Abby Sunshine

Abby Sunshine Entertaining the Students

Where do I begin. . .well, how about a sequential approach, much like in the book A Day with Abby Sunshine.  I arrived at Countryside School in Edina, followed the marked animal print sidewalk to the entrance of the building.  I was greeted by a very professional 5th grade class president who welcomed me to the school, introduced herself and escorted me to the classroom.  Along the way we talked about the international flair of Countryside and I admired the flag lined hallway.  We found the classroom, students already beginning the day, conducting important morning business–lunch plans, etc.  The ambience of the classroom was very comfortable.  I could already tell this was going to be good!  Mr. Beverage introduced me to the class and told me about some writing they have been doing . . . I saw some very creative work lining the walls.  We gathered together and read.  The group was exceptional in polite listening and appeared to be genuinely interested in the story.  This jumpstarted a discussion that I think could have lasted the whole day!  We talked about writing and inspiration.  The kids asked very thoughtful questions-(The illustrations look like pictures, but also artwork–how did you do that?  What inspired you to write the book?  What other book ideas do you have?  Would you consider writing a book about your cats?  What is your favorite picture of Abby?)  They would also remember a page in the book and ask a very specific question-(That page where it looks like Abby is on the bus, how did you do that?)  They also shared observations about the book that I found particularly complimentary-(I like that you used the word “zonk” and the photos and illustrations blend together well.)  The vast majority of students in this classroom had a pet and all seemed quite comfortable in the dog discussion.  Next we did a creativity sheet where they could write about something to teach Abby, or they could mind map their own idea for a book about an animal.  They got busy right away and watched the three short video clips while writing.  This gave them a sense of what Abby is like . . . when it seemed like I would be departing, Mr. Beverage made the announcement that we had a special guest–Abby Sunshine was here at the school!  The gasp of astonishment and excitement sent a shiver down my spine!!  Abby had been waiting nicely in her kennel–outside.  We all went to the school yard and Abby got to dazzle the students with her tricks and general demeanor.  The students treated Abby respectfully and she did her thing!  Thanks, Countryside for a super visit.

Abby Catching the Ball