THE FRIENDLY FOUR by Eloise Greenfield

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Greenfield, Eloise, 2006. THE FRIENDLY FOUR. ill. Jan Spivey Gilchrist. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780060007591

SUMMARY:

Summer is upon us.  Everything is green.  Flowers are blooming, and so are friendships.  Meet Dorene, Drum, Louis, and Rae. Four friends who experience a wonderful summer together discovering new things as they explore their community.  Like all good things, they all have an end.  Join these four friends as they enjoy all that this magical summer has to offer.

QUALITY & APPEAL:

Age Range:  4 years and up
Grade Level:  1st and up
Students will connect with the youthful characters found within this book's pages.  The dialogue seen throughout the book is authentic in nature.  The setting and obstacles are common, and will be easy for children to relate to. The upbeat rhythm of the poems will keep students engage as they listen and interact with each one.

This is a great book to read and share with younger children who are dealing with relocating to a new community, dealing with the illness of a parent or loved one, or have issues with siblings.  Great discussions can be had before, during, and after reading this book.  With its multiple voices, a play like script, students could easily share poems through performances much like a reader's theater.  Gilchrist's illustrations bring the summer fun to life with bright and lively colors that match the actions of the free-verse poems.

SPOTLIGHT POEM:  (Excerpt from page 47)

GOODBYE TO GOODSUMMER

Drum:  The summer started out with one,

Dorene:  and now there are four, and even though 

one of us is far away,

Drum, Dorene, Louis:  we're still together.

We'll find some fall, winter

and spring things to laugh about,

Louis:  and our town will wait for us.

Drum, Dorene, and Louis:  So, goodbye for now, Goodsummer,

We'll see you next year.

CONNECTION:

Poem and Art:

• Read a few excerpts relating specifically to summer coming to an end at the beginning of the school year. 
• Allow students to discuss some of their favorite memories from their summer.
• After they share and discuss, guide students as needed to write their own summer poem, using one of the book's poems to mentor if needed.  
• Students will share their poems with the teacher and one or two peers to receive feedback.  
• They will then edit and revise as needed.  
• Students will complete their poem by publishing their poem, rewriting it neatly.  
• They will then add it to the bottom of a piece of construction paper. 
• Using Gilchrist's illustrations for inspiration, students will create their own illustration to match their poem, bringing their poem to life through art.  
• Display final poetry/art projects around the room or in the hallway.