Rating: 5/5
Illustrations: Emily Arnold McCully
"Nora's Ark" is a very inspiring book and implies so many good morals to young readers. The plot of this book is based off of the bible story "Noah's Ark" however this story takes place on a farm and is about a man who is building a new house for his wife. While Grandma thinks that the house is unnecessary at the time it turns out that this house was the only thing that helped the town survive the Vermont Flood of 1927 since it was on such high ground. One of my favorite lines in this books is "is just gravy". This line suggests that while "gravy" is nice it isn't necessary in order to enjoy "mashed potatoes" which is used to reference life. This teaches children to appreciate the things that they have and also suggests that materialistic items aren't essential in order to be happy. The things you can't live without are the things you can't replace such as friends and family. "I never sanded them out because they remind me of what's important: family and friends and neighbors helping neighbors. Like Grandma said, everything else is just gravy". I think that this line is so powerful since it references a term that was established the first page of the book and reinforces the significance behind the overall meaning of the book. Also the characters of Grandma and Grandpa are two of the most generous people you could imagine. Grandma allows most of the town into her home in order to keep them safe from the storm. In addition to that she provides them with bread and blankets and even lets farm animals into her brand new home. Also Grandpa went into the storm with the neighborhood boys to help them herd their cattle to higher ground, he risked his own life in order to help others. The concept of death is also touched on in the story when all of Grandma and Grandpa's farm animals die however, Grandma expresses that everything will be alright as long as they have each other. Even though they were basically starting their lives over nothing else mattered except that they were all safe. Grandpa is not afraid to express his emotion when he cries about the loss of their animals, this can teach children that no matter how old you are it good to show how you feel. When the entire neighborhood came together in a time of crisis they supported one another and showed compassion, and that friendship and generosity is how these individuals survived the flood. All of these concepts should be exhibited in the classroom because they exemplify such good morals and show children the meaning of appreciation and love. This book inspired me personally, and I hope to use it in my own classroom in order to set an example for my students through the admirable qualities of Grandma, Grandpa, and the whole town.
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