Three Smart Pals

Hello Reader Level 4

by Joanne Rocklin, Denise Brunkus (Illustrator)

Three friends find humorous solutions to several problems as they spend a sunny afternoon together.

Genres: Childrens

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

I was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the land of four distinct seasons. The winters are so long!

Wintry days and nights inspired me to read many, many books, the most important thing a writer can do. Of course other seasons inspired me, too! And as soon as I learned to hold a pencil I began writing poems, stories, and diaries.

I have always owned cats (or they have owned me, a cliché, but true!) Coincidentally, all our cats have been authors, and I’ve compiled their writing secrets in the essay “Why Cats Write.”

And I have always lived within walking distance of a library. (O.K. in California, within almost-walking, but driving distance!) I love to read and write, but I also love to talk--especially about writing.

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spanning the course of one summer day, this book has four chapters or stories that are pretty much separate from one another. The stories are very odd and silly, but have some educational foundations - logic, fractions, time and money. We enjoyed reading this book together, but I think the illustrations were the best part - our youngest immediately recognized Sal as resembling Junie B. Jones, since Denise Brunkus illustrated that series and this book, too.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun approach to learning and to teaching fractions. I used it for that purpose and to integrate reading in the math classroom. I think it helps students see fractions as something they use daily and not some obscure idea that they have to learn to pass the class.