The Recess Queen

Book:  The Recess Queen (Book Link)
Author: Alexis O'Neill (Author Link)
Illustrator: Laura Huliska-Beith (Illustrator Link)
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date of Publication: 2002
Genre: Picture Book
Lexile Score: AD550L
Citation: ONeill, A. (2002). The Recess Queen. New York, N: Scholastic.

Summary:  In this story a girl named 'Mean Jean' runs the playground.  She doesn't want anyone to play with her, or with her things on the playground.  She basically is the playground bully until a new student named Katie Sue shows up.  Katie Sue didn't let anything anyone else did bother her.  She just ran around the playground freely and jumped rope.  She sang a song about how she wanted Jean to play with her.  Jean didn't really know what to do because she never had anyone else stand up to her.  Until one day Jean decided she wasn't getting anywhere being mean to people, and decided to jump rope with Katie Sue.  From then on Jean was happy and kind and recess was a fun place again.  All the other children were no longer scared of Jean and realized that they could all play together. 

Audience:  I would say this book would be targeted at grades first through fourth.  The book has a relatable topic that the children in those grades would be able to connect to.  Since they are still at the age when they get to go play on the playground they might be facing similar problems.  They would be able to use strategies that the book mentions on how to solve problems.  They will also be able to realize that when someone isn't being nice they can find a way to work through it.  

Evaluation:  I would consider this to be a  high quality picture book.  The author uses many features that are mentioned in the text book to enhance the story.  One feature being that there is a strong connection between the illustrations and text.  The illustrations were helpful in understanding what was happening on the page.  Especially if you were to read this with a younger group of student, I believe they would still understand the message.  The characters have vivid facial expressions that I think students would pick up on as well.  For instance if the characters are scared of Mean Jean they are visibly drawn with scared faces.  This might be a good connections to emotions in young grades as well.  Before reading the book you could have the children demonstrate each emotion via facial expression. 

Activity: 
Visualize as you read:  For this activity they are given a worksheet with a pair of glasses on it.  In the lenses of the glasses they have to draw what they are visualizing in the book.  Then underneath the each lens they have to write what is happening in the book.  This might be a good activity to do if you are reading aloud to the whole group, and they could be working along as you read.