The Adventures of Polo

Characters:
Polo
Setting: It goes through different lands.

Theme: There are many areas to explore

Genre: Picture novel

Summary: This story is about a little character named Polo. The story tells the voyage of Polo going into different lands. As soon as he leaves his house, is journeys into different places and areas. It starts off from him starting from the sky and going onto the land, then heading into the ocean.

Audience: Children.

Curriculum ties: Exploration of areas.

Personal response: While looking at this book, I enjoyed every part of it. The book tells so many stories with just a few images. First off, tells kids to explore the outside world. By exploring outside the house, kids will find many different adventures and things they have never seen before. Next, it gives kids the exposure to different details within a given area. For instance, when it shows the water, it shows Polo dropping from the sky, it shows the sky with clouds and animals. And as soon as he hits the water, he is exposed to fishing. In the different areas, the kids are exposed to different things to do within that area. For instance, when Polo goes to the water, he is exposed to fishing. I think that the book showing what kids can see in the outside world, will get them exploring instead of staying indoors. ( )

Summary:
It's a story about a dog named Polo who sets out on a great journey. He takes a backpack and supplies he thinks will be necessary. Polo was constantly using his imagination every step of the way. He started out leaving from his tree house and made a staircase up into the sky all the way to the clouds. From the clouds, he had a friend drop him down to his boat in the ocean, where he would soon jump in and continue deeper and deeper. The author really kept the reader guessing about where Polo would end up next and how he would get there.

Personal Reaction:
I didn't like it since it is wordless and it drove me nuts! But I do have to give the author credit for the illustrations, because thats what really made this graphic novel interesting and made me want to flip the next page. I would use this book with younger children to help them use their imagination and also introduce them wordless books.

Classroom Extension:
1.Have students act out one of the scenes and pretend to be Polo.
2. Have a around the globe theme unit.
3. Have students bring what they beleive is neccessary while traveling. ( )

Summary
Polo who is a puppy ventures out of his island tree house. He is off to see the world. He meets different kind of creatures in his adventure to include a royal fish, monkeys who are in a band, and many other characters. At the end he is given a ride home by a friendly pelican.
Personal Reaction:
This was cute graphic novel. Had sequential cartoon panels that were easy to follow. Is a wordless graphic novel. Great for young children.
Extension Ideas:
1. In a group discuss Polo’s adventure, what did he see?
2. Have the children draw out something Polo did. ( )

One of my favorite wordless books! I love reading this with my niece because it turns around and she reads to me instead of me reading to her. I love how this gives children to make their own story by looking at the clues in the pictures.

Appropriate for Kindergarten through second grade, since it's made up of illustrations with barely any text. Through pictures, it tells the story of a puppy named Polo, and his exciting adventures across the ocean, into space, and plenty other magical experiences. Great for emergent readers, and motivating for those students who aren't very enthusiastic about reading.
Uses in classroom:
-Read to students using visual thinking strategies
-Picture walk of book
-Interactive read aloud
-Independent reading
-Genre study/unit of graphic novels