Chapter Book 6: Gooney Bird Greene

Author: Lois Lowry

Illustrator: Middy Thomas

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: Art of storytelling, uniqueness, welcoming new friends

Characters:

~Primary: Gooney Bird Greene

~Secondary: Mrs. Pidgeon, Felicia Ann, Malcolm, Beanie, Keiko, Tricia, Barry
 Tuckerman

Awards: Rhode Island Children’s Book Award

Date of Publication: 2004

Publishing Company: Yearling

Summary: A heartwarming tale about the new girl in class, Gooney Bird Greene introduces the art of storytelling to students through her clever and “absolutely true” tales.  Despite being the most recent addition to the class, Gooney Bird immediately draws everyone in with her unusual style and engaging personality. Throughout the entire book, Gooney Bird teaches by example to help her classmates and their teacher understand the most important aspects of being a good storyteller.

Recommendation: This book is funny.  Students will love to read it and make predictions about where the story will be going.  In addition, the book helps students understand the elements of a story and gives practical examples of how to find stories from everyday life.