Pleasure Reading Picture Books: Peggy

Title:
Peggy: A Brave Chicken on An Adventure


Bibliographic Information:
Walker, A. (2012). Peggy: A brave chicken on an adventure. Boston: Clarion Books.


Weekly Requirement:
Pleasure Reading Picture Books


Plot Description:
Peggy is a chicken who lives the simple life on a farm. She does the save things every day, eat breakfast, play in her yard, and watch the pigeons. One blustery day she is blown away from her farm in a big gust of wind and finds herself in the city. She has never been to the city before and does not recognize anything. She sees a sunflower someone is carrying and is reminded of home, so she follows the person onto the subway. When she gets off the subway is not home, but she does run into the pigeons she played with every day and they are able to walk her back to her yard. Her life returns to normal and she goes back to her old routine, but occasionally will catch the subway back to the city for a visit!

Quantitative Reading Level:
Flesch-Kincaid 1.3


Qualitative Reading Analysis:
The meaning of the text is low complexity. Peggy's story is a single layer of simple meaning. The structure of the text is also of low complexity.  The order of events is chronological, the narrative structure is simple, and the third person narration has no shifts in point of view. The language complexity is low. It is told in contemporary American English with no figurative language. The knowledge demands of the book are low with no need for background or life knowledge to understand 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.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2
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.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

 

Curriculum Suggestion:
Teachers can read this book to students before a field trip to the city to give them an idea of what they might see. Also teachers can use this story as a model for students to write their own adventure stories in which they share what they would do if they found themselves in a new setting.

Personal Thoughts:

The illustrations in this book are wonderful! The little black chicken Peggy is not only adorable but also teaches children about the importance of staying calm when you are lost.