Sloppy JOE

My friend, Tammy Shultz, and I present our top book picks at the AllWrite!!! Summer Institute. This year, we had a fantastic audience and shared our hearts out. I will be featuring some of the books for those who weren’t able to attend, as well as new books too for everyone. I was thrilled to find the book at our local Walgreens store today in the “two books for $10” table. Great new find!

Tammy shared a new book to me called Sloppy Joe by Dave Keane. The cover illustration makes me chuckle each time I see the sweet-faced boy with dirt everywhere. Tammy said that every teacher has a child like this; you know, the kind of kid that has his crayons on the floor, papers sticking out of every folder, or drags mud in from the playground. Denise Brunkus’s illustrations will grab your children’s attention as you hear laughter sprouting through the air. What a fun read!

Joe is sloppy. He tries to be neat, but he doesn’t seem to see the necessity… until one day. He’s had enough (or at least his mother has) and he cleans up his room. He wears something nice and too his surprise, nobody notices. Nobody notices because everyone has the flu. Joe comes to the rescue and the fun begins.

Savorings for reading and in writing for Sloppy Joe:

• Exclamatory sentences – comb your hair!
• Kid voice
• Alliteration – slurp, spill, slouch
• Cause/Effect – his sloppiness leads to issues
• Character Description