Aileen Friedman

This realistic fiction book is a book about a king and a princess that have a group of commissioners to help solve all of their problems. They have commissioners to handle late arrivals, lost socks, spilled milk, and so much more! One day, the king wanted to know how many commissioners that he had in all, so he demanded that they all come into the room so that he could count them. Part way through counting, he lost track, so he relied on his assistants to count for him. Each assistant had a different way of counting and the king didn't like that. The princess came in and explained that there were many different ways to count. Like, by 2s, 4s, 5s, etc, and no matter what, there will always be the same answer at the end. I would use this book in the earlier grades to explain that there are different ways to count. I would follow it up with different ways to remember the times tables and the different ways to count.… (more)

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Critiques: This is a realistic fiction because the setting, characters, and events are all believable. The king is a relatable character because many students struggle to understand the basic concepts of grouping when counting and so they can work with the king to learn how. The events are believable because the are plausible and grouping is a necessary tool to know while counting.
The setting is a background setting because it does not have a specific time or place, and the setting does not act as a necessary aspect to following the story. Rich colors and royal symbols are used to show that it takes place in a royal castle, but the time period is unknown with the princess wearing boots and a cowgirl hat, while the king is in traditional medieval attire.

Media: Acrylic paints on gessoed bristol… (more)