Summary
This story is about a young girl who came to the United States from Colombia. She experiences a snow day on her first day of school and she thinks that the snow looks like a thousand white butterflies falling from the sky. She is nervous about starting school in the United States and she is missing her grandpa, who is still in Colombia, and how she will have to make new friends.
Theme(s):
Change, Missing a loved one, making new friends
Personal Response
I think that this story is a picture book that a lot of students can relate to. Whether they are starting in a new school, new grade level or their first time at school they might be missing someone. An old teacher, old friends who may be in a new class now, a family member, this story talks about how it can be hard at first but then realize that it is not as bad as it is said out to be.
Teaching Ideas
Inside my classroom I would use this text to build a classroom community. We would read the story and talk about ways that we can welcome new friends into our class, ways that we can be a good friend and I think that building your classroom community using picture books is a great way for students to use the visuals to make connections. Especially if the text is talking about something that the students can relate to personally.
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03, Grade 04
