How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Dragonfly Books)

I used this book with my first graders as a lead in to a writing activity at the beginning of the school year. They loved it!

My 2 year old son loves this book! The rhymes on each page are very soothing and the pictures are detailed and engaging. I thought it would be too old for him, but he likes it more every time we read it to him. We also pick out unexpected things in the pictures -- the bunny rabbit here, the slice of watermellon at the BBQ, etc. I highly recommend it!

This is a fun "back to school" book with a twist. The main character is asked to write about his summer vacation and he chooses to write something that is obviously fiction. He tells about being kidnapped by cowboys and spends the summer with them instead of with his aunt. I read this book to my second graders on the first day of school and they love it.Part of the way through the book I start hearing comments from them such as "he's not telling the truth", and "he's just kidding". There are many fun activities that can be done using this book as a springboard. I usually have my students write about their summer vacation and it can be the truth or it can be fiction. After their writing is complete they share it with the class and we guess whether it is the truth, or like the boy in the book, fiction.

I really enjoyed the book. I look forward to sharing this book with my students to start off our school year together. I'm going to use the book to help them get an idea to be creative about his or her own summer vacation to write a great story.

I'm a teacher and like to read this book to my students in the first week of school. Then I pose a challenge to them. I challenge them to tell me about their own summer vacation, but like Wallace, start out with the truth, and then let their imagination take over. I get completely ridiculous and fun stories about trips to the lake that end up as coronations as supreme master of planet zoorg. I highly recommend it.