by Byrd Baylor (1994)
Mountain Girl in this story feels her parents need to try to find regular jobs that get the family more money -- but at a family meeting everyone finds that the beauty of their environment and the family itself is worth more than they ever imagined. The concept of this book may seem somewhat new age to certain adults, but I feel the message resonates strongly about what we value in our society and what we should be valuing. Since children have a tenuous understanding of money to begin with, this book will encourage them to think about aspects of their own life that are invaluable. I could easily relate to the values that Mountain Girl's family outlined because my family has always instilled in me the belief that being outdoors is priceless -- so this book also encourages thoughts about outdoor education and conservation. Byrd Baylor's word choice is simple and natural, painting a picture of the family and the surrounding environment -- and the dialogue is realistic and heartwarming. Peter Parnall's illustrations beautifully represent the environment in a somewhat abstract way. Yet despite the abstractions there are hidden animals and pieces in the environment that make them intricate. The illustrations and words complement each other nicely.
This book could be used in the classroom as part of an introduction to outdoor education (like The Lost Lake could be). I have also read some lesson plans that integrate math education because of the computation of large sums. But I believe children will respond best to the overarching theme of placing value on invaluable items, feelings, or people. They can explore what aspects of their daily life are valuable and make them rich in the way the family is in the text. I also think that Byrd Baylor's writing style should be explored, as she writes a prose piece but arranges it in lines so it reads like a poem -- which changes the pacing and the feel of the piece. This could encourage a creative writing lesson which could also be combined with the idea of how we value objects around us.
Mountain Girl in this story feels her parents need to try to find regular jobs that get the family more money -- but at a family meeting everyone finds that the beauty of their environment and the family itself is worth more than they ever imagined. The concept of this book may seem somewhat new age to certain adults, but I feel the message resonates strongly about what we value in our society and what we should be valuing. Since children have a tenuous understanding of money to begin with, this book will encourage them to think about aspects of their own life that are invaluable. I could easily relate to the values that Mountain Girl's family outlined because my family has always instilled in me the belief that being outdoors is priceless -- so this book also encourages thoughts about outdoor education and conservation. Byrd Baylor's word choice is simple and natural, painting a picture of the family and the surrounding environment -- and the dialogue is realistic and heartwarming. Peter Parnall's illustrations beautifully represent the environment in a somewhat abstract way. Yet despite the abstractions there are hidden animals and pieces in the environment that make them intricate. The illustrations and words complement each other nicely.
This book could be used in the classroom as part of an introduction to outdoor education (like The Lost Lake could be). I have also read some lesson plans that integrate math education because of the computation of large sums. But I believe children will respond best to the overarching theme of placing value on invaluable items, feelings, or people. They can explore what aspects of their daily life are valuable and make them rich in the way the family is in the text. I also think that Byrd Baylor's writing style should be explored, as she writes a prose piece but arranges it in lines so it reads like a poem -- which changes the pacing and the feel of the piece. This could encourage a creative writing lesson which could also be combined with the idea of how we value objects around us.
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