The Way To Start A Day by Byrd Baylor & Illustrated by Peter Parnall

The Way to Start a Day: Byrd Baylor, Peter Parnall: 9780689710544: Amazon.com: Books 


The Way To Start A Day by Byrd Baylor & Illustrated by Peter Parnall

  • Poetry

  • Grade: Kindergarten - 2nd 

  • Awards: 1979 Caldecott Honor Award


Summary:
The Way To Start A Day is a book about different people and how they celebrate the sunrise or dawn. The book starts by saying the way to start a day is to face the sun and say a blessing. It goes on to mention the cavemen and women that sang as the sun comes up. Next, the story talks about the chants lifted from the people of Peru and Aztecs playing music in Mexico. As the sun rises, blessings rise over Pueblo cornfields, songs rise through Africa, prayers rise through Japan, and people in Arizona hold their babies towards the sun. The book ends by saying people all over welcome the sun and they should watch as it changes color. 

Evaluation:
 
I would use this book in my classroom because it has really stunning award-winning illustrations. The bright illustrations are attention-grabbing for children. This book is the appropriate reading level for second grade. It's a great book for the classroom because it is multicultural and touches on different places and their cultures. I would use The Way To Start A Day for a unit on developing foundational language skills. The children should be able to use the context to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.  

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