Santat, Dan. The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2014.
Lexile Level: AD 480L
Learning Activity
Students in a second grade classroom will listen to the book. The teacher will first ask what the word “imagine” means, followed by, “imaginary” and “imaginary friend”. The teacher will ask students why someone might have an imaginary friend (because they are lonely).
The teacher will share that this is a story not about a child, but about an imaginary friend who is lonely for a real person to be his friend. The teacher will ask students to think about how Beekle feels at different points during the story.
During the story, the teacher will pause to discuss the major events and how Beekle responds and seems to feel.
After reading, students will complete a graphic organizer listing the three major events, and how Beekly responds to each one. The teacher will spell any commonly used words on the board for students to use in their writing.
After finishing, student will form groups of three and share their ideas. Students will be asked to follow grade level expectations (accountable talk) to speak to each other, and will be allowed to add to their responses if need be.
Standards
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
Goals
Students will be able to recognize a sequence of events in the story. Students will be able to identify a character’s responses to each event, and start to understand how characters feel because of the events in a story.
Objectives
Students will be able to listen and participate in discussions about a text and follow grade level expectations (not interrupting). (Cognitive).
Students will complete a graphic organizer including the three major events of the story in full sentences (Cognitive).
Students will be able to describe how Beekle responded and felt during each major event in full sentences. (Cognitive, Affective)
Outcomes
Students will listen to a story and participate in classroom discussions by following grade level standards. Students will complete a graphic organizer including the three major events of thes story and how the main character responded to each one.
BOOK REVIEW
TEXT:
The story is about an imaginary friend born on an island with all imaginary friends, who are waiting to be chosen by a real child. He is ignored over and over, and finally decides to go on an adventure to the real world himself, to find a child. After trying and failing he finally meets his friend, and is given his name, Beekle. The author tells the story in the past tense and using third person, always using the pronouns “he” and “his” to describe Beekle’s actions, and his friend as “she” and “her” until they become friends. Only at this point does the author introduce their names and use the word “they”.
The text does FLOW, but because it is all set in past tense the many words ending in “-ed” feel very final and give a tone of failure to the reader, as though the story is over before the last page.
In addition, the text contains a certain RHYTHM, though it may not be obvious on the first read. The text begins with a page that introduces the scene of these imaginary friends waiting for real ones and then one page describing Beekle’s problem- that he doesn’t get picked.
From there the author begins a rhythm of sentences that end with an ellipsis before the page ends or at the beginning of the following page, always after a page is turned. Although these are relatively long sentences, because they are broken up by a page turn they allow the book to flow with a good pace and add to the anticipating within the reader. This causes juxtaposition between the despairing ending tone of the sentences and the hope that something good will finally happen.
At the climax of the story when the main character finds his friend there is a break from the PATTERN of text and then almost an explosion of text that corresponds to the excitement the character is feeling at finally having a friend! The last REPETITION to note is the word “unimaginable”. The word is used as “imaginary” friends waiting to be “imagined” before Beekle decides to do the “unimaginable” and set out on his own. (This also sets the hopeful tone and yet a nervous one for what Beekle will do). The text concludes with the last use of the word; “together they did the unimaginable” reminding the reader that unimaginable can be scary but also exciting and not always lonely.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Several visual elements play a key role in adding feeling to this text. The choice of LINE corresponds with the meaning of the text as well. The pages that focus on Beekle’s journey include horizontal lines; “He sailed through unknown waters” depicts the water line across the page, “Then he finally saw something familiar…” shows the reader a shadow of footprints across the page, etc. However when he finally hears his friends’ voice as a noise below, the page is filled with diagonal tree branches to suggest excitement.
The book is filled primarily with curved SHAPES as Beekle explores nature around him and all of the imaginary friends are also curved, which is ironic because they are “man-made” and therefore would often be angular. Depicting each as curved makes them seem as though they were already there, waiting to be chosen, rather than created by the child. This corresponds with how they are described on the first page.
The illustrations throughout the text are bold through the use of color and CONTRAST, again inviting the reader to continue to found out what beautiful image will come next. On several of the pages that do not contain action, the colors have little VARIATION in value, whereas on pages that have more action, the variation is greater. This is not done on every page but works in connection with the type of lines to balance out the text.
Another element that the illustrator uses is DOMINANCE, helping to move your eye by making something brighter or take up the entire page. When Beekle finally gives up on finding a friend he is in a tree that takes up the entire page. This tree is the focus and in one spread is filled with children, with home. This tree is like Beekle, reaching out with his branches for a friend. However when his friend finally comes, the focus changes to Beekle, where he takes up half of the page spread.
Although the exciting illustrations and text move the reader along, there is little repetition to the pictures, other than the reader hoping to find Beekle on every page, finally happy. The style of the text is realistic, depicting each scene as if it could really happen. This connects to the storyline of the text, a friend searching against all odds to find another friend. It also connects to the theme of finding one’s place in the world as something very real for all of us to deal with at some point in our lives.
REVIEW
After reviewing the key elements of text and illustration, the breathtaking illustrations matched with a simple story are what stands out to me. Without the illustrations the reader might not feel the need to turn every page to find out what happens next, as the writing is limited in each page. At the same time the illustrations are not enough, as must as they give a feeling of hope and nervousness for the unknown. I believe this is worth of a Caldecott because of how the text and illustrations balance and bring out the best in each other.
I greatly enjoyed this story, and fell more in love with the character every time I read it. I also felt that I noticed a different aspect of the illustration each time, with something as simple as the absence of the children on Beekle’s tree turning into horizontal lines to show wind, and reminding me that the story is still moving.
I believe we can all connect to Beekle, to a time when we felt alone and had to set out on our own, possible failing once or twice but with the belief that it is worth it in the end. Personally, having recently left my only other career and passion as a teacher, it gives me strength to continue pursing my new dream to become a librarian, the hope that it is the right choice, and the confidence that I am not alone.
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