Customer Reviews

Charlie Needs a Cloak

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Charlie needs a cloak, and this book tells the story, from start to finish, of how he goes about to make one. It takes readers through the year, From spring sheep shearing through sewing by the winter fire, showing Charlie going through each step to create his own cloak from raw materials. The story is fun and educational, while the pictures are delightful telling a hidden story in themselves.

I highly reccomend this book to any family with young kids!

Though it's rated at the pre-school level, I've found Charlie Needs a Cloak to be useful and entertaining for kids up to third grade. In my work as a museum educator, this delightful tale serves as a valuable intro to the world of pre-industrial textile production, especially in colonial America. The illustrations are humorous, which dePaola is famous for. Charlie needs a new cloak, and he takes the reader through the process of making one, from shearing his whimsical sheep, who help him with his work, to weaving, dyeing, and sewing the new garment. Too bad Charlie doesn't notice, as soon as he puts it on, that his favorite sheep is already chewing on his hem!

I haven't touched this book for 14 years, but I picked it up today while cleaning house, and decided to read it over. It was hilarious! I read it outloud three times in a row it was so sweet and charming.

I enjoy dePaola's books very much, but this one I am extra enthusiastic about. I work in a classroom of 3,4 and 5 year olds, and I am responsible for selecting literature for, and reading to, the younger children in the class. Sometimes when I am reading a dePaola book I have to cut some of the narrative to keep their attention. I don't have to do that at all with this book. This is a book that will keep the 3 year old's attention and still offer something to the older children as well. A lot of the charm of this story is the pictures which feature the action outlined in the text as to what Charlie is doing and also clearly represents the agendas of a spunky sheep and craftly mouse. YOung children love to discover these little "surprises" within the illustrations.

You may have thought that sheep have no opinions and that they are pushovers, but apparently that is not true. In this book by Tomie dePaola, which was ably described below and which I consequently will not outline again, the sheep are definitely concerned about what is happening to their wool and they are on every page expressing their concerns.

Five Stars. Hilarious and amusing for kids and adults alike. Good Read-aloud. Cute pictures.

This quickly became one of my daughter's favorite books. We love to see the details in each picture that aren't referenced in the text, like the mouse who takes something away on each page, and we find his collection in his stump home near the end. So cute.

I love this book. I bought it for my kids to give me for Mother's Day. I'm a handspinner and just love this story about Charlie the shepherd who needs a new cloak. He goes through all the steps from shearing his sheep to sewing the finished fabric together into a new cloak. It has great humor and is a fun read.

Tomie dePaola always writes such good books, that I don't worry if it will be good, I know it will be. I will be using this book to help with a yarn/fiber art unit in class. I have enjoyed reading it and I know my students will like it too.

While I am a pre-service teacher, the second grade classroom that I am observing is currently working with _Charlie Needs a Cloak_and sequencing. The students are given the prompt of each of Charlie's actions on 'wool' pieces and then the students write 2-3 complete sentences using various punctuation. Also, there is a story within a story, which students (at least these 12 second graders) showed enthusiasm with prediction and sequencing. The story within a story format is one big reason why I am a fan of this book!

This is my favorite book from when I was a little girl. The pictures and story line are so sweet and since growing out of this book I still read it every now and then. I recommend this book to parents looking for books for their children that are educational and entertaining. I love this book and have for twenty years!