FABULOUS FINISH: There Is a Tribe of Kids

There Is a Tribe of Kids
By Lane Smith
Roaring Brook Press, 2016.

A young boy is in the midst of a tribe of kids (as in young goats). But the goats then climb up the mountain where the young boy cannot follow. The boy then goes in search of other groups (of animals or objects) to spend time with: a colony of penguins, a formation of rocks, and an army of caterpillars. But eventually the boy is left all alone once more. Until in this Fabulous Finish there is one last grouping of creatures that he can join at the end.

This book is great on so many levels. First of all kiddos (and grownups) can learn the names of so many different groupings. Also, there are few words. Each page lists just a few words such as “There was a sprinkle of lightning bugs”; however, kids can see that there is so much of the story that is unsaid and shown in the illustrations. This is a clever book for early literacy practice where kids can tell more of the story than what is actually written—which in turn will make the ending all the more powerful. Lane Smith once again has created a book that not only touches my heart and imagination, but is one that I will want to come back to again and again. Well done.

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