by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Teacher Thoughts…
Dive into this story by the same author as Fish in a Tree, to teach your students about the importance of family and friendships. Readers quickly learn that friends and family come in all shapes and sizes, and that support can come from the most unlikely places. The main character, Delsie, describes her life by saying:
I guess I am sort of like a pile of puzzle pieces that have been dumped on the floor. But I can’t put the pieces together because I don’t know what the picture on the box is. I don’t know who I am – or how many pieces I might be missing.
Kids will be inspired by Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s writing style. It is the perfect mentor text to teach older students how to add descriptive language into their writing.
I get the funny thought that friendship is like boogie boarding. You have to learn when to hold on and when to let it go.
You really can’t see the wind. You can only see how it moves everything around it. And anger is like that, too.
I know Grammy likes her metaphors, and I think back to her saying, ‘Joseph is my rock’…Papa’s strong shoulders weren’t just about him being able to pull wet ropes into his boat…It had to do with him being rock – solid for the rest of us.
Kids Said…
This book made me realize how important it is to let go of toxic friendships. Instead, surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself like Delsie did! – Julie, Grade 6
I love how Lynda Mullaly Hunt used Cape Cod for the setting of this book. I could relate to all the places she describes in Shouting At The Rain! – Summer, Grade 6
Ronan is the perfect underdog character. Readers will cheer him on as he discovers the root of his anger, “Feeling mad doesn’t mean I can’t control what I do. I use to use being angry like it was an excuse. Like it wasn’t my fault. But I can stop myself. And it feels good. – Jack, Grade 6
I love how Delsie grows into a strong main character, and just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz realizes that what she has been looking for is right in front of her. The comparison she made to how elephants live really stuck with me, “One of the things I love most about elephants is when several families live together, they all become one. The parent elephants look out for and protect all the babies, not just the ones born to them. Those elephants are smart enough to know that blood doesn’t always make a herd. Love is a more powerful thing than that.” I wish we could all live like the elephants! <3 – Chloe, Grade 6
