Blog Partner Discussion 4: Modern Fanstasy
1. Your personal response to the book
2. Evaluate it in terms of its genre
3. Evaluate its literary quality
4. Evaluate its illustrations
5. Evaluate in terms of multicultural considerations including the credibility of the author and illustrator
Discuss for whom the book is intended and the ways in which it might be used in the classroom
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Phyllis-Title: The Searcher and Old Tree, written by renown author David McPhail is very interesting. Personally, I think it depicts a sense of comfort and belonging. It's genre is one of modern fantasy where the theme depicts love and loyalty. The illustrations surrounds nature, what do you think?
ReplyDeleteI think so too ,for after a long night of foraging, a tired raccoon returns home to sleep in Old Tree's branches. Oblivious to the rain and wind of a raging storm, the raccoon is protected and sheltered by the tree. David McPhail crafts a simple, yet powerful, allegory about the safety of home and the strength of unconditional love. The texture pen ink and water clour illustration depict an endearing contented racoon and an anthropomorphized tree framed by white background.Do you think this book speaks to the multiculture considerarion?
ReplyDeletePhyllis-yes, I think the author uses light and darkness to bring out the contrast in the story.He uses language to build a sense of safety and security before he brought on the storm. The language is universal through out the story. It's multicultural.I wonder what age group this book would be most suitable for?
ReplyDeleteThe author brings tension into the story text through the storm and he evocative words that convey the storm, such as the wind "whips the waves" and they "slam against the shore" and the wind "rips" through the branches. The words are well chosen and strong, conveying the viciousness of the storm. But for me, there were too many of them, and the storm went on too long. Though some reassuring things were woven into the storm, such as that it couldn't uproot the Old Tree, the storm feels violent. It may scare some readers, and this takes over the book.I saw the storm as a metaphor for life's troubles--for whatever it is that shakes the reader's world. so for me this would be appropriate for grade four.
ReplyDeleteI saw the storm as a metaphor for life's troubles--for whatever it is that shakes the reader's world. And the Old Tree feels like a metaphor for a parent, caregiver, or loved one, and home--reminding the reader that they have that security and safety. The metaphors work well.