Module 7: Clementine

Book summary: Clementine has NOT had a “good week.” Whether it is her visiting the principal’s office or disappointing adults, every day, something goes awry. Clementine experiences the ups and downs of third grade while trying to juggle her struggles at home. Just when everything seems to go bottoms up, Clementine gets the surprise of a lifetime.

APA Reference of book: Pennypacker, S., & Frazee, M. (2006). Clementine. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.

Impressions: Clementine’s optimism and sense of self was very endearing, and I loved experiencing the daily events through her eyes. I especially loved the food names that she called her younger brother; no one name was ever the same. The illustrations were the perfect addition to a heart-warming and funny tale of a girl who just wants to please. They gave the characters life and were very expressive. I would share this book with any child who feels that they do not quite fit in to celebrate their individuality and quirkiness.

Professional Review: “I have had not so good of a week," begins the irrepressible narrator of this winning caper. Pennypacker (Stuart's Cape) then takes readers straight through that week, making clear that Clementine has an unfailing nose for trouble and a comical way with words. The eight-year-old proclaims herself lucky because "spectacularful ideas are always sproinging up in my brain." One of these ideas concerns her fourth-grade friend and neighbor Margaret getting glue in her hair, and Clementine's attempt to help; together they cut off nearly all of Margaret's long locks. Further strategies involve the use of permanent markers and Clementine undergoing a sympathy coif. Frazee's black-and-white illustrations of the close-cropped gals captures the mixed emotions of their shared fate. Her portraits of the heroine's three-year-old brother, "who didn't get stuck with a fruit name," and whom Clementine calls by various vegetable names, including "Spinach," "Lima Bean" and "Pea Pod," may remind readers of the charming star of Frazee's Walk On! Along with the humorous bits, Pennypacker seamlessly weaves into the narrative common third-grade themes, such as Clementine comparing Margaret's neatly dressed banker mother with her own overalls-clad artist mother, and envying Margaret her kitten from the litter of Clementine's own lately deceased cat, Polka Dottie. Luckily, Clementine ends her week on an up note. Fans of Judy Moody will welcome this portrait of another funny, independent third-grader. Ages 7-10.”

Reference

[Review of the book Clementine, by S. Pennypacker & M. Frazee]. Publisher’s Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7868-3882-0.

Library Uses: This book offers a great opportunity to teach children about journaling. I would have students record significant events daily to promote awareness of their daily routines. Then, I would prompt them to illustrate one portion of their day that they choose to highlight. In the public library setting, I would invite program attendees to share the ups and downs of their week, even inviting them to illustrate them on a giant poster paper.