The Olive Books

I discovered the book Olive and the Embarrassing Gift by Tor Freeman this year. It was a great story that made me smile so I bought a copy for the classroom. When I read it to my class, I realized it was a perfect read for 3rd graders. One of the things that is hard for me when being newish to a grade level is finding books that are a perfect fit.  I am always looking for books with enough depth and things to talk about, but books that are simple enough that most kids can access in a mini lesson.  It is often tricky in early 3rd grade to find the right types of books.

In this story, Olive gets a gift from her good friend. But she doesn't like the gift and is embarrassed to wear it. There is humor in the story and a great lesson. It is something 8 and 9 year-olds could relate to for sure.  A fun story with lots to talk about.

I recently discovered that there are three Olive books in this series and I purchased them all because I think they are great for primary students to learn to talk about books and to revisit throughout the year.  Knowing what a good conversation starter the first book was, I think getting to know Olive in three stories will be great fun!  I think these three titles will naturally lead to great conversations around characters and theme.  

Olive and the Bad Mood is about a day when Olive is a little grumpy with her friends. And Olive and the Big Secret is the story about Olive sharing a secret.  I think these books are great for K-3 classrooms.  Fun and simple but with lots of things to talk about!