A young girl brings home a peacock, but he refuses to show off his colorful tail! Inspired by the life of Flannery O'Connor.
In this picture book, inspired by the life of Flannery O’Connor, a young fan of fowl brings home a peacock to be the king of her collection, but he refuses to show off his colorful tail. The girl goes to great lengths to encourage the peacock to display his plumage — she throws him a party, lets him play in the fig tree, feeds him flowers and stages a parade — all to no avail.
Then she finally stumbles on the perfect solution. When she introduces the queen of the birds — a peahen — to her collection, the peacock immediately displays his glorious shimmering tail.
This delightful story, full of humor and heart, celebrates the legacy of a great American writer.
Includes an author’s note about Flannery O’Connor.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
A young girl brings home a peacock, but he refuses to show off his colorful tail! Inspired by the life of Flannery O'Connor.
In this picture book, inspired by the life of Flannery O’Connor, a young fan of fowl brings home a peacock to be the king of her collection, but he refuses to show off his colorful tail. The girl goes to great lengths to encourage the peacock to display his plumage — she throws him a party, lets him play in the fig tree, feeds him flowers and stages a parade — all to no avail.
Then she finally stumbles on the perfect solution. When she introduces the queen of the birds — a peahen — to her collection, the peacock immediately displays his glorious shimmering tail.
This delightful story, full of humor and heart, celebrates the legacy of a great American writer.
Includes an author’s note about Flannery O’Connor.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Sep 1, 2016 |
| Specifications | 32 pages | 8.5 in x 10 in |
| Keywords | animals; birds; pets and pet care; humor; imagination; childhood; true story; biography; girls and women; women's history; perseverance; dedication; figurative language; onomatopoeia; third person; summarizing; predicting; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Craft and Structure; grade 2; Book All Young Georgians Should Read; Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick; picture book; nonfiction; author's note; historical context; American writer; American writer; mixed media art; |
| Written By |
ACREE GRAHAM MACAM is an advertising copywriter and the winner of Emory University’s Louis B. Sudler Prize in the Arts for creative writing. This is her first picture book. |
| Illustrated by |
NATALIE NELSON is an illustrator and author of many books for children. Her most recent titles include Dog's First Baby and Cat's First Baby, published by Quirk Books, and Holiday!, published by Groundwood Books. Her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and numerous other editorial publications. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two young children. |
| Written By |
|
ACREE GRAHAM MACAM is an advertising copywriter and the winner of Emory University’s Louis B. Sudler Prize in the Arts for creative writing. This is her first picture book. |
| Illustrated by |
|
NATALIE NELSON is an illustrator and author of many books for children. Her most recent titles include Dog's First Baby and Cat's First Baby, published by Quirk Books, and Holiday!, published by Groundwood Books. Her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and numerous other editorial publications. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two young children. |
| Audience | ages 4 to 7 / grades K to 2 |
| Reading Levels |
Lexile AD540L
Guided Reading K Reading Recovery 18 |
| Key Text Features | author's note; historical context |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5 |
Commended, Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick, 2016
Commended, A Children's Book All Young Georgians Should Read, 2017
“Readers with a taste for the quirky will flock to this tale … the unexpected antics of birds and child sustain interest whether O'Connor's name is familiar to readers or not.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Delightful illustrations lend humor and charm to an already wonderful story.” —Midwest Book Review
“The story and art are lighthearted and whimsical…” —The Horn Book
“Nelson’s distinctive mixed-media art, fusing illustration with archival photographs, is the perfect visual counterpart to this imaginative interpretation of the facts of O’Connor’s life.” —Brain Pickings