Edwardo: The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World

Book:  Edwardo: The Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World (Book Link)
Author: John Burningham (Author Link)
Illustrator: John Burningham (Illustrator Link)
Publisher: Random House Publisher
Date of Publication: 2006
Genre: Picture Book, Diverse Protagonists
Lexile Score: Unavailable - Intended for age 4-8
Citation: Burningham, J. (2007). Edwardo the Horriblest Boy in the Whole Wide World. NY: Random House.

Summary:  In this book the main character Edwardo is pictured in a variety of different scenes.  In the beginning of the book he isn't very good at anything, and everyone says that he is the worst one ever at that specific task.  An example is, "From time to time, Edwardo was nasty to little children.  You are a nasty bully, Edwardo.  You are the nastiest boy in the whole wide world.  Edwardo became nastier and nastier."  Situations similar to this one kept happening until he was called the "horriblest boy in the whole wide world".  It was then that his luck began to shift.  Suddenly with a change of prospective things he was doing made him look great.  An example being, when his room was really messy he threw everything outside.  By chance all of his items fell into a donation truck, and the driver was thankful of his giving heart.  In the end these situations helped everyone realize that Edwardo was not the horriblest boy in the whole world, but "the nicest boy in the whole wide world." 

Audience:  I would say this book would be targeted at grades first through fourth.  The illustrations look to be hand drawn, and make it easy to understand what is happening page to page.  This book could be used to show that just because someone does something that you disagree with, or makes you mad one day doesn't mean they are a bad person.  Sometimes they just need a second chance, and for you to look at them with a new perspective.  It would be a good time to question the students to have them make connections if they have been in a similar situation.  

Evaluation: A few literary elements that add to story line of this book is, Developing the Order of Events."  The textbook explains that, "Readers expect a story to have a good beginning, one that introduces the action and characters in an enticing way."  I think that this book does just that in how it introduces Edwardo.  The main character is introduced and with the story line you can tell that people aren't that fond of him.  However as the story progresses I think it does take a turn that the readers wouldn't expect.  Suddenly instead of everyone thinking Edwardo is awful, they start to think that he is the best.  This could be relatable to show the classroom that even though you might not like someone now, it doesn't mean that you can't be friends in the future.

Activity: 
Character Tracking:  The students are given a sheet with a face in the middle.  They then have to fill in the three bubbles surrounding it.  The main bubble is for a Story Event, where they fill in something the character took part of during the story.  The other bubbles are My name is… and I feel…,where they can note which character they’re talking about and how they feel during the specific event.