of the trees. Sadly, many of the trees were removed first for housing, and then for a bus stop, but one beautiful tree remained. Then one day a young man from the electric company comes to remove the last tree. Pearl and the other women on the block do their best to distract him at first, but finally Pearl takes a stand and chains herself to the tree!
Relationship to Theme: This is a great example of many different cultures living together and enjoying their differences.
Personal Connection: The unique title caught my eye, and I laughed out loud as I read about the women distracting the poor electric company worker by stuffing him with food (knishes, lox, bagels, kasha, noodle pudding, etc.) and showing him endless pictures of their families. I liked the messages in this story too, like all the cultures getting along and sharing, and how they helped take a stand to save the tree. (I also found it interesting that the author, Arthur Levine, is also the American editor of the Harry Potter series.)
Possible Readers: Grades K-4 would enjoy this book, although for younger readers I would read aloud because the high amount of names could be frustrating.
Instructional Ideas: This could be included as a read-aloud introduction to an environmental unit, or when studying immigration because of all the different cultures the author describes moving in and out on the street.
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