Come With Me
Sometimes a picture book
comes along at the perfect moment and touches each and every reader. That is exactly what occurred with Holly
McGhee’s picture book Come with Me.
By the way, the title of this
blog post comes directly from Holly’s picture book Come with Me. I tried to come up with something new and
different, but this title fits so well with both the book and what I want to
write about. I thought why not stick
with what works and what to me is perfection.
I received a copy of Come
with Me from the author herself. I
remember being amazed and touched by the text and illustrations. It was obvious that this would be a picture
book that I would use with my students.
Our first experience with the
book occurred the last week of September.
I shared with my fourth graders how I came to know both Holly and her
newest work of fiction. If I can share a
personal experience about either an author and/or book, it becomes more
meaningful to my listeners.
The first time we shared the
text, I read through its entirety. After
I finished, the listeners shared their “noticing” and “wondering”
statements. This is a new strategy I
began during last year and found it powerful, engaging, and purposeful.
We then did a second reading
and stopped throughout the book to talk about specific pages, passages, and
illustrations. I was amazed at how
quickly the fourth graders were able to grasp the meaning, message, and theme
of the story. They GOT it! We talked about various real-life events
that had happened and how it is important to be brave and courageous during
these difficult times.
The next day we shared the
story again and following the reading, my writers got busy writing their own
versions of Come with Me. They could use
Holly’s version as a mentor text and/or write what they do, or could do, during
times of stress, anger, or fear. It was
astonishing how quickly they headed off to their writing spots and put the
pencil to paper. I wasn’t sure what I
would get, but was anxious to see their writing product.
I wish I had the time, and
space, to share some of the writing here; but know each writer shared a
personal version of what the story meant to them, what they could do to make
the world a better place, or fictional version.
The sharing of our writing was a beautiful experience and I could tell
the “products” were meaningful to each young writing.
The following week our
country experienced the largest mass shooting in our history. As we discussed it during our morning
meeting, several students shared personal stories and/or connections. During one of these discussions, I glanced
over at the book tray and saw Come with Me. The feeling I had at the moment hit me like a
ton of bricks. This was the picture book
we needed at that very moment.
I told the class I was going
to reread Come with Me. When I
finished, I looked out into the faces of my beautiful fourth graders and had to
take a moment to compose myself. They
got it and commented that Holly had written the book for times just like what
we were all experiencing at this very moment.
I’m not sure I have ever felt such a powerful and heart-felt community
reaction as I did then.
Our first Skype session of
the year was with Holly McGhee. It
occurred on Wednesday, October 11th.
We learned that one student in our class was neighbors with a man who
lost his life in Las Vegas. Her mother
commented to me that her daughter had shared about the picture book and the
writing we had done. The student had the
opportunity to share this with the author herself.
During our conversation with
Holly, the fourth grade writers were able to share their comments and/or
questions with her. It was a bit “eerie”
and “surreal” that Holly and Pascal had created this picture book way before
the Las Vegas incident, and now we were discussing how the book and the
real-life event were so closely tied.
A few of my writers had the
opportunity to share their own writing with Holly. I was so proud of them at that moment and
could tell that Holly herself was truly touched by their words. I’ve had some incredible Skype visits in the
past, but this particular one took it to a whole new level.
 |
| Patrick Andrus and Holly McGhee |
Picture books can change the
world. They can change the way we view
events, incidents, and people. They can
also change how we choose to respond to a horrific, tragic, and upsetting news
story that we all witness via the nighty news.
I want to thank Holly and
Pascal for giving teachers, and other readers, this important picture
book. I want them to know what a
difference a piece of literature like this can do for both educators like
myself and the students we work with on a daily basis.
My invitation to my fourth
grade readers and writers is to “Come with Me” on this journey we will take
together. I want us to experience the
magic, the meaning, and the experience that picture books can offer us.
Won’t you “Come with Me”
also?!?
What the listeners/writers
thought...
Horacio - I thought this story was amazing because it
was about not living in fear.
Kadie - Something I learned from this story was that
fear isn't the answer because if you live in fear you’re showing the world they
have won.
Audrey - Something I learned from this story was even
if something pulls you down, you can get back up if you have courage because no
one can tell you to go down if you have courage.
Hunter - I thought this story was sad, but was also
hopeful.
*****
Patrick Andrus is a fourth
grade teacher in Eden Prairie, MN. His number one goal for his students
is to create an internal passion for reading and books. This is his 27th year of
teaching. He loves to use Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram to connect with all the incredible educators out
there. He makes sure that his class
participates in #classroombookaday. You
can find his blog by visiting http://readwonder.blogspot.com. He is also an active member on Twitter as
@patrickontwit.
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