“To be honest as this world goes is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.” —William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Reading Level
AR 3.8 [0.5 points]
3.0-3.9 ATOS Book Level [ATOS readability formula represents the difficulty of the text]
Interest Level
Pre-K – Grade 5
Review and Comments
The Empty Pot is an inspirational Chinese folk tale about honesty and honor, bravely demonstrated by a little boy named Ping.
The Emperor is getting older and realizes he must find someone to take his place – someone who will be an honorable leader. Since he has no children, he looks to all the children in his kingdom to find that one exceptional child. His plan will surely reveal someone who is worthy. He invites all the children of his kingdom to his palace and gives each child flower seeds to plant and nurture for the next year. Then, they are to return and present their best flowers to the Emperor, and he will make his decision. Continue reading Only the Truth: A Review of ‘The Empty Pot’ →
The Kids of the Polk Street School series is written for young readers who are eagerly beginning to stretch their reading skills to chapter books. This is quite an exciting time of new goals for children. Each book focuses on a student in Ms. Rooney’s second grade classroom.
The Beast in Ms. Rooney’s Room
“Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times, in all circumstances.” – St. Vincent de Paul
Reading level
3.2 [Scholastic – reflects the grade level at which a student reading on grade could read the book independently]
2.1 [AR]
Interest level
Grades 3 – 5
Review and Comments
The Beast in Ms. Rooney’s Room, the first book in the series, introduces readers to several typical second grade students. Richard “Beast” Best is one of the students beginning the new school year in Ms. Rooney’s class – for the second time. Because of this, Richard has to deal with a lot of concerns before he feels comfortable in a class of younger children. What will he tell his old classmates about why he was left back? Why does he have to feel so big next to the other second graders? Why does he still have baby teeth? Why can he only read ten words? Why does he get in trouble so often? The reader understands more about Richard’s struggles through his relationships with other students who eventually support and accept him. Inevitably, there is also an irritating student who attempts to upset Richard’s adjustment to the new school year with hurtful remarks. Continue reading A Review of Two of the ‘Kids of Polk Street School’ Books →
Literature reviews from the Catholic side
