Review: Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem
I am a long time fan of Kate DiCamillo. Her writing is whimsical and inspiring. She's the kind of author I want my kids to read because of her playfulness with words and her ability to make difficult concepts accessible through story.
Her latest book continues the adventures on Deckawoo Drive with Stella Endicott, a poem, and a pig.
Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All of my opinions are my own!
Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem by Kate DiCamillo, Chris Van Dusen Published by Candlewick Press on June 9, 2020
Genres: Children's, Middle Grade
Pages: 96
Source: NetGalley
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Metaphor alert! An ode to a certain pig kicks off one wild school day in Kate DiCamillo’s latest stop on Deckawoo Drive.
Stella Endicott loves her teacher, Miss Liliana, and she is thrilled when the class is assigned to write a poem. Stella crafts a beautiful poem about Mercy Watson, the pig who lives next door — a poem complete with a metaphor and full of curiosity and courage.But Horace Broom, Stella's irritating classmate, insists that Stella’s poem is full of lies and that pigs do not live in houses. And when Stella and Horace get into a shouting match in the classroom, Miss Liliana banishes them to the principal’s office. Will the two of them find a way to turn this opposite-of-a-poem day around?
In the newest spirited outing in the Deckawoo Drive series by Kate DiCamillo, anything is possible — even a friendship with a boy deemed to be (metaphorically speaking) an overblown balloon.
My Thoughts
Kate DiCamillo captures kids in an amazing way. One of the greatest struggles in teaching metaphor to children is concrete thinking. They take everything so literally. In Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem, Kate DiCamillo introduces two polarized characters: the imaginative thinker and the literal thinker.
It is so fun to journey through their literal conflict as they metaphorically represent the struggle with creating good metaphors. Stella is constantly dreaming up ideas while Horace purposes to bring her back to reality. I love how they work through their problem and learn from one another in the end.
This book took me on a journey back through the Mercy Watson series and then the other Tales from Deckawoo Drive. These books are just as serious as they need to be. They're great tools for encouraging struggling readers to keep reading!
Other Kate DiCamillo Favorites
I find books by Kate DiCamillo are some of the most re-read books in our home library. We fell in love when my youngest read Because of Winn-Dixie and LOVED it. The conversations that were generated from this book were meaningful and deep.
Some of our other favorites include:
Betsy Strauss is an unexpected homeschooler, mother of three, who is in a relationship with a sweet man for life. She loves reading books, drinking coffee, and learning anything with her kids.