Mrs. Daniel’s 4th grade class at Nolan Elementary (Signal Mountain, Tennessee) gave me a wonderful set of pictures based on my books. Here is a sample of their work and answers to their questions.
Keegan drew the above picture of Sea Horse. His question on the back of the picture reads: “How did sea horse hear coral, a plant, singing to him?”
Great question, Keegan! Coral is not a plant. Coral looks like a plant, but she is actually a group of tiny animals. A choir or chorus is an organized group of singers, and since Coral is an organized cluster of tiny animals, I thought she ought to sing like a choir.
Learn more about why Coral sings in the story by reading Coral as Greek Chorus. You can also visit my other blog (seahorserun.com) or click on a question or link below to learn more about corals:
What is a coral polyp?
How do polyps eat?
How are corals named?
Why are corals important to sea horses?
Do coral polyps have eyes?
Preslee likes my jellyfish. I like Preslee’s jellies (above), too!
Nick also drew jellies (above). Nick asks, “Why did you pick jellyfish for the dedication page?”
Jellyfish can be a symbol for acceptance, so the appearance of jellyfish before the story even begins foreshadows or predicts that acceptance will be an important theme in the story. The poor Sea Dragon is misunderstood! Sea Horse learns to ignore gossip and accept Sea Dragon for who he really is.
Mae Mae says, “I love that you write about animals.” I love Mae Mae’s snail (above).
Emily asks, “How did a snail (or snails) inspire you to make TINY SNAIL?”
Scroll down for the answer (after the next picture).
Emily’s question is popular because Connor also wants to know, “Why did you pick a snail to be the subject of your story?”
I chose a snail because I wanted to write a story about perseverance which means continuing toward your goal even when you’re discouraged or experiencing hardship. Snails are a symbol of perseverance, and since I didn’t see many books about snails, I knew TINY SNAIL would be a great book!
Sara likes the characters in POLLIWOG so she drew them (above).
Jackson’s picture says, “I really like how you use the details in your drawings.” Jackson, I love your details, too! Your use of line and color is wonderful. I like how you filled in the water with blue lines and divided the water from the sky. This is a great picture.
Jack wants to know, “Why did Polliwog not like his legs?”
Polliwog was born a tadpole without legs. She used her tail to swim, and when she suddenly grew legs, she didn’t know what they were for. Her new legs scared her. Why would she need legs? Of course she would need them when she left the pond, but remember, Polliwog did not want to leave the pond. She wanted to stay in the pond forever.
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Many thanks to Mrs. Daniel’s 4th grade language arts class for drawing such wonderful pictures and asking great questions. I’m so glad you enjoyed the stories!
Tammy Carter Bronson 