FeedThe Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
January 26, 2009 in Banks, Lynne Reid, Creative Writing activities, Elementary Educators, Making Personal Connections, Middle Grade Novel Tags: five-paragraph essays, journal writing, Lynne Reid Banks, Making Personal Connections, reading response, The Indian in the Cupboard
Review by Margo Dill, www.margodill.com, margodll@aol.com
Middle-grade novel, fantasy
Upper elementary-aged boy as main character
Rating: This is one of those classics that will be enjoyed again and again–as much by children as adults.
Short, short summary: Omri receives some interesting gifts for his birthday–a plastic Indian figure from his friend and an old cupboard from his brother. Put them together, and you have the Indian in the cupboard. This book starts off with a bang–right away, the reader discovers that the cupboard brings the plastic Indian, Little Bear, to life. The conversations that Omri and Little Bear have are priceless, and eventually, Omri has to decide if he wants to keep Little Bear for himself or return him back to his “real” life.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Friendship is a huge theme in this book. What does it mean to be a true friend? While reading the book and when students finish it, you can ask them to write journal entries about their beliefs about friendship. Ask them to support their opinions with specific examples from The Indian in the Cupboard and their own lives.
2. You can ask your students to write a five-paragraph essay on this question: If you had a cupboard like Omri, which one of your toys or figures would you put in the cupboard and bring to life? Please tell why you would choose that figure or toy, explain the benefits of bringing it to life, and write some of the problems you may have.
3. This book is also great for teaching problems and solutions in stories. When Omri or Little Bear have a problem, how do they solve it in the story? Do your students feel that is the best way to solve these problems? What is the overall problem in the story? What are some of the smaller problems? Talk with your students about how these plot events move the book along and make it exciting to read.
If you have used this book with your students or your child, please leave a comment here, and tell us how it went. For more information on children’s books, please check out:Read Roger.
