Brave Irene is a story authored by William Stein and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The story communicates several themes to its readers including heroism, courage, responsibility, gratitude and nature. Irene, a young girl decides to help her exhausted mother deliver a package to the duchess since the gown is needed that night for an important function. The mother is reluctant at first but later decides to grant her permission to deliver it. The duchess lives in a palace a long way from Irene’s home. The weather is also unfavorable. It is snowing heavily and the mother fears for her daughter.
The book was illustrated by Al Gore. The illustration goes a long way to make the reading interesting considering that the target group is learners up to K2 grade. First, the choice of a young girl resonates well with the target audience. Irene is a young girl who is responsible and a huge challenge to children of her age who may not be ready to take up such responsibilities when left with their parents. Irene not only cares about her mother but also decides to risk her life and help her deliver the gown to the duchess. From the illustration, the book tries to instill a sense of responsibility on the listeners or readers.
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The storyline ensures that the themes are easy to understand. Al Gore made a perfect presentation which further allows the reader to identify the themes or the main message. For instance, at the start of the story, the reader is introduced to a small family constituting of Irene and her mother. The mother is busy and so her situation resonates with that of many parents having children in that age. Normally, the child would still expect the mother to go out of her way despite the exhaustion and take care of her (Irene). However, Irene is different, she prepares coffee and honey to keep her mother warm and requests for permission to deliver the gown. There are lessons for parents to learn as well. Although they should be cautious when allowing their children take up such challenges, it is important allowing the children grow and have a sense of responsibility. Irene’s clarity of thought is well reported through her courage. Throughout the journey to the palace, she faces the ruthless wind that at one point forces her to release the box containing the gown.
Somehow, nature has to work in her favor to ensure that the story ends as a comedy. If she did not get the gown at last, the story would have ended as a tragedy and Irene would not be well presented as a hero. The author, therefore, ensures that Irene finds the gown and the illustrator emphasizes on the section since it is the turning point in the story. It marks the turning point from suffering to a new phase where she is enjoying. Towards the end of the story, the theme of gratitude is well illustrated. The duchess is grateful due to Irene’s sacrifice. Therefore, she ensures that she is taken back home safely and spends the night happily at the palace. A child listening to the story would have all reasons to be responsible and imitate brave Irene.
There are several benefits of reading aloud as seen in this activity. First, the children have sharpened focus. Mane children struggle focusing on such an activity for long. The book is over thirty pages and so it would be hard for a child to read. However, when a parent reads aloud, the exercise is engaging and so the child’s focus is sharpened. Reading aloud requires concentration. Therefore, the children will have a better grasp of the content as compared to an exercise where they are supposed to read alone. Second, reading aloud realizes better comprehension among the children. The illustrator understands the sections to emphasize and the tone to use when reading out every section. The children are therefore well prepared to grasp the intended content. In most cases, there are questions at the end of the story to ensure that the children grasp the content. The children have a chance to improve their vocabulary. Since the exercise is engaging, the children can ask questions if they encounter a new vocabulary. The illustrator can also explain some of the vocabularies if he is not sure whether the children are aware of them.
Children in that age should be helped to develop good listening skills. The skills are needed as they grow up and engage in more complex activities. Reading aloud ensures that they listen attentively especially when the illustrator understands the tone to use when giving the story. Lastly, the stories intrigues the young learners’ minds. For instance, in Brave Irene’s story, the learners would be interested to know what happened after Irene was delivered home. What was her mother’s reaction? Did Irene narrate the experience to her classmates? As the learners ask questions, they understand the story well together with the intended themes. This resource can be used to encourage parents to read out stories to their children. Since many parents rarely find time to engage with their children, the story time can be used as a time to interact and the children would always look forward to the next session. The young learners are always ready to learn new things. The stories are also interesting and captivating. The exercise therefore serves as encouragement to parents to consider similar sessions to improve their children’s comprehension.
Reference
Steig, W. Brave Irene. Houghton Mifflin Harcout: 2011.
