Pistes d'exploration

Imagine you were Mary. Would you have a) Left the berries on the porch? b) Left the berries with a note? c) Rung Mrs. Bishop’s doorbell? d) Brought the berries home? Discuss the pros and cons of each action.

What made Mary’s deed extraordinary? What prompted her to pick the berries for Mrs. Bishop? Discuss the big ideas embedded in the story (giving, unselfishness, kindness, etc.).

Design a poster using phrases that encourage other students to “pay it forward” such as Share with others or Help an elderly person.

Define what makes a good deed. Use a class graphic organizer to collect suggestions of all types of good deeds.

Identify people in your community who perform good deeds, volunteer, do random acts of kindness, pay it forward, etc. Write a thank you note to these people explaining why you appreciate what they do.

Think of something great you can do for your family, friends, school or community. Act upon it. Write a description of what you did and assemble everyone’s stories in a class book. 

Claire's Gift, Miss Rumphius, TheQuiltmaker's Gift, Extraordinary Jane, How to Heal a Broken Wing

Mots-clés

Picture book , community , generosity , gratitude , kindness , making a difference , mathematics , sharing

Commentaire descriptif

Mary leaves fresh-picked blueberries on the porch of Mrs. Bishop, who is so delighted she bakes blueberry muffins and gives them to five others. The story continues to branch, relating new kindnesses, engendered by gratitude for kindness received. Rhythmic language includes brief rhymes to punctuate the episodes: “Oh, yum, yum, yum, he ate every crumb;” “no longer stressed, was very impressed;” “she felt sunny as noon, and she just had to shine on five people soon.” Soft-textured illustrations depict round-faced folk in simple forms with graphic detailing. In one spread, Mary’s mouth forms a tiny ‘o’ when she spies the lush berry bush. In another, a child, tucked among groceries in the cart, offers a shiny orange to a pleased old man in a fedora. Finally, Mary’s aunt—still glowing from her own kindness received—presents Mary with a heart-shaped locket. In the end, the abundant rewards of being kind and thoughtful are further demonstrated with a fun calculation showing the number of people who could be affected (infected?) by the spread of just one loving gesture: six billion—almost everyone on earth.