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Newbery Medal winner Avi demonstrates his mastery of the animal fantasy genre w

Newbery Medal winner Avi demonstrates his mastery of the animal fantasy genre with his critically acclaimed Poppy stories. Enjoyed both in classrooms and by families reading together, the sweet adventures of Poppy, Ragweed, Rye, Ereth, and Junior resonate with readers of many ages. The universal hopes, dreams, and troubles of these characters invite discussion and further exploration, as the books provide a meaningful and fun reading experience—an experience that is meant to be shared. Follow Ragweed as he leaves his home looking for adventure, Poppy as she risks her life for others, and Rye as he finds his true value. Grow to love Ereth, despite his cantankerous irritability, and laugh at Ragweed Junior for his rebellious teenage talk. Savor each of the six books in the series as you travel the paths through Dimwood Forest.. A Introducing Poppy and Friends a H c A Teaching Guide C The Poppy Stories, by Avi Dimwood Forest is home to golden mice, deer mice, porcupines, horned owls, red foxes, beavers, deer, fishers, voles, badgers, skunks, bats, and a cinnamon brown bear and her cub. While the Poppy stories lead us into the hearts and minds of these characters, they also let us learn about the animals’ real lives as forest dwellers. Ask students to research one of the animals from the Poppy stories. Responses should include a description of the animal’s habitat, diet, life span, reproduction, predators, and any other fascinating facts. Before Reading c A Guide to Teaching Avi’s Poppy Stories C H The World of Fantasy Fantasy stories enthrall us when they are rich and believable. Why do you care about the animals in the Poppy stories? What are your favorite fantasy stories? What makes them believable? What have you learned about yourself and about being human from fantasy stories? What Makes a Hero? Why do we have heroes? Are heroes relevant today? Lloyd Alexander’s fantasy character, T aran, says that “every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone.” Do you agree? How do you define a hero? Which characters from the Poppy stories fit your definition? Which other characters from literature are heroes? Being True to Y ourself Even at a young age, the characters in the Poppy stories must discover their passions and find out about the world on their own. They question authority, follow their hearts, stand up for what they believe in, and face overwhelming challenges. Discuss what it means to be true to yourself. What are your passions? What dreams do you hope to follow? Love and Friendship Throughout the Poppy stories, characters face challenges—but not without the love and encouragement of their family and friends. Can one person alone accomplish great things, or do even heroes need a network of support? Write down an accomplishment that gives you great pride. Was it reached alone or with the help of others? Identify how love and/or friendship played a part in this accomplishment. Themes for Discussion c A Guide to Teaching Avi’s Poppy Stories C Discussion Questions Ragweed, Clutch, Blinker, and even Silversides each long for something. Identify what these characters want and whether they accomplish their goals. Are their longings similar to any of your own hopes and wishes? What caused Silversides to become “a very angry cat” (p. 14)? Do you ever have sympathy for him and Graybar? Why did Silversides create F.E.A.R.? Does the organization have noble goals? Explain. Clutch’s band, the Be-Flat Tires, uses a language foreign to Ragweed. Find examples of the band members’ use of slang and translate the meanings. How does this new language affect Ragweed? Specialized activities often have their own vocabularies. Make a list of special terms that are used by a specific group of people, such as skateboarders (like Clutch). Blinker has book learning, while Clutch has experience. Which one do you think is more important? What types of knowledge were necessary to create Café Independent and to overcome F.E.A.R.? What do you think the future holds for the mice in Amperville? How does Ragweed change over the course of the novel? How are leaving home, seeking independence, and making one’s own decisions part of every person’s development? Why doesn’t Ragweed stay with his new friends? What does their gift of the purple earring signify? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. c Extension Activity C Café Independent is the center of the mouse music scene. What do Clutch and Ragweed sing about? How does their music reflect their world? What does current popular music say about young people today? Does it have its own language? Choose a popular song and explain what it means to you personally. As an alternative, write a song that reflects your ideas about the world. H “A crackerjack tale that’s pure delight from start to finish.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) About the Book Ragweed, a golden mouse, says good-bye to his family and the quiet of the Brook, to strike out and see the world. With the motto “A mouse has to do what a mouse has to do” (p. 1), Ragweed hops a train and finds himself in Amperville—a city both loud and dangerous, where his life definitely speeds up. First he is attacked by Silversides, an angry white cat who is president of F.E.A.R. (Felines Enraged About Rodents). Then he is saved by Clutch, a skateboard-riding gray mouse with green hair and a purple earring. Ragweed will have to decide if he is a country mouse or a city mouse, and he may just find that “Being a mouse ain’t easy anywhere” (p. 125). Ragweed C Book One of the Poppy Stories c A Guide to Teaching Avi’s Poppy Stories C H “Richly visual, subtly humorous, skillfully laden with natural history. A thoroughly enjoyable book.” —ALA Booklist (starred review) Boston Globe–Horn Book Award About the Book Poppy, a deer mouse, is the last one you would suspect of doing anything forbidden or dangerous. Y et she and Ragweed steal away one evening to dance on Bannock Hill under the moonlight, even though Mr. Ocax, the owl, forbids such things without his permission. Disaster strikes and Poppy must begin a heroic journey to discover the truth, save her family, and clear her good name—as well as Ragweed’s. The adventure changes Poppy’s life forever. Tragedy strikes early when Mr. Ocax kills Ragweed. Were you shocked by Ragweed’s murder? Did it frighten you? Why do you think Avi started his story in this way? Is this an unusual event in the animal world? What kind of leader is Lungwort? How does he remain in control of the family? Does Ragweed have the right to question him and challenge his authority? How does Mr. Ocax control the mice? Do the mice have the right to challenge his authority? Explain. Avi’s characters each have a dominant personality characteristic: Lungwort is fatherly, Ragweed is cocky, Mr. Ocax is threatening, Poppy is thoughtful, and Ereth is prickly in his quills and in his speech. Find examples of things each character says that reflects his or her personality. What are your favorite Ereth sayings? Ereth says that Poppy is “pretty small to be a heroine” (p. 113). Poppy herself says that it is “so hard to be courageous” (p. 87). How would you explain Poppy’s success? What do you consider her greatest obstacle? What qualities does she have that allow her to triumph? A traditional hero story involves a pattern that oral storytellers once used to remember how the story unfolds. In this pattern, the hero is called to adventure by a problem requiring him or her to leave home and travel to another world. The hero is tested by many trials and enemies, meets friends and helpers along the way, and has a talisman (lucky charm). He or she will reach a low point and nearly give up but will ultimately triumph and return home a changed person. Create a chart illustrating these steps and identify each of these elements in Poppy’s journey. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. c Extension Activity C Now that you have followed Poppy’s hero journey, apply the steps from question 5 to another story you have read, identifying the markers of the main character’s journey. Instead of creating a new chart, try adding a column to your Poppy chart for this second hero. Looking at the two heroes side by side, compare and contrast their adventures and personal development. Poppy C Book Two of the Poppy Stories Discussion Questions c A Guide to Teaching Avi’s Poppy Stories C “A sequel worthy of its predecessor.” —The Horn Book About the Book When Poppy and Ereth travel to Ragweed’s family home at the Brook, they get involved in fighting the construction plans of the beavers, who dam the stream and flood the area, thereby forcing the mice to leave. How can mice fight animals that are more powerful than they are? T ogether Poppy and Ragweed’s brother, Rye, brave kidnapping, imprisonment, and a daring rescue to fight the uploads/Litterature/ dimboble-fake-guide.pdf