The Chalk Box Kid

The Chalk Box Kid

By: Clyde Robert Bulla

Grades 3-5

REALISTIC FICTION

This book is a very touching and would be great to use in a future classroom! The book is about a 9 year old boy named Gregory who experiences many upsets throughout his lifetime. At the beginning of the book Gregory's father loses his job at the factory and they as a family have to move to a smaller house on the poorer side of town. The students he went to school with at his new school weren't really accepting of him. Also at his new house he had no place to play so he had to come up with something to do. One day Gregory goes out and discovers an old burned-out factory near his house. Gregory was able to locate old chalk amongst the debris and begins to draw flowers on the blackened walls. He continued and continued to draw flowers and developed a flower garden. He became very excited and realized he had finally found his own voice through his art and his own secret place to go. Gregory and his family's life eventually turns around but he has now found his own voice. I feel many students in the classroom could relate well to this book because many probably have experienced similar loss or loss in general in their lives. Students could probably make a connection to their own lives and express how they dealt with their loss and found their own voice.