Tricia Tusa

I thought this was such a sweet fantasy book for children. Maebelle was preparing a hat to take to the towns hat contest when a neighbor drops by with a special request.
This book can be used in a variety of different ways within the classroom, to talk about friendship and contests, to start a discussion, or to design our own hats using elements of art, engineering, and mathematics. Maebelle's Suitcase can also be used to start a science conversation, "Do you think it is possible to live in a tree?" This book was very sweet and would be a good addition to the classroom library.… (more)

This book is about two sisters, Lucy and Eeda, who can't seem to agree about anything. The story starts off with a disagreement about whether an artichoke should be boiled or cooked in the oven. The artichoke was hard as a rock and both sisters blamed it on each other. After a week of not talking to each other, Eeda finds an artichoke in her purse. Lucy receives a package and in it was an artichoke. Eeda is cooking artichoke for dinner that night and even made Lucy's favorite dessert to go with it. Just when you think the story is over with a happy ending, the sisters decide they want to rearrange their den. Now the problem is that they can't agree on where the armchair goes best. The next morning, Lucy opens the fridge and there was the armchair! This lesson behind this story is that sisters will fight about everything, that's what sisters do. It's best to let the little things go because it's a waste of time. I would recommend this book to grades K-3. As a teacher, I would recommend this book to any little girls who have sisters; sisters fight and its normal.… (more)

In my opinion, I would read this book to my first through fourth grade classes. Students between six to nine years of age tend to deal with change in a negative matter. At this age, students begin to have problems with their vision. New physical appearances are difficult for students to adjust to at this age. One thing I really liked about this story are the characters. Libby is a realistic character introduced in the story. When Libby decides to "run away" from home, this is not an action a little girl would do in reality but her daring character enlightens the story and spices things up. The silly ostrich is funny and appropriate to include in the story because students will find it interesting to see an animal wear glasses. Even though the scenario is very unrealistic, both characters bring out real emotions such as, embarrassment, frustration, and confidence, making it easy for the reader to relate to the story. The big idea of the story is for students to understand that people will change inside and out, and this is all part of growing up. Tricia Tusa wrote the story in the perspective of a young child having to wear glasses for the first time. Students will be able to relate to the same issues Libby has and the story will help students make the adjustment of change smoothly and positively.… (more)