Friday My Radio Flyer Flew

Pullen, Z. (2008). Friday My Radio Flyer Flew. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Readability lexile: N/A

Summary:

What do you do with an old red wagon?

Well, that depends. If the wagon in question is a an old Radio Flyer discovered while exploring the attic with your dad, and if you have a passion for flying machines, then you may have just found the perfect way to get your dreams off the ground. 

Evaluation of the text based on Donna Norton's characteristics of high quality literature (Norton, D. (2011):

This book could be used as high quality literature, because it serves for multiple avenues of learning. For example, this book could be used to teach about the process of repairing something. This book could also be used to teach about relationships. 

In the Ten Steps for Reviewing Children's Literature by Norton, I believe this book addresses the relationships between people. In this book, it is a father and son who find the old Radio Flyer wagon when cleaning out the attic, and through the course of a week, turn in back into a wonderful toy. 

Literary Elements:

1. Characters: A father and son.

2. Theme: Taking an old Radio flyer wagon and in the course of a week, transforming it into a wonderful toy.

3. Tone: Pure joy and happiness of a father and son who come together to create a wonderful toy.

Mini-Lesson:

The lesson I would teach would be about relationships. I would ask students who they have a good relationship with, whether it be mom or dad, grandma or grandpa, or even a pet. I would then have students write about that relationship and what it is that makes the relationship work.

Target Audience: Grades P-2

My personal reaction was that I really enjoyed the illustrations. I thought they were eye catching. I also enjoyed the simplicity of the story line. I can easily relate to the boy in the book in that he has a strong relationship with his father. I have a strong relationship with my mother and we do all kinds of things together. I would hope that if I used this book in my classroom that my students would be able to tell me about a good relationship they have, even if it is not their father.