SuitabookJune 29, 1999
David Wiesner
- Reading
- Read it together, pausing to inspect the illustrations and predict what Becky’s project might be. Afterwards, compare the ordinary classroom task with the book’s imaginative turn without assuming the ending supplies a scientific explanation.
- Themes
- Curiosity and inventive experimentation: Becky pursues a more ambitious science project while her classmates grow seeds in paper cups. The contrast clearly sets up curiosity and invention, but it is not clear whether the book endorses ambition, treats it playfully or examines its limits.
- The everyday made strange: The book starts with a familiar classroom activity and is classified partly as science fiction; the author’s work is described as shifting everyday situations through imaginative ideas. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- The central contrast may invite questions about whether ambitious ideas are encouraged, questioned or simply presented as imaginative play. The book’s treatment of classmates’ responses and any consequences remains unclear.