This week I decided to review “What We’ll Build” By Oliver Jeffers, which discusses healthy parent and child relationships. You may notice that I also reviewed one of Oliver’s books last week – I really like his writing style because it is light, funny, and meaningful altogether. I wanted to explore a bit more into his work.
This book follows a parent and their child as they explore what they can do and create together using their imaginations. It demonstrates the love and admiration the parent has for their child and the hope and dreams they carry. The illustrations and storyline tell of problem solving strategies, overcoming fear and trial, finding success, and knowing you are cared for and loved in this life. It is a wholesome story that expresses the bond between and their child.
I chose this book because I wouldn’t necessarily put it in my classroom, but I think it is a great resource for parents. I’m wanting to learn more about books I can put in a “parent library” for my students, not just my own classroom library. It is always important for teachers to have good connections with their student’s parents and book suggestions can be a promising way of doing that.
Critique: Probably not a great addition to a classroom library just because of the language used. Another thing to consider is that not all kids in your class may have a healthy relationship with their parents so this book may be a bit uncomfortable for them. That is why I’d recommend putting it in a parent newsletter or on your classroom blog.
brianmajic
Hi Kali,
I continue to enjoy reading your book reviews. I like that you went away from a more teaching book today and more towards a parents book because while we are all going to be teachers, the reality is most of us are going to be parents too. I like how you make some critiques to the book as well, it is something that is important and sometimes difficult to do. It is so important to keep in mind the implications of books to your students when selecting a book for your classroom library. On a different note, the illustrations in this book look incredible!
Looking forward to reading more!
oliviafryer
Hi Kali,
I love the idea of a parent library! I agree that having it in the classroom may be uncomfortable for those students who do not have healthy relationships with their parents or who do not have parents. I think a parent library would be a great resource because the support students get should not only come from school. They need to feel supported both inside and outside of the classroom by every adult in their lives. Thank you for sharing and I will definitely be looking back on your book reviews when creating my classroom library!