Star of the Week

Stanley rejoices when his turn finally arrives: as "star of the week," he will share his favorite food, his favorite toy, and his favorite activity with the class. But sadly, no one shares his enthusiasm for tofu bologna, cream cheese, jelly, and pickles on pumpernickel, and his decrepit toy robot is a flop. The third day looks like another disaster when Stanley begins to draw on the blackboard and suddenly freezes up, but he earns his classmates' admiration with his imaginative squiggle drawings. The emotional arc between high-flying expectations and low-riding reality is familiar territory to elementary-school students, who will empathize with Stanley's plight and enjoy his hard-earned success and acceptance. Varied in size and show more perspective, Saltzberg's simple but expressive artwork in pencil, ink, and acrylics creates Stanley's world with warmth and keen attention to detail, while the satisfying story creates a believable dilemma for this highly sympathetic character. Great for reading aloud, this will inspire plenty of creative "squiggle drawings" among its audience. Category: Books for the Young--Fiction. 2006, Candlewick, $15.99. K-Gr. 2. show less

I enjoyed this book! Stanley is chosen for star of the week in his class, which he is thrilled about. However, his week isn't going the way he planned. He isn't having fun at all. Not until his classmates realize he has amazing drawing abilities. Stanley's week is changed completely and he loves it.

Cheery, unassuming schoolroom tale let down slightly by annoyingly splodgy modern artwork.

Fantasy
Age Appropriateness: Primary
Review/Critique:
Stanley is the star of the week which means he gets to share his favorite food, toy, and thing to do. Day after day Stanley was discouraged as his classmates didn't like what he had to share, but on the last day, when he shared that his favorite thing to do was draw, he made a difficult situation into a great one!

This is a good fantasy fiction book because a guinea pig doesn't go to school and so the author used personification. It is also a good book to use because it shows the importance of supporting our classmates.

Review:
At the beginning of this story, young Stanley Birdbaum is very excited because it is his turn to be student of the week. However, his excitement quickly fades as his classmates begin to make fun of the things that make him unique. Ultimately, the kindness of one classmate gives Stanley the confidence to be firm in who he is and the things that make him special.
Critique:
This picture book is considered a fantasy book because all of the characters in the text are hamsters. Furthermore, these hamsters have human qualities such as wearing clothes and going to school.
Use:
1. This would be a good to read aloud within the first few weeks of school. The teacher can use this text to introduce the "Star of the Week" activity and to lay out show more the framework for what the class should do in order for the "Star of the Week" activity to be successful.
2. This would also be a good book to read if the classroom is struggling with being inclusive and supportive of differences. The teacher can end the discussion by having students share what hey consider themselves to be good at.
Age Appropriateness: primary, intermediate
Media: pencil, ink, and acrylic show less

Stanley is the Star of the Week at school and it doesn't go like he thought it would.

This book is a good example of realistic fiction because it is a story of a boy who is star of the week in his class but who gets made fun of for what he brings in to class.
The media in this book is pencil, ink, and acrylic.
Age appropriatness: primary