Every once in a while a book comes along that students and teachers alike can not put down. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise is one of those books. The pages are filled with quirky characters, an interesting setting and one of a kind adventures that leave readers at the edge of their seats. I read this with a sixth grade book club, and the students begged me every day to give them more time to read. Here are their thoughts…
Why Teachers should use this book,
According to Sixth Graders…
.Richard says this is a book that teaches readers about the grieving process, and how losing everything affects people in different ways.
.Adelaide says teachers should use this book to teach their students how to use cliff hangers in their writing. Dan Gemeinhart’s craft moves keep readers engaged and excited to find out what happens next.
.Parker says teachers will want to use this book to teach students about the importance of back stories, and how they impact the behavior of the characters.
What Kids love about this book…
I love how the daughter teaches the father about dealing with grief, instead of the other way around. It impacted me as a reader when Coyote told her father, “No. I’m done with all that garbage. I have been listening to your excuses for five years, and I am done with that.” Coyote teaches her father that in order to heal, you must first face your fears.- Kyrsten
The thing I loved about this book was the “Once upon a time” stories. Whenever Coyote and her dad Rodeo wanted to talk about their feelings, they made up stories as a way to express themselves without the risk of feeling vulnerable. I tracked all of these stories in my reader’s notebook and love how they secretly reveal what the characters are feeling deep down in their hearts.- Adelaide
