The Stranger

Redo due to Corrections

Summary

One of the picture books I read this week was by Chris Van Allsburg called Stranger. This story is about a man who is injured one Fall day and is brought home by a farmer. The stranger can’t remember who he is after the accident. The family lets him stay with them until he gets better. The man helps out the farmer and enjoys the family. One thing unusual that the farmer notices is that it is still warm and his trees are still green when the surrounding areas have changed colors. The stranger eventually leaves because he is entrusted with the task of blowing on the leaves so the trees will change. He comes back every Fall as the wind.

Impression

I enjoyed the book. It had a very kind message and wonderful illustrations from the same author and illustrator who did Polar Express. He is very talented and the pictures jump out at you. The colors are very vivid and you feel like you are in the story. Great read!!

From Amazon.com Publishers Weekly

Farmer Bailey thinks he's hit a deer while driving his truck, but in the middle of the road lays a man, an enigmatic stranger. He goes home with Farmer Bailey, his memory apparently gone. Weeks pass at the Bailey farm; the stranger seems happy to be around them, and helps with the harvest. Oddly, while trees to the north of the farm turn red and gold with the arrival of fall, Bailey's land seems to be in a state of perpetual summer. One day, the stranger sees geese flying south and knows that he, too, must leave. Not long after that, the leaves at the farm change color and the air turns cool. And every year since, summer lasts a week longer at the Bailey farm than anywhere else. Van Allsburg's story is strangely melancholy, and his straightforward writing is uncannily dry, in contrast to the vivid green and golden landscapes of his paintings. The mood and suspense in this book make it compelling a chance to see the artist take a slight incident and create a truly mysterious event. (All ages) Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Lesson

I would use this as a read aloud and have the students interpret this book for themselves and then discuss. Who do they think he is and why? After discussing the book the students could then do some journaling on the story.