Tuesday

Tuesday
David Wiesner

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Genre: Fiction/Wordless Picture Book

Tuesday, by David Weisner, is a captivating picture book which relies solely on the imagination of the reader. The only words to guide the reader are the date and time of when the events take place.

It is around eight o'clock on Tuesday evening when the journey begins. Paneled pictures reveal it is nightfall on the banks of a sleepy pond. Turn the page, and suddenly frogs are taking flight on lily pads! With every turn of the page, the reader accompanies the frogs on their nighttime flying adventures through the neighborhood. Finally, around 4:38 in the morning, the frogs collide with a tree and come tumbling to the ground, managing to hop their way back to the pond. The next morning, police and ambulances are gathered in the streets, trying to make heads or tails of the mysterious lily pads littering the streets. The reader is left with this final image: Next Tuesday, 7:58 p.m. - a large barnyard reflects the shadow of a pig lifting off the ground and with a turn of the page, all of the pigs are taking flight!

I really enjoyed David Weisner's picture book, Tuesday, because it works on so many levels. I would recommend this book for students from kindergarten through seventh grade. First, it is great for early readers due to the minimal words. The beautifully detailed illustrations are enough to engross readers and challenge their imaginations. This book can also be used with older readers to encourage writing. Since there are no words, students can each make up their own stories to accompany the pictures. This is an especially helpful tool to use with students who struggle with coming up with their own ideas for writing.