Author/Illustrator: Kate Dicamillo
Genre: Fiction
Awards: Newbery Honor Medal
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Summary: A ten-year-old girl named Opal has recently moved to a small town in Florida. She is left feeling lonely in this new place without any friends. Opal is at the grocery store one day and sees a mangy puppy ransacking the store. She first describes him as "ugly" but soon falls in love once the store manager is threatening to take him to the pound. So then, Opal decides to take him home and name him, Winn-Dixie. As Opal grows and begins befriending the people in the town, she learns more about her mother who left her and her father when she was a little girl. Friends such as Gloria Dump, Otis, and even Sweetie Pie impact her life and teach her many life lessons. Opal and her father are presented with many opportunities throughout the book to grow and learn more about each other. At the beginning, her father seems to be closed-off emotionally. By the end of the book, Opal and her father have learned to trust each other therefore grow a deeper connection. Because of Winn-Dixie is a book about finding acceptance in oneself, having courage through scary times, and understanding that friendship is worth the journey.
Illustrations were not present throughout the book, Because of Winn-Dixie.
Once the students have all read the novel as a class, I would allow the students to have a movie day so that they can watch the film for what they just read. This would lead to an activity involving the comprehension and understandings of the similarities and differences between the book and the movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment