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Justin Gustafson
  • Rated 4 stars

Great book about a young girl who dreams of flying while up on her roof in NYC. Great colorful illustrations.
I will always remember when the stars fell down around me and lifted me up above the George Washington Bridge.
“All you need is somewhere to go you can't get to any other way. The...

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  • Brian Leslie
      • Rated 0 stars

    Grade 4: Being a Strategic Reader

    Brian Leslie wrote this review Tuesday, May 1, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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    Justin Gustafson
      • Rated 4 stars

    Great book about a young girl who dreams of flying while up on her roof in NYC. Great colorful illustrations.
    I will always remember when the stars fell down around me and lifted me up above the George Washington Bridge.
    “All you need is somewhere to go you can't get to any other way. The next thing you know, you're flying above the stars.”
    -Diversity
    -Compare/contrast suburban, rural and urban living
    -read for inspiration for writing exercise

    Justin Gustafson wrote this review Tuesday, April 24, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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    Amanda Vigna
      • Rated 5 stars

    category: award winning book: Caldecott Award
    grade level: k-2

    S: Story of a young girl who is stuck in her apartment in the city, so she imagines she can fly anywhere she wants.

    R: There are so many details in the illustrations throughout the book as she visits different places.

    Uses:
    -talking about travel
    -read aloud
    -imagination

    Amanda Vigna wrote this review Monday, March 26, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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    brittanie McGregor
      • Rated 0 stars

    K-2 very nice pictures

    brittanie McGregor wrote this review Wednesday, February 22, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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    Alex Roviezzo
      • Rated 5 stars

    1: Awards won: Caldecott Honor

    2: Category: Award winning books

    3:Grade level: k-2nd

    4: Summary: A story of a young girl who flies through the sky and goes wherever she desires. The bridge was her favorite place. The book ends with the little girl telling the audience anyone can fly.

    Review: Each page has a unique border with many details. The pictures are very diverse and colorful. The story is sweet and timeless.

    5: Uses in the classroom:
    -activity where the children tell us where their favorite spot is
    -activity-if they could travel anywhere where would it be?
    -arts and craft-create a fun boarder
    -good library and read aloud

    Alex Roviezzo wrote this review Tuesday, January 31, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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    Antoniette
      • Rated 5 stars

    This is a great book to use to have students relate to the idea of city life or give students that have no experianced this type of living an idea of what it could be like. It works in different life stypes, racial issues, and class differences. This book warms my heart. We go on an imaginative journey with Cassie, as African American girl who lives in Harlem NY. She tells of about her now and her dreams of what her life will be.
    Uses in the Classroom: Discuss rural vs urban
    discuss racial differences
    Compare and contract todays day in age to 1939 (when the book took place)
    Look in history books to other facts about 1939 and compare the two pieces.
    Discuss which parts were Cassie's reality and which was fantasy
    Related Books: The People Could Fly
    Underground railroad in the Sky
    Dinner at Aunt Connie's House
    Delicious Quote:"Now I have claimed it. All I had to do was fly over it for it to be mine forever."

    Antoniette wrote this review Friday, January 27, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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    Amanda Mygatt
      • Rated 5 stars

    I love this book - it is a great story and the images are so beautiful. The entire book is illustrated as a quilt and the last page is one image from the book bordered by the text of the book - it is really beautiful.

    The story is also very powerful and empowering at the same time. It is about a little girl who lives in Tar Beach in Harlem and dreams of flying up over the George Washington bridge, which her daddy helped build and which opened on the day she was born. Cassie dreams of wearing the bridge as a necklace and says it is her most prized possession. She talks about how her daddy can't be part of the union, because his father was not a member - notes in the back of the book point out that this type of grandfather clause was a way of keeping African-Americans and Native Americans out of unions. This book is aimed at children but it gives them a lot of credit - it talks about how the George Washington bridge was built and the injustices suffered by minorities who helped to build it. It is also about how a little girl dreams of being free and flying over the things she wishes she had so that her family will have an easier life. I really like this book and I appreciate its honesty about some difficult issues.

    Amanda Mygatt wrote this review Saturday, December 3, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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    Kara Gibbons
      • Rated 5 stars

    Awards: Coretta Scott King Book Award (1992). Caldecott Honor (1992). Reading Rainbow Program Selection. A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (1992). 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (2009.0336|2009, Ages 5↑).
    Appropriate grade levels: Kindergarten, first grade, second grade.
    Summary: A young girl named Cassie imagines that she can fly in the skies over New York City. She describes her life and imagines herself solving the troubles her family faces.
    Review: I have read several books by Faith Ringgold and truly love her work. Her illustrations are admirable and creative. I like the concept of “flying” as a metaphor for being free and achieving your dreams.
    Uses in the classroom: -Read aloud: Read the book and have a class discussion. Why does Cassie imagine she can fly? -Reading: have the book available for independent reading in the historical fiction category. -History: The Great Depression. -Social Studies: Life during the Great Depression.

    Kara Gibbons wrote this review Monday, November 7, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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    Tiffany Colwell
      • Rated 5 stars

    Awards: Caldecott Honor Book & 1992 Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for illustrations
    Appropriate Grade Level: K-2
    This is the story of eight year old Cassie Louise Lightfoot who is a little girl living in the city during 1939. She imagines herself flying over the beautiful city she loves and dreaming of a better life for her family. She wants her father to be able to have a better job, and for her family to be rich and eat ice cream every night for dessert. She imagines her roof top to be a "tar beach," because that is where her family seeks solace from the world and picnics together. This a a beautiful story about the power of imagination and happiness!
    Classroom uses: A great read aloud, a great book for cultural awareness and diversity. It would also be useful for a discussion on families'. It would also serve as a great book during Black History Month. Children could use this story to create their own "imagination" stories during writers' workshop.

    Tiffany Colwell wrote this review Friday, October 14, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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    Jaime
      • Rated 3 stars

    This book is a great multi-cultural book about Harlem in 1939. The times were different and kids had to come up with something different to have fun, as well as families. this is very cute story, but definitely takes some knowledge of New York and some knowledge of history. I would recommend this for 5th graders as a fun read aloud when talking or doing an activity about history in the 1920-1940's.

    Jaime wrote this review Tuesday, October 11, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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