Title:
Sparky!
Bibliographic Information:
Offill, J., & Appelhans, C. (2014). Sparky! New York: Scwartz & Wade Books.
Weekly Requirement:
Pleasure Reading Picture Book
Plot Description:
A little girl really, really, really wants a pet. She begs her mother for a bird, a bunny, or a trained seal, and the mother says no. After the girl begs for a month the mother agrees she can have a pet that requires minimal attention. After doing some research with the school librarian the girl decides to order a sloth a pet. When he arrives she names him Sparky and puts him in a tree to sleep when they are not playing. She realizes quickly that sloths don't play well because they sleep so much. Her friend Mary is not impressed by Sparky and says she feels sorry for her. To teach Mary a lesson the girl decides to put on a show with Sparky and begins to train him, only the training doesn't go as well as she had hoped!
Quantitative Reading Level:
Flesch-Kincaid 1.5
Average Grade Level 2.2
Qualitative Reading Analysis:
The text is written in American English and narrated in the first person from the point of view of the little girl. The language is simple and explicit. No life or background knowledge is needed to understand the story. The story is told in chronological order from beginning to end with no flashbacks. The complexity of the text meaning is low, there is only a single layer of meaning in the story.
Content Area:
English
Maine Common Core Content Area Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
Curriculum Suggestion:
Teachers can read this to students and have them predict what tricks Sparky can learn. They can also ask children to write a story or draw a picture about what kind of pet they would like to have and what kind of tricks they would teach it.
Personal Thoughts:
This is a really cute book that is funny and entertaining. It teaches children to accept other for what they are, just as the little girl must learn to accept her sleepy sloth for what he is.
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