Go to Sleep, Gecko- A Balinese Folktale

Book Title: Go to Sleep, Gecko!  A Balinese Folktale	Author: Margaret Read MacDonald
Illustrator: Geraldo Valerio	Awards
Book Type:  Picture	Approx. Reading Level:  k-2
Age of Content Appropriateness: preK- 3	Date Published: 2006
Genre and Topic: folktale, community	Personal Rating of the Book:  3.5
ISBN: (13 or 10 digit) 978-0874837803

Summary

Gecko can’t sleep at night because the fireflies are flashing their lights all night.  He goes to Elephant to complain.  Elephant determines that the fireflies are doing their job protecting animals from stepping in the poop that Buffalo has left behind in the road and Gecko should go to bed.  Night after night Gecko tries to convince Elephant to talk to the chain of animals that lead to the fireflies but in the end, Elephant shows Gecko that if the chain is broken, Gecko won’t have food to eat.  Gecko then realizes that everyone is connected and he decides to accept the fireflies.

Ways to Use this Book

·       Can be used as part of a geography lesson on Bali and South Pacific regions

·       Students could come up with their own circle story that illustrates how they are connected to something larger

·       Author’s website and lesson ideas - Margaret Read MacDonald

Vocabulary Words

·         Bali- or Balinese- (cover) – an island nation in the South Pacific.

·         Thoughtful- page 11- considering others feelings and acting in a way that show you think about others.

6+1 Traits to Highlight – Presentation- The illustrations are what drew me into this book.  The high contrast between the bright yellow and the deep blues are very engaging.  The pictures are well composed and have interesting details. I like the way the fireflies are depicted.

Concerns with This Book: The frequent use of the word, “poop” may cause students to giggle and lose sight of the overall message of the story.