Daniel's Duck (I Can Read Level 3)

This is a good book for gifted and talented kids. It make connections to a character that trys a new skill and the feeling he has of self-judgement and the opinions of others.

Henry Pettigrew was the best wood-carver in Tennessee. Everybody loved the animals he carved. One day Daniel said he wanted to carve animals too, all he needed was a good knife and a good piece of wood. His brother Jeff laughed. His father bought him the knife and gave him a block of wood, because sometimes it's important for a father to believe in his son. Every year people made things for the fair. Jeff made a box, Mom made a quilt, Dad made moccasins and Daniel said he was going to carve something. He made a duck looking backwards. At the fair, people laughed at his work. He was ashamed, took the duck and ran, but someone followed him, said he loved the duck, told Daniel the people were not laughing at the duck because it was bad, but because it made them laugh and that was a good thing. He offered to buy the duck, but Daniel gave it to him instead. Can you guess who the man was? Sophie Cacique Gaul

This book has a lot going for it - not only is it written by Clyde Robert Bulla, a prolific and talented writer whose books are slowly (and sadly) going out of print, it is also "An I Can Read Book", which is my favorite series of readers for young children. While the setting of this book is well over 110 years ago, the emotions portrayed in this book will be accessible to every child. Daniel is the youngest child in his family, and wants to make something for the spring fair. Despite some well-intentioned "wait until you're older" discouragement from his family, he carves a duck and is quite proud of it. He brings it to the fair, and then sees people laughing at it. Embarrassed and angry, he grabs his duck and runs to the river to throw it in, but is stopped by the best wood-carver in Tennessee. Their conversation is simple and effective, without being sacharine or artificial. My kids have picked up this book more than once to read on their own.

Daniel has a quiet life. He dind't have eny friends excepthis mom,brother and dad.He and his family are good at art their are going to have a fair.Did Daniel do a good duck for the fair wish people like it? I like this book because Daniel did a beutiful and funny duck. I recomend this book for all the people who like art because is fun.

This is a great book to use when you help enhance your students' prediction skills. You could have the students guess what they think will happen next as you orally read the story. You could also have the students write their own ending and then read the book's ending to see if they guessed right or if they like their own ending better! I would use this in grades 1-3.