“Could Be Worse!”: James Stevenson

“Could Be Worse!”

• Author/Illustrator: James Stevenson

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books

• Publication Year: 1977

• Brief Summary: Nothing interesting happens at Grandpa’s house, until one day Grandpa tells a very interesting story about something that has happened to him.

• Awards (if any): N/A

• Ideas for using this book in classroom or library:

• What does it mean to be optimistic/pessimistic?  Discuss “glass half empty” vs. “glass half full”.  Do you tend to be optimistic/pessimistic?  Write about a time when you encountered a problem (e.g. flat tire on your bike, rain on a beach day) and how you felt about the situation.  How did you solve your problem?

• Do you think Grandpa’s story is true?  What is a tall tale?  Have students write and illustrate their own tall tale — comic strip style if they want!

• Brief notes on curriculum connections/content learning standards/Common Core/etc.

  • Text-to-self connections

  • Read to write

• Special features included (if applicable) — index; timeline; author’s notes; further reading; etc.: N/A

Accessed at: Thrasher Elementary Library

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