Some Suggestions

Dear Mrs. Eaves,

This took a lot of thought. I couldn’t think of anything right away, but while reading your post, Poppy did come to mind. But after looking through the bookshelf, thinking very hard, and asking my twin sister, I came up with three books:

  1. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
  2. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
  3. The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl

I think My Side of the Mountain is one of the best woodland books out there. Sam, living in New York City is so unhappy that he goes out to live in the Catskill Mountains with nothing but a very small batch of supplies. In the wilderness, he learns how to survive by making meals out of dandelions, making a house out of a hollow tree and lots of other things. When I read this book in the summer after 3rd grade, I remember trying out some of the things that he did in the woods behind my house. I think 3rd graders will enjoy this read because it teaches them about the woods, but also they will connect with Sam because he is a character that you like reading about. When reading, they will be able to feel his triumphs and failures.

The next book that I think is fitting is Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl. After reading Mrs. Eaves recommendation for Midnight Fox, I realized that this has a fox, a farm, but a totally different concept. It is about Mr. Fox’s life and the farmers who live in the farm next door. A chant from the book about the farmers Boggis Bunce and Bean is below:

Boggis, Bunce, and Bean
Boggis and Bunce and Bean
One fat, one short, one lean
Those horrible crooks
So different in looks
Were nonetheless equally mean

This Roald Dahl book is about the Fox family adventures, their encounters with the crooks without good looks, and lots of other things that capture the reader and make them connect to the characters. The way this is wilderness is that they talk about Mr. Fox’s fox hole and the also go through the barn, so that might be a good learning experience for 3rd graders as well.

The last book I recommend is The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl. This story has a little bit of wilderness and woodland theme, bit mostly it is a funny and enjoyable read. I think 3rd graders will like this book because it is a fantasy type book that will capture readers. It  is about a girl who apparently has supernatural powers. She only uses this power when she gets angry and she can’t control it. This time, she’s done something very bad. She’s turned the neighbors into a group of… read to find out! 3rd graders will LOVE this book. It is fantasy, but as with all these books, readers can connect to the character with ease.

I hope my suggestions will help your class!

Good Luck,

Matt 🙂