SOL 30: The Wave from the Lake

The lake waved

its serene hand

beckoning me to pause,

to rest

Its face smiled

at the pink

hues floating by

reflecting

the inside beauty

showering me

with  peace from above

Being a Pig is Nice

Finally a book about manners in Being a Pig is Nice: a Child’s-Eye View of Manners.  A little girl is reminded of her manners by her mother.  She begins thinking about a pig.  Clean is not necessary for a pig.  As the little girl day dreams of being muddy, she also is reminded of an opposite point of view – pigs smell!

Sally Lloyd-Jones uses the imagination of a little girl to teach manners.  The little girl then thinks of other animals and the way they eat.  Do they have good manners? animals like an elephant, a snail, a monkey, or owl.  In the end, a monster appears and has the worst manners of them all.  Dan Krall’s illustrations are just as fun as the young lady’s imagination.

The book is a delight and will tickle your students’ funny bones.  The book will teach children manners in a psychological backward way.

Savorings for reading and in writing for Being a Pig is Nice:

• Speech bubbles
• Point of View
• Question/Answer structure
• Vocabulary – inconsiderate, dawdle, atrocious
• Voice – “Ooooh… you’re in trouble…“
• Descriptive of the animals