Cornelius

Cornelius

Lionni, L. (1983). Cornelius. New York, NY: Alford A. Knopf, Inc.

Interest Level: k-2

Grade Level: 3.2
Theme: Being unique

Summary:

This is a charming fable about a young adventurous crocodile named, Cornelius. From the time Cornelius was hatched, he was different; he walked upright and he could see things that no other crocodile could see. For example, Cornelius boasts, “I can see far beyond the bushes!” To this, his crocodile friends reply, “What’s so good about that?” Cornelius, disappointed by their comments leaves the river bank. On his journey he meets a kindly monkey who has some attention-grabbing tricks of his own. Cornelius, who is unafraid of being different attempts to learn the monkey’s tricks and later ventures back to the riverbank in the hopes of impressing his crocodile friends.  

 Reflection:

Upon seeing a crafty display of Leo Lionni’s books in our local library, I couldn’t resist checking out two for my blog. The simple, yet colorful book covers just drew me in!

This was a wonderful read! It took me back to when my children were small and we would visit our local library for story time. Using literature to teach our small ones about kindness, compassion, and responsibility is such a gift to them. Lionni’s theme of being unique is inspiring; a lesson for all readers about being true to oneself and embracing one’s curiosity. The illustrations are charming, warm, and comprised of mostly earth tones; they do a wonderful job of supporting the text. They certainly draw the reader in for a closer look.
 
Using the Fry Readability Index, I found the book to be on the third grade level. This was determined by examining sentence length and syllables.

 Classroom Questions:

1.       Cornelius learned that sometimes friends don’t show their true feelings. How did Cornelius learn this lesson?

2.       Who learned more in the story, Cornelius or the other crocodiles? Why do you think this way?