Module 3: Tuesday by David Wiesner

"...there is always another Tuesday."

www.goodreads.com

Citation
Wiesner, D.  (1991).  Tuesday.  New York:  Clarion Books.  


Summary
On a seemingly ordinary Tuesday evening, toads take off from their swamp, flying through the air on lily pads.  They spend the night exploring the neighborhood, with surprises for both the toads and the few residents who are awake.  When morning comes, the frogs must return to the swamp, leaving their lily pads behind as puzzling evidence of their excursions.  What will happen next Tuesday, around eight o'clock?  Winner of the 1992 Caldecott Medal.


My Impressions
Words are nearly absent in this book, allowing Wiesner's whimsical illustrations to take charge of the storytelling.  Each picture invites the reader to step into the story and enjoy even the smallest of details.  I enjoyed the different perspectives and the use of comic book-like panels on some pages.  The story sparked my imagination and had me dreaming about flying frogs the night I read it.  


Review
School Library Journal
"K-Gr 4--As the full moon rises over a peaceful marsh, so do frogs on their lily pads levitating straight up into the air and sailing off, with surprise with some laundry, hovering briefly before a TV left on. A dog chases one lone low coasting frog, but is summarily routed by a concerted amphibious armada. Suddenly the rays of the rising sun dispel the magic; the frogs fall to ed but gratified expressions. Fish stick their heads out of the water to watch; a turtle gapes goggle-eyed. The phalanx of froggies glides over houses in a sleeping village, interrupting the one witness's midnight snack, tangling the ground and hop back to their marsh, leaving police puzzling over the lily pads on Main Street. In the final pages, the sun sets on the following Tuesday--and the air fills with ascending pigs! Dominated by rich blues and greens, and fully exploiting its varied perspectives, this book treats its readers to the pleasures of airborne adventure. It may not be immortal, but kids will love its lighthearted, meticulously imagined, fun-without-amoral fantasy. Tuesday is bound to take off."


Dooley, P. (1991). [Review of the book Tuesday by D. Wiesner]. School Library Journal, 37(5), 86. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com.


Suggested Library Uses

• Read/present the book to children.  Have them take turns narrating each page, each providing a sentence or two.  Have an assistant write down the story as the children tell it.  Re-reading the story with the new narration is a possibility.  
• Alternatively, read the book to the children, and have them draw, paint or describe what they think will happen "next Tuesday," based on the last image.  In either case, emphasize to parents or teachers the literacy skills taught by having children supply the narration or create their own story. 

Find it @ Your Library - Albany County Library

E W6373TU

Notes

Winner of the Caldecott Medal, 1992