The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend

Title: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
Written and Illustrated by: Dan Santat
Published by: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
# of Pages: 40
Awards Won: Caldecott Medal, Youth Media Award

This is a unique story because it is told in the perspective of an invisible friend. The story starts on an island where the imaginary friend is born. All of the baby invisible friends wait their turn until they are chosen to be an invisible friend of a real human child. Beekle keeps getting overlooked time after time, and again, so he decides to take his own journey. He goes into the big city and finally meets his match and this is where he gets his special name: Beekle. Beekle's new friend is named Alice, and she becomes his best friend ever. I do not want to give away much more of the story because it is such a wonderful read. This book is about finding one's purpose in life and having a best friend. 

Throughout this book the pictures are bright, lively, and realistic. The pictures are breathtaking. Brigh colors are used and they can be viewed from a distance away. It won the Caldecott Medal for a great reason! This is such a fun story to read with children of any age. I would  recommend this book for students that are beginning readers or early elementary age. 

Classroom Activities With This Book Include: 

• Have students make their own imaginary rock friend
• Have students write/tell about their best friend 
• Teach a minilesson on friendship 
• Other teacher's ideas about this book

Here's a book preview! It's really neat!

The Giving Tree

Title: The Giving Tree 

Author and Illustrator: Shel Silverstein

Published By: HarperCollins, USA 1964 

# of Pages: 64

This book was both written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. This book is a story about a boy who would visit this tree every day and play on it or take something from it. As the boy grows older into adolescence, the boy wants money, which is more than the tree can give to him. The tree offers the boy her apples in which he can sell. Then, as the boy becomes an adult, he wants a house. The tree offers the boy her wood so he could build a house. Even later in life, the boy wants a boat, and so the tree suggests that he takes her trunk and turns it into a boat. In the end, all that remains is the tree's stump and the boy is now an elderly man. In his old age, the man wants a quiet place to sit, and so he goes to visit the stump and just sits. The tree is now able to supply him with a quiet and happy place to sit and relax. And finally both the man and the tree are happy again with each other.

The art throughout the book adds in Shel Silverstein's unique style. The pictures are in black and white. Silverstein uses distinct line and shape to create the pictures throughout the story. The pictures show the boy progressing in age and the gradual changes of the tree. The visuals add dusting meaning to the story because it allows readers to visualize the aging and sacrifice taking place.

I would recommend this book to any readers. It has a simple storyline, however, as you grow older, the meaning increases.

Possible Classroom Activities:

• make applesauce
• study trees
• discuss family 
• have students draw their own images