High Praise for Maddi's Fridge

Some of you will remember at the start of summer I was eagerly anticipating the release of Maddi's Fridge. Well, it is now in my hands, hot off the press, and I am pretty excited to be giving it one of it's early reviews. Thanks to Deanna for her Book Talk Tuesday linky to help get the word out.

A New Favorite Book

Maddi's Fridge is written by Lois Brandt and illustrated by Vin Vogel. It is the story of best friends Maddi and Sofia who share a secret that has the potential to ruin a friendship, but instead solves a problem and brings them closer together. One day after their usual romp at the park, Sophia gets a glimpse into Maddi's fridge, and much to her surprise and Maddi's embarrassment, finds the fridge completely empty of food, except for some milk.

Uh-oh!

Now Sophia has a dilemma– she wants to help Maddi and her family get food to eat, but she has to do it without letting out the secret that Maddi is poor. Sofia tries various solutions as she keeps her promise to Maddi. These have less than successful and sometimes hilarious results. Look what happens when she brings fish to school in her backpack.

Hee!

Sofia struggles to figure out that there are times when you must go to adults for help. And she learns that friendships can survive a broken secret when the reason is right.

Brandt does a beautiful job of dealing with the serious issues of child poverty and hunger. Maddi's Fridge gives teachers the perfect background for discussing the diversity found in most of our own classrooms in child appropriate ways. I know some of my students will resonate with Maddi's problems and some will be just as shocked as Sofia to find the fridge empty at a friend's house.

So crucial to picture books, you'll find the illustrations just as wonderful as the text. The story begins as soon as you open the cover, and doesn't end until you close the back because Vogel doesn't waste an inch of space in bringing the story to life. Check out these end papers!

The story starts with the inside front cover.

The pictures throughout add big city elements in terrific ways– look at this picture of Sofia running home to figure out her new found problem just as the sun goes down, which "took all the colors with it."

Love it!

I know I'll use Maddi's Fridge to bring up issues of friendship, helping, and secrets with this year's class. It will be one of the important books I share this year.

If you're still not convinced to add this book to your collection, well, you gotta know that Flashlight Press has done it again in the resource department. Their website includes writing pages, a drawing prompt, coloring sheet, and even a recipe for Cheesy Bombs. The Common Core Curriculum Guide makes teaching the concepts so easy. All of these are FREE resources for you and your kiddos. Click on this pic to see for yourself.

Yep, folks, this is a keeper! You can get the book yourself by clicking on its cover at the top of the post. Or look for it in your favorite book venues.

Thanks Deanna for our favorite linky party!

The post High Praise for Maddi's Fridge first appeared on kidpeopleclassroom.com