Birtha, B. (2010). Lucky beans. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman
The story takes place in the 1930's and is about the Loman family, an African American family living in a city located in the Northern part of the United States. Because of the Great Depression, Marshall, the main character in the story, has to frequently eat cooked beans for supper, and wear clothes that have been frequently mended. He sees a sewing machine in one of the store windows and a sign saying win this sewing machine by guessing the number of beans in the jar. The person closest to the number would get the sewing machine. Marshall's parents count out bags of beans and come close to filling a large pot that they have, but run out of beans. Marshall remembers his teacher talking about how to estimate during a math lesson. Find out how Marshall applies what he has learned in math class to help his mother estimate how many beans are in the jar. But is the estimate that Marshall and his mother come up with close enough to win the sewing machine?
If you liked this book, another book that is similar to this is, Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don't) By Barbara Bottner.
Discussion Questions:
1. What events in this story would you consider to be realistic? What parts of this book would you considered to be fiction?
2. Explain how the title of the book relates to the story.
http://www.beckybirtha.net/
The story takes place in the 1930's and is about the Loman family, an African American family living in a city located in the Northern part of the United States. Because of the Great Depression, Marshall, the main character in the story, has to frequently eat cooked beans for supper, and wear clothes that have been frequently mended. He sees a sewing machine in one of the store windows and a sign saying win this sewing machine by guessing the number of beans in the jar. The person closest to the number would get the sewing machine. Marshall's parents count out bags of beans and come close to filling a large pot that they have, but run out of beans. Marshall remembers his teacher talking about how to estimate during a math lesson. Find out how Marshall applies what he has learned in math class to help his mother estimate how many beans are in the jar. But is the estimate that Marshall and his mother come up with close enough to win the sewing machine?
If you liked this book, another book that is similar to this is, Miss Brooks Loves Books (And I Don't) By Barbara Bottner.
Discussion Questions:
1. What events in this story would you consider to be realistic? What parts of this book would you considered to be fiction?
2. Explain how the title of the book relates to the story.
http://www.beckybirtha.net/
This sounds like it is a nice little story to share with young readers. Not only is it a story of growing up in a very difficult time, but Marshall thinks about how his mom could really use a sewing machine for the family.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a wonderful idea to create an estimating activity to go along with the book, and I'm sure if you turned it into a contest it would be a hit. Kids would probably enjoy coming up with their own ideas of things to estimate, and then the class could vote on them - maybe choosing the top three.
I certainly think any book that depicts hard times is good for young readers. They need to be told and reminded that things were once very difficult for many people, and for many - still are.
Thanks, I'll look for this one.