John Quincy Adams second-grade students in Mrs. Kathy Fontaine’s class have been inspired by the literature of Lois Lowry’s series of Gooney Bird Books and brought her work to life through classroom activities and projects. While reading Gooney Bird Greene, they have studied the main character, a young girl named Gooney Bird whose name is as eccentric as her personality.  

Through reading this story, students gained an appreciation for the art of storytelling and the ability authors have to play with words and their meanings. Students also learned how to build a story and its components and have been exercising their writing abilities by creating their own “absolutely true stories,” based on Gooney Bird’s own tales, which feature word play and story context.

In order to get their creative juices flowing, students emulated Gooney Bird’s style and wore mix-matched outfits and odd accessories, expressing their individuality. Students used their vocabulary words to describe the character traits that make Gooney Bird unique and worked together to brainstorm book titles that entice readers and make a statement of interest.