Happy PPBF from Friendswood, where we have spent
a lot of time around this table over the last two decades.
Title: Our Table
Author and Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
Publisher: Orchard Books
Birth Day: November 2, 2021
Suitable for: all ages
Themes: family time, traditions, gratitude
Brief synopsis: A lonely Violet has noticed that as the family finds other places to eat, their treasured table starts to shrink out from under her, until it fits into the palm of her tiny hand. When it disappears all together, Violet puts together a plan to get her family back to where they belong.
Opening page: Violet fondly remembered the table.
Resources:
Watch a read-aloud with the author {here}.
Read a Kirkus Review {here}.
Check out a Common Sense Media Review {here}.
Why I like this book: As a huge fan of Peter H. Reynolds, I was super eager when I saw a sneak peek at this book last Fall, then incredibly grateful when Barnes and Noble was selling autographed copies after Christmas.
I love the ideal of togetherness around the table.
Whether it's for a meal, to put a puzzle together, to frost cookies at holiday time, to play a time-honored card game like Canasta or a new board game like Mysterium or Ticket To Ride, or simply to enjoy catching up with a friend over coffee or tea, there's just something so incredibly special about table time. I admire the way that the pictures go from a single purple tone when Violet feels lonely to an array of stunning shades as she figures out a way to creatively bring her family back to her favorite gathering spot. Ask your listeners to talk about what they notice about not only the pictures, but about why they think the table disappears and what they would have done had that happened to them.
Use the story as a springboard to talk about treasured traditions
and find out what special memories your children and/or
learners have from their time at the table. Encourage them
to design a PSA to get back to mealtimes around the table.
Ask them to write a creative piece or share their thoughts into a FlipGrid
around what stories would it share If Our Table Could Talk.
Invite them to write conversation starters onto index cards from things that they wish they could talk about with their families around the table over dinner or dessert. Put each child's prompt into a deck that could travel from family to family each week between now and the end of school.
Maybe even use it to talk about favorite recipes and put together
a classroom cookbook like Jacob's fifth-grade class did. We still enjoy
the Poppyseed Chicken recipe that his teacher contributed!
Check out this award-winner and prepare to be
swept back in time as you rediscover the magic
of unwrapping the present ... together.
Then head to Susanna Hill's blog for today's other perfect picks.
I adore this book and gave it to grandkids during the holidays. Enjoyed your review and your suggestions in how to use the book with children. Family traditions are so important. In my family, Christmas dinner isn't Christmas without my deceased mother's frozen apple salad. The tradition continues in our families.
ReplyDeleteI saw an earlier review of this book but then forgot about it (pandemic brain). Thanks for reminding me to get a copy.
ReplyDelete