Stuart Little
A Children’s Novel
White, E.B. (1973). Stuart Little. New York, NY: HarpenCollins Publishers.
This picture was obtained from: http://www.109things.com/list/My-Favorite-Childrens-Books/9BKYFNUDAZ01
“Stuart noticed one boat that seemed to him finer and prouder than any other. Her name was Wasp. She was a big, black schooner flying the American flag.”
- page 32 of Stuart Little
A Little about the Book:
Stuart Little is about a mouse that was born into a human family. Throughout the book, Stuart meets many new friends and goes on many exciting adventures. Stuart gets to be the Captain of a ship, drive a car, and even fly with a bird. Stuart makes many friends along his adventures. Stuart even has to deal with numerous obstacles, including the family cat Snowbell, and being dumped on a ship, which takes garbage out to an island.
The Illustrations:
All of the illustrations are in black and white. Each picture takes up about a quarter of the page they are on, but are in detail. Stuart Little looks like a real mouse, not the cartoon character seen in the Columbia Pictures movie version of Stuart Little.
My son and I both enjoyed the pictures and discussing what Stuart was doing in them.
Themes:
· adventure
· family
· friendship
· overcoming obstacles
Age Level:
Stuart Little is a good book for children between the ages of 8 and 10. The book contains some words, which will be a struggle for children younger than this age level, and possibly even some children who are between the ages of 8 and 10.
The storyline is very easy to follow and very engaging. I read the story to my 4-year-old son, and he absolutely loved it. Some of the words need to be explained to him, or replaced with a similar simpler word but overall he understood Stuart Little. The story itself can be read to a very young audience but would be recommended for children between the ages of 8 and 10 to read by themself.
Personal Response:
I really enjoyed Stuart Little. At first, I was apprehensive about reading the story. I had seen the Columbia Pictures movie version of Stuart Little and was not a fan; therefore, I thought I would feel the same way about the book. I found the book to be amazing and one hundred times better than the movie. E.B White did an excellent job at bringing to life a mouse and allowing readers to sympathize and relate to it. The book is full of adventures, and action. Each chapter brings forth a new experience for Stuart Little and makes the reader love Stuart even more!
I would definitely recommend Stuart Little to everyone. It is a great book to share with your children. I am definitely going to have a copy available for students to read. I also highly recommend reading the book instead of watching the movie. The movie does not do the book justice.
Teacher Ideas:
This website provides an activity book to use for children in Grades 1 and 2 after reading Stuart Little to them. The book has math, language arts, science, and social studies activities. These activities would help create a well-rounded Stuart Little unit which encompasses all of the subject areas. You could even add some physical activity by playing a cat and mouse game (you could refer to it as Snowbell and Stuart). The following is a link to a safe Cat and Mouse game to play with children:
Listen to a Passage from Stuart Little Here:
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