A new guided reading text – NC level 3
We are always on the lookout for new texts to include on our guided reading list. Just recently a new title from Jan Oke, one of the authors of the wonderful Naughty Bus, has recently published Major Glad, Major Dizzy.
The book is a visual treat with wonderful photography from Ian Nolan, and word play with fonts in the text.
The book tells the story of two wooden soldiers who slipped between the floorboards and there they stayed through war, nibbling mice and fire. Eventually they were discovered by a family, Jan Oke’s children in fact, and brought out into the light again to be played with. The naughty bus even makes a guest appearance towards the end of the book.
This book lends itself to the likes, dislikes, patterns and puzzles with plenty to talk about.
In fact, these toys were discovered when builder’s worked on Jan’s house. Census returns tell of two children, William and Amelia who lived in the house at the beginning of the 1870s. What a wonderful inspiration for a story.
I love the ending when Milly ‘posts’ the toys somewhere and one imagines to be found many years later again.
October 26th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
Glad you liked it! Very different from her Naughty bus and I thought it could be used with an older audience. I’ve only tried it with 1 group of children in reading roundabout but it didn’t attract any interest.
October 27th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
I think the book has to be worked at a bit for children to really understand what is happening which might be why it didn’t have instant appeal for the children in the reading roundabout.