Prairie School (I Can Read Book 4) [Paperback]

Avi (Author), Bill Farnsworth (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: I Can Read Book 4

Reading the prairie

It's the 1880s, Noah works hard on the family farm and roams free on the Colorado prairie. One day his Aunt Dora arrives to give him some schooling. Noah doesn't think he needs it. What use is reading on the prairie? But what Noah discovers will change his life forever.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-Nine-year-old Noah loves living on the Colorado prairie in the 1880s where he helps his parents with all of the work. When Aunt Dora comes from the East to teach him how to read, he sees no need to do so and refuses to cooperate with her. However, his aunt refuses to give up. She asks Noah to show her the land even though he warns her that her wheelchair may make it difficult to get around. As he wheels her along, she consults the book in her lap and begins to tell him about the natural things around them. Impressed by her knowledge, the child decides to learn to read and write, and realizes that his aunt has opened a world beyond the prairies to him. Warm, soft-edged illustrations capture the intimacy of the loving family relationships and the vastness of the landscape on dark, starlit nights and glorious, sky-blue days. A combination of double-page spreads, full-page, and half-page illustrations appealingly reinforce the mood and action of the text. This gentle story with a great message that is nicely woven into the daily events would make a pleasant read-aloud as well as a good addition to easy chapter-book collections.
Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. This I Can Read Chapter Book is a good introduction to historical fiction. Noah loves the freedom of the prairie when his family moves to Colorado in the 1880s. Why does he need to read? His parents are barely literate and they do all right. But they want him to learn, and when his aunt arrives to visit, she sets up school for him in the sod house. At first he's resistant and he excuses himself to do lengthy chores. Eventually, his aunt, who is confined to a wheelchair, gets Noah to wheel her outside, where they share the joy of the prairie and she shows him that reading can help him know more. Avi's clear, simple language never sounds condescending, and the pictures show the tough kid's bond with those who love him. The adults are a bit too nice and understanding, but new readers will enjoy both Noah's rebellion and his awakening to the astonishing facts, stories, and poetry he can find in books. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060513187
• ISBN-13: 978-0060513184
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( A ) > Avi

More About the Author

Avi has published more than sixty books. Among them is Crispin: The Cross of Lead, winner of the 2003 Newbery Medal. Other novels with nineteenth-century settings, like The Traitors' Gate -- his grand nod to the work of Charles Dickens -- are listed before the title page, and include the Newbery Honor Book, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Avi and his family live in Denver, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We connected to this one, April 21, 2009

By 

M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prairie School (I Can Read Book 4) (Paperback)

This is one that our first grader has read a dozen times, maybe more. He loves it. He's an independent fish, and I think he loves the idea of life on the prairie. He mentions little ideas from this book in regular day-to-day conversations. This might be his favorite book, even though he has outgrown the reading level.

Great illustrations, great story, great ideas... I hope your little reader likes it as much as we do!

From this series of books (but at Level 3), we also liked:
+ Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner
+ The Golly Sisters Go West by Betsy Byars
+ The Big Balloon Race by Eleanor Coerr
+ Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express by Eleanor Coerr (outstanding illustrations in this one)
+ Dolphin by Robert A. Morris
+ Seasons: A Book of Poems by Charlotte Zolotow

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My reluctant reader loved this one!, August 31, 2007

By 

Cheryl (West TX, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prairie School (I Can Read Book 4) (Paperback)

My son read this in 2nd grade, and he was beginning to struggle with reading. The story is about a young boy who is "tricked" into learning by his aunt, a teacher. My son loved that the boy in the story was learning and didn't even know it. We both enjoyed this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars if you like Little House on the Prairie try this, February 17, 2004

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prairie School (I Can Read Book 4) (Hardcover)

Prairie School is about a nine year old boy named Noah. He and his family have just moved from Maine to Colorado. He loves being there on the open prairie. He feels free. One day his mother tells his they are going to have a visitor. It's his Aunt Dora and she is coming to teach him to read. Naoh doesn't like the idea at all. Once Aunt Dora shows Noah her way of teaching he catches on and enjoys learning new things.

The book is part of the I Can Read series. It's a level 4, for grade 2-4. This is a good introduction to historical fiction.

I would recommed this book. It would make a great read aloud while learning about the 1880's.