Pages

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

THE PIRATE OF KINDERGARTEN by George Ella Lyon

Lyon, George Ella. The Pirate of Kindergarten. Ill. by Lynne Avril. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010.
ISBN: 978-1-4169-5024-0

Plot Summary:
Ginny is in Kindergarten and “loves Reading Circle,” but she sees two of everything, including words.  When she reads aloud, her classmates laugh at her because she says the words twice - just like she sees them.  Sometimes she trips over chairs because she’s not sure which chairs are really there.  Ginny wonders if her classmates see two of everything also.  Then the school performs vision screening and the nurse discovers that Ginny has something called “double vision” that causes her to see two of everything.  Ginny’s mother takes her to the eye doctor where “just exercises, glasses, and for a while, a patch” are prescribed to fix her double vision.  Ginny wears the patch confidently and becomes the “Kindergarten Pirate” who “does numbers, and scissors, … and reads and reads and reads.” 

Critical Analysis:
In this Schneider Family Book Award winner, George Ella Lyon shares a lovely story based on events from her childhood.  She conveys the story of Ginny’s vision difficulties with insight and empathy.  She accurately portrays the world from Ginny’s point of view, accompanied by the brilliant mixed media illustrations of Lynne Avril.  Just as Ginny sees two of everything in the beginning, so the reader experiences this also as the illustrations are blurry and contain doubles.  After Ginny’s visit to the eye doctor, the illustrations are clear and vibrant.  The vivid and bold pictures convey the confidence that Ginny feels as the “Kindergarten Pirate” after her vision is being corrected.   This is an important story to be told, but especially for young readers who have vision difficulties.

Review Excerpts:
“Based on Lyon’s own experience, the sensitively written story radiates empathy and good humor. Even children who have not experienced Ginny’s problem will understand her occasional frustration and find it intriguing that one person can literally see the world differently from another.” ~Booklist

“Lyon's short, descriptive sentences set up the situation deftly, and Avril's astute chalk, pencil, and acrylic drawings of "two of everything" provide a vivid window into Ginny's pre-treatment world. It is not until the end of the story that Ginny declares herself a pirate, but as a metaphor for confidence and competence, her patch effectively declares her to be captain of her own ship.” ~School Library Journal

Awards:
Schneider Family Book Award

Connections:
**Other books about children with disabilities:
Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Ian’s Walk: A Story About Autism by Laurie Lears
Understanding Sam and Asperger Syndrome by Clarabelle van Niekerk

**Books about children with vision challenges:
Jacob’s Eye Patch by Beth Kobliner Shaw
The Patch by Justina Chen Headley
My Travelin’ Eye by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw




No comments:

Post a Comment