Blueberries for Sal

 McCloskey, R. (1948). Blueberries for sal. New York: Penguin Book Group.

This classic story tells the story of a child named Sal who goes on an adventure of collecting blueberries with her mother. Sal sits down and stuffs herself full with yummy blueberries.  While Sal is eating many tasty berries, a baby bear nearby is also collecting blueberries with his mother. Oh no! Both Sal and the baby bear end up getting separated from their mothers.  Both the baby bear and Sal hear noises in the bushes and follow thinking it is their mother. Talk about confusion and conflict developing! Sal accidentally follows baby bears mother and baby bear accidentally follows Sal's mother. This beautifully illustrated book has always been one of my favorite books as a child.  I remember laughing at how the child and baby bear cub get into mischief and accidentally follow each others mother.  Also, the illustrations are very interesting and detailed with black ink. There is not a lot of color used in the illustrations but the pictures are still engaging. Preschool children would be able to grasp the concept and meaning of this story but the book would be too wordy for them.  This book would be most appropriate for K-1 students because the book is very predictable and the writing style is at that level. Questions that I asked myself while reading are "Will the baby bear eventually find his mother? Will Sal eventually find his mother? Will the baby bear and Sal meet face to face and become friends?" I would use this book in class by teaching students about nature and how animals and humans react with their environment.This is a book that I would recommend to every child to read at the K-1 level.  A BIG question I would ask students would be...."What action would you take if you ever accidentally got lost from your parents?"