Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Dang! That's a Bright Idea!

Picture Book Month Celebration
Day 28 theme: Clothing


Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea 
A Fairly Fabricated Story of a Pair of Pants
by Tony Johnston
Illustrator: Stacy Innerst
Publisher: Harcourt's Children's Books
September 2011
 
Oh to pay homage to the humble blue jeans. 
The pants that built American and kept it in comfort too.  

"GOLD!" somebody yelled. Next thing anybody knew, the whole world rushed to California and started digging up the place. The trouble was, they rushed so fast, they lost their pants.

Dang! What a fun way to introduce this book. My students will be laughing before page two and clamoring to claim the right to read it first. In fact, most of the vocabulary in this story is hilarious. The story is quick paced and pops with excitement. Everyone is rushing here and there either for gold or with needles. This clever tale is a good introduction into many topics:inventors and their inventions, goods and services, west-ward movement, the birth of a city and more. The Book includes an author's note about a bit of the real history of the life of Levi Strauss, an apparently good man, but I like this version much better.

(Book Description:)
Wild West chaos and creative problem solving are the force behind a well-loved American institution. What’s a California miner to do when gold dust sifts right out of his holey pockets? With such a raggedy wardrobe, he may as well be mining in the vanilla (that is, his birthday suit)! Good thing Levi Strauss is out west, ready with his needle and a head full of bright ideas. With some quick thinking, quicker stitching, and handy arithmetic, Levi keeps all the gold rushers clothed—and becomes a modern American hero. A Wild West tall tale, Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea celebrates creativity, innovation, and the ubiquitous item that fills the closets of grateful jeans wearers worldwide.

 Literacy Connections:

How are Blue Jeans Made? (Discovery Channel)



The Invention of Levi's Jean

The Inventor of Blue Jeans from Inventor of the Week

Re-purposing  Blue Jeans

Blue jean crafts

Squidoo recycled blue jean crafts

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