Some Birthday!

"My mom and dad were divorced," begins this engaging family tale from the prolific Patricia Polacco, which follows the story of one special birthday, in the author's childhood. Staying with her traveling-salesman father and her paternal grandmother in Michigan for the summer - the school-year being spent with her mother, in California - Patricia looks forward to her birthday, only to find that no one seems to remember it! "Anything special happening today, Daddy?" asks Patricia on the all-important morning, hoping to spark his memory - but to no avail. When he arrives home from work that evening, however, and suggests that he and Patricia, along with her brother Richie and cousin Billy, have a late-night cook-out at the Clay Pit - home show more of the area's very own monster - a chain of events is set in motion, leading to a satisfying birthday celebration after all...

Although I wouldn't describe Some Birthday! as a particular favorite, when it comes to Patricia Polacco's picture-books - somehow, her more lighthearted stories just don't win me over, in quite the same way that her more poignant ones do - I did appreciate it as a tale of a matter-of-factly divorced family (ie: one in which the divorce is not the central issue for the family), something I don't always see in picture-books. I also liked that it offered a glimpse of Polacco's father, as he doesn't seem to feature in very many of her books - although admittedly, I've yet to read her My Ol' Man. The artwork is appealing, in that vintage Polacco style, with plenty of color and motion. Definitely worth reading, especially for kids who worry that their birthdays will be overlooked, and for fans of the author/artist. show less

Polacco's simple story telling style and her unique artistry are ground in tales from her childhood. In this book, the young girl (Patricia) is spending time with her father. A child of divorce reality is not over stated or presented as a terrible thing.

In this tale, she visits her traveling salesman father who lives with her grandmother. There is obvious affection for both. Because it is her birthday, she wants it to be a special day. It appears that her father has forgotten.

At nighttime, her father takes her and her brother on an adventure where they roast hot dogs and hear scary stories of the clay pit monster.

Once again, there is nothing grand about Polacco's stories, but in their simplicity, they elicit warm feelings and smiles.

I really like this author, I appreciate how she lets you in on her life. Polacco could be making this up or exaggerating things that happened in real life. I love how in this story Patricia shared that she grew up with her brothers, dad, and grandmother. Even though her birthday was seemingly forgotten about, it wasn’t. Who doesn’t love a good surprise at the end of the day? I really don’t know where I’d fit this in for incorporating it into a lesson. Maybe to show that people may be busy but don’t forget things, there could be a surprise just around the corner.

It was Patricia's birthday but it seems like everyone forgot. They go on an adventure to find a monster! Then when they get back home, Gramma has the cake ready for everyone to sing happy birthday to her. She got exactly what she wanted. I like how she explains that her father is colorblind and then she says at the end that the two clothing items at the end do not match but it is okay. She is happy with the gift because it is from her father and she likes it anyways because he tried. Appreciate what you have because one day you won't have it.

A young girl believes that her father has forgotten her birthday. To her surprise, her dad had something different planned for her birthday. They went on a hunt for a local monster, and she returned home to the surprise that her birthday had not been forgotten after all.

The book would be a great discussion starter about dads and special, memorable moments with dads.

c. I liked this book because of its plot the daughter thinks her father forgets her birthday because he has plans to do something else, but in the end he did not forget, he just wanted an adventure. However, I did not like the pictures. I like the books plot because the children get a great adventure with their father but then come to find out that the “monster” was him all along. I did not like the pictures because it made adults look too old. The grandmother looked the right age, however the father who has young children, looks like he could be the grandfather of those children. I believe that the big picture of this book is that be patient your day will come, even if it’s not what you expect it to be, be patient and be show more grateful. Birthdays are just another year and there will be plenty more. show less

This story will make you laugh because of the events that take place on Trisha's birthday! She's hoping for birthday party but thinks her father has forgotten because he takes on a trip down to the lake to look for monsters!

Curricular connections: After the book is read aloud to the class there could be a lesson using text to text connections and text to self connections. This will helps students make connections and understand the story, the author's style, and theme of the story. Charts could be used to record the connections from the class. Students could also make their response in a writing/reading journal.