What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wednesday Surprise
Anna and Grandma are planning a surprise for Dad's birthday. Dad thinks he has received all his presents, but Grandma stands up and gives him the best one of all: she reads aloud the stories that Anna has taught her.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
10 people are currently reading
555 people want to read
About the author
Eve Bunting
314 books410 followersAlso known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.
Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.
Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.
In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.
Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.
Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.
In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
September 4, 2013
The Wednesday Surprise is a sweet family story that simply warms the heart. Every Wednesday Anna’s grandmother comes to the house to watch her while her mother works late and her father is out on the road. Anna and her grandmother spend the evenings reading stories together and planning a special surprise for her father’s birthday. Her father’s birthday finally arrives and it is time for Anna and her grandmother to reveal their special secret. As the family gathers around Grandma begins to read a book. Mom and Dad and Sam are all astonished. Anna and her grandmother are glowing because their Wednesday surprise has wowed the whole family. Anna taught her grandmother how to read and now she might just read everything in the world!
Leave it to Eve Bunting to get the water works flowing through her heart felt story about family, love, and the beautiful gift of literacy. The illustrations, the plot twist and sweet messages conveyed in this book make it a wonderful story worth sharing with children of all ages.
Leave it to Eve Bunting to get the water works flowing through her heart felt story about family, love, and the beautiful gift of literacy. The illustrations, the plot twist and sweet messages conveyed in this book make it a wonderful story worth sharing with children of all ages.
December 4, 2009
This book is one of my favorites! It is obvious that someone in the story is learning how to read, (for a birthday surprise) but the reader is a surprise. I think that book shows the generation and culture gaps that existed (and still do today). I feel that literacy is often taken for granted today, and this book could be a useful resource to show students what a gift reading can be!
February 18, 2010
The Wednesday Surprise is intended for students in kindergarten through third grade. It is a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and an ALA Notable Book (1989). This is a heartwarming story about a granddaughter and her successful efforts to teach her grandmother how to read as a birthday surprise for another family member. The importance of literacy, family, and love are all present throughout the book.
The main themes of the book are literacy, love, and family. The main focus of the book is on the lessons old and young share when they love, believe in each other, and learn to read each other's hearts. This heartwarming story of an unexpected birthday surprise of learning to read has a message about adult literacy and the importance of learning to read before you are an adult. The illustrations are beautiful and are done with watercolors, colors that are subtle, yet colorful. They compliment the story well and are the perfect addition in helping to support this story of a warm and loving family. This story would be best used in the classroom to when discussing or writing about the importance of family and learning how to read.
The main themes of the book are literacy, love, and family. The main focus of the book is on the lessons old and young share when they love, believe in each other, and learn to read each other's hearts. This heartwarming story of an unexpected birthday surprise of learning to read has a message about adult literacy and the importance of learning to read before you are an adult. The illustrations are beautiful and are done with watercolors, colors that are subtle, yet colorful. They compliment the story well and are the perfect addition in helping to support this story of a warm and loving family. This story would be best used in the classroom to when discussing or writing about the importance of family and learning how to read.
Read
July 10, 2015An activity I would implement after reading this book, would be to invite the grandparents to the classroom and have them read books to the class or the children read to them. This would be great for getting families involve in the class.
September 6, 2013
The Wednesday Surprise is about a young girl named Anna who spends time with her grandmother every Wednesday night planning a surprise for her dad's birthday. Anna and her grandmother are keeping their surprise from the entire family and plan to unveil it at the dad's birthday party. Little does the family know that the surprise was that Anna taught her grandmother how to read!
It's clear from the first picture of the story with Anna peering out the window that Anna is very close to her grandmother. For weeks, when the rest of the family was out of the house, the two of them would get together and practice reading. They kept their mission secret from everyone else, which implies a very close bond between the two of them.
This book explores the issue of adult literacy and literacy development. The grandmother advises the grandson at the end of the book, "It's much smarter if you learn to read when you're young. . . The chance may pass along with the years." Not only was grandmother's surprise a gift for her son, it was also a gift to herself.
I think this is a great book to teach the importance of literacy learning. More specifically, the challenges an adult faces when learning to read versus what a child endures when learning to read. It could be used to focus discussions around the importance of learning to read while in school, as well as the effects of positive relationships.
It's clear from the first picture of the story with Anna peering out the window that Anna is very close to her grandmother. For weeks, when the rest of the family was out of the house, the two of them would get together and practice reading. They kept their mission secret from everyone else, which implies a very close bond between the two of them.
This book explores the issue of adult literacy and literacy development. The grandmother advises the grandson at the end of the book, "It's much smarter if you learn to read when you're young. . . The chance may pass along with the years." Not only was grandmother's surprise a gift for her son, it was also a gift to herself.
I think this is a great book to teach the importance of literacy learning. More specifically, the challenges an adult faces when learning to read versus what a child endures when learning to read. It could be used to focus discussions around the importance of learning to read while in school, as well as the effects of positive relationships.
Read
January 25, 2017Wednesday Surprise is a heart-felt story that shows the positive experiences you can have with books. Anna and her grandmother get to spend time with just the two of them every Wednesday while the rest of Anna's family is busy. Anna and her grandmother have a great idea for Anna's father's birthday which is coming up soon. Every Wednesday, they practice and practice, making sure her father's present is perfect. On his birthday, he is showered with many gifts, and they save Anna and her grandmother's for last. What they didn't expect was Anna's grandmother reading a whole story book. After so many years of not knowing how to read, she decided it was time and asked her granddaughter to help her. This surprise was the best one Anna's dad received.
This story helps exhibit the importance of reading. Reading has the ability to form deep connections with people and it is never too late to start. For example, Anna will probably never forget teaching her grandmother to read, thus creating a positive memory towards reading for her. As for her grandmother, she created a experience with her grandchild that she will cherish forever. It is very important to create experiences that leaves a positive memory of reading to show its importance.
This story helps exhibit the importance of reading. Reading has the ability to form deep connections with people and it is never too late to start. For example, Anna will probably never forget teaching her grandmother to read, thus creating a positive memory towards reading for her. As for her grandmother, she created a experience with her grandchild that she will cherish forever. It is very important to create experiences that leaves a positive memory of reading to show its importance.
September 3, 2014
The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting is a touching story about the gift of reading. A young girl secretly teaches her grandmother to read as a birthday present for the girl's father. Over the course of the story, the reader knows the two are planning their secret and that it involves bags of books. However, it isn't revealed until the end that the grandmother is the one learning to read. This picture book gently raises the issue of adult illiteracy, a concept that may not be familiar to some young audiences. Children are typically raised to see adults as the experts and it may baffle some to realize that not all adults can read. The book also positions the young narrator in a position of power. Being literate, she has the power to teach and spread knowledge to her grandmother, an unusual role reversal. By the end of the book, the grandmother now feels empowered and excited having learned to read even stating that now she just might read everything in the world. The beautiful thing about this book is that the illiterate character is never looked down upon or viewed as less throughout the book. Altogether it is an enjoyable read.
September 2, 2013
This little gem of a book is one of my favorites. Because we are primarily a toy store our picture books are arranged by title. I know this sacrilege to many a book lover out there but it just can't be helped. It's kept way down on the bottom shelf where hardly anyone ventures. Needless to say this book rarely gets looked at. And it occasionally gets "eaten" by one of its neighbors. (We've missed a few times during inventory due to this only to find it when someone tries to buy Wemberly Worried or William's Doll) If a customer were to happen to find it, and read it, I'm sure they would love it as much as I do. It's the story of a Grandmother and her Granddaughter who share books on Wednesdays. I won't give away the surprise. You'll have to discover that for yourself.
October 13, 2011
Reading The Wednesday Surprise was really enjoying and it really made me miss being little, and being away from home without my family. I think this would be a great story that little girls would love to read. It really makes you feel special and be thankful for what you have in your life, and to know that people out there really do care about you and love you. I was never really close to my grandparents since 2 of them lived pretty far away from me, so I only got to really see them on the holidays. Then my other grandparents,my grandpa died when I was little, and me and my grandma never really got along, and she passed away almost 5 years ago. By I never had reading days like this girl did with her Grandma in the story. I think a great activity to have kids do with this book would be, remembering a day they spent with someone special and what they did that made it memorable, and share it with the class.
May 13, 2012
Anna and her grandmother have a Wednesday secret. Wednesdays are when Mom stays late at work, her brother goes to basketball practice and Dad is driving his big truck and won't be home til Saturday for his birthday party. That's part of the surprise; Anna and Grandma are planning the surprise for his birthday. Grandma comes to take care of Anna on Wednesdays when everyone else is away. She always brings a big bag with her. When everyone is gone Anna and Grandma sit on the couch and reach into the bag and pull out...books! They read together for a long time each Wednesday evening. By Saturday, they are ready to surprise everyone. Finally the day is here and after all of the gifts have been opened and the cake eaten, Grandma stands up to present the last present. Anna hands her a book and Grandma reads the book to everyone present. You see, Grandma couldn't read until Anna taught her how.
A fabulous story for multi-generational families.
A fabulous story for multi-generational families.
September 4, 2013
The Wednesday Surprise is about a girl named Anna who secretly teaches her grandmother how to read. In the beginning of the book, the reader seems to think that the Grandmother is teaching Anna to read, but in the end it turns out that the Grandmother learned to read from Anna. They are secretly learning how to read every Wednesday to surprise Anna's dad for his birthday. At his birthday party, everyone gathers around to listen to his mom read aloud.
My overall impression was that it was a sweet book with a nice twist where a little girl teaches her grandmother how to read. The word surprise in the title caught my eye because I love surprises and it made me curious as to what the surprise was. The cover has soft color tones where it seems a happy surprise. The characters on the cover are in the center but are not looking at the reader. The characters are at a close distance so the reader feels closer to them and might be able to relate to them.
My overall impression was that it was a sweet book with a nice twist where a little girl teaches her grandmother how to read. The word surprise in the title caught my eye because I love surprises and it made me curious as to what the surprise was. The cover has soft color tones where it seems a happy surprise. The characters on the cover are in the center but are not looking at the reader. The characters are at a close distance so the reader feels closer to them and might be able to relate to them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
April 30, 2014Anna is a young polite and compassionate young girl who has a very close relationship and special bond with her grandmother. Anna decides to surprise her family by teaching her grandmother how to read. The surprise is even more special to her father because it is on his birthday that Anna decides to show everyone her grandmother’s new reading skills that Anna helped her with. The story is very impressive and unique in the thought that Anna was the one to teach her grandmother how to read. I would for sure read this story to young students because it is a unique story and really shows the importance of reading and writing. A lot of kids don’t like reading at some ages and it mostly because it isn’t an easy task for them. I like this book so much because of the message it sends to the reader that, you are never too old to try something new and also that reading opens endless doors to people.
October 19, 2011
I thought this was a very good book. The grade levels that would be able to read this by them selves would be 3rd grade and up. This is also a great book for teachers to read outloud to the lower grades as well. Kid loves their grandmothers so whenever stories involve them, i remember kids always wanting to tell stories of their own grandmothers. They seem to always enjoy hearing about family members in books.
I really liked how in the end, the grandmother was actually being taught how to read by her grand daughter. An activity i thought would be really good was to have the kids go home and read a story to a family member whether it's their grandmother or someone else. When the get back to class after reading to them, they would tell me how it was and if they were proud about what they read.
I really liked how in the end, the grandmother was actually being taught how to read by her grand daughter. An activity i thought would be really good was to have the kids go home and read a story to a family member whether it's their grandmother or someone else. When the get back to class after reading to them, they would tell me how it was and if they were proud about what they read.
September 2, 2013
This story was so heartwarming because it revolved around a grandmother and her granddaughter's , Anna, strong bond. On Wednesday nights, the grandmother would go over to Anna's house and would spend her time preparing a very special surprise. Anna wanted to give her father a very special gift for his birthday. Through out the story, I was so anxious to find out what the surprise was!
When it was time that the father came home for his birthday, I was shocked. All along, it turned out being that Anna had been teaching her grandmother how to read and not the other way around. I would have thought that the grandmother was teaching Anna how to read. The surprise was very much appreciated by her whole family and they were proud of her grandmother. I learned that it is never too late to learn a new skill and Anna's grandmother proved it.
When it was time that the father came home for his birthday, I was shocked. All along, it turned out being that Anna had been teaching her grandmother how to read and not the other way around. I would have thought that the grandmother was teaching Anna how to read. The surprise was very much appreciated by her whole family and they were proud of her grandmother. I learned that it is never too late to learn a new skill and Anna's grandmother proved it.
July 13, 2012
The Wednesday Surprise is a picture book about learning how to read. The illustrations are full-color paintings in light colored hues. In the story, Anna’s grandma comes to visit every Wednesday to eat dinner with Anna and her brother while dad is on the road trucking. Grandma and Anna also have special time together reading books from a large, lumpy bag full of books that grandma brings each week. They are going to surprise Anna’s dad on his birthday. When initially reading the book, you would think that grandma is teaching Anna to read, but as the story progresses you find out that Anna taught grandma. It’s a very heartfelt story about family and how it’s never too late to learn how to read.
August 26, 2012
The Wednesday Surprise is about a young girl, Anna, and her grandmother planning a surprise for her dad's birthday. The book progresses on as the grandmother comes to visit, and see that she and Anna enjoy reading books together. At the end of the story, Grandma gathers the family, picks up a book, and starts to read aloud. Everyone is astonished, and you find out that the "Wednesday surprise" was that Anna had been teaching her grandma how to read every Wednesday when she came to visit.
I thought that this was a relatively boring book, and was also pretty unclear. It seemed to jump around and I found myself looking back and wondering how I got to this place in the story. The ending was the only thing I liked about it because I was honestly surprised, but I wouldn't read it again.
I thought that this was a relatively boring book, and was also pretty unclear. It seemed to jump around and I found myself looking back and wondering how I got to this place in the story. The ending was the only thing I liked about it because I was honestly surprised, but I wouldn't read it again.
January 21, 2013
The Wednesday Surprise is about a girl, Anna, and her grandmother who read together every Wednesday night. Anna's fathers birthday is coming up, and the girl and her grandmother are planning some sort of a surprise. When her dad finally arrives home, they give him the big present. Anna had taught her grandmother to read!
This is a sweet, touching story of a bond between a girl and her grandmother. Throughout the story I assumed it was of course Anna's grandmother teaching her to read, but I came to find out it was the other way around. The only thing I found odd was their choice of dinner for Wednesdays: hot dogs. They are definitely not a healthy weekly meal choice. But I would suggest this book to students to connect reading between generations!
This is a sweet, touching story of a bond between a girl and her grandmother. Throughout the story I assumed it was of course Anna's grandmother teaching her to read, but I came to find out it was the other way around. The only thing I found odd was their choice of dinner for Wednesdays: hot dogs. They are definitely not a healthy weekly meal choice. But I would suggest this book to students to connect reading between generations!
April 30, 2014
A young girl, Anna, teaches her grandmother how to read and surprises her family with the new achievement on her dad’s birthday. This would be a good story to read to show the students the importance of knowing how to read. This book is meant for younger children who are learning how to read. I enjoyed this book because I thought it was a sweet story of a grandmother and her granddaughter planning a nice surprise for her dad. When stories are loving and show that families are caring for one another can also show some readers who may not believe in that time of caring/loving family lifestyle that it is out there. I really enjoyed this book because it really shows the true meaning of family and how much it means to people.
August 27, 2014
This is a really nice book about a little girl, Anna, and her grandmother planning a surprise for Anna's father's birthday. Each Wednesday, Grandmother comes to Anna's house and Anna's been teaching Grandmother to read. On the father's birthday, after all the presents have been opened, Anna's grandmother stands before the father and reads a book. The entire family is surprised and the father is moved to tears.
I read this story aloud to my fifth grade students, and they really enjoyed it as well. They were all surprised when it was revealed that Grandmother didn't know how to read and that it was the little girl who taught her how to read. It also led to a nice discussion about working hard for what you want and not giving up when you're faced with a difficult situation (perseverance).
I read this story aloud to my fifth grade students, and they really enjoyed it as well. They were all surprised when it was revealed that Grandmother didn't know how to read and that it was the little girl who taught her how to read. It also led to a nice discussion about working hard for what you want and not giving up when you're faced with a difficult situation (perseverance).
January 17, 2016
Eve Bunting's The Wednesday Surprise is a story about a 7 year old girl named Anna and her grandmother meeting up each Wednesday, while everyone else is out of the house, to prepare a special present for Anna's father's upcoming birthday.
The illustrations are really well done and make you think "this is a picture book." The illustrations take up most of both pages, but leaves enough room for the text to not appear cramped. Donald Carrick takes great care to put as much detail into every picture as possible, but he sometimes forgets to put grandma's wedding band on her ring finger. I especially like looking for the cat in the backgrounds and seeing what it's up to (especially on page 22).
The illustrations are really well done and make you think "this is a picture book." The illustrations take up most of both pages, but leaves enough room for the text to not appear cramped. Donald Carrick takes great care to put as much detail into every picture as possible, but he sometimes forgets to put grandma's wedding band on her ring finger. I especially like looking for the cat in the backgrounds and seeing what it's up to (especially on page 22).
August 26, 2012
I found this book to be a cute storyline with a surprise! Reading the book we of course believe that it is the Grandma reading to her granddaughter Anna, who goes over on Wednesday night to have dinner with her and her brother every week. Both Grandma and Anna enjoy reading books together. With her dad being a truck driver, Grandma and Anna planned a special birthday surprise for him. While reading the book you become aware that it is Anna actually teaching her Grandma to read. Her dad is pleased to find out his birthday surprise. It is a good book to read to children, so they can see it is never to late to learn anything no matter how old you are!
February 14, 2019
A seven-year-old girl and her grandmother plan a wonderful surprise for her dad's birthday. Illustrations are heartwarming, especially the facial expressions.
August 2, 2024
Twist ending!
September 1, 2014
If you want to be surprised at the end of a story then The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting is for you! Anna a young girl waits for her grandmother to come over every Wednesday so they can work on a big surprise for her father. In the story you’ll discover that Anna has a brother named Sam but he is not involved in the surprise at all. During the story the pictures capture the moments Anna and her grandmother are sharing but what you don’t realize is the real meaning behind them until you get to the end of the story. This book captures the sweet little moments of life and puts them into pictures that express such a great detail and love.
At the beginning of the story the grandma is waiting on a park bench to go to see her grandkids. On the following page is Anna waiting by the window. On the window Anna draws a birthday cake with her finger symbolizing she is excited to work on her fathers birthday gift. The colors and details of their faces show how much this family loves each other and how comfortable the setting is.
During the story Anna’s brother Sam will appear for a short time. They constantly bring up the fathers birthday but the grandma acts like she forgets about it purposely because they don’t want Sam to find out what they are up to.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when the grandma and Anna are on the couch reading together. Anna looks very interested in what the grandmother is saying. One of the quotes I loved from here was “ Only seven years old and smart as paint already!” Then Anna says “They’re all going to be so surprised on Saturday” while reading this part I thought the young girl Anna learned how to read a big chapter book and wanted to share it with them but it turns out differently at the end of the story....
Following on the other pages the father comes home and the family is portrayed to be very excited and you can tell while reading because in the pictures they all have smiles. Then its time for the father’s birthday! They get everything ready and invite grandma over. The best part of the book is when they all gather in the family room to open presents. The father is not expecting many gifts so when Anna announces her and her grandmother have one more gift the father can’t possibly guess what it is.
I won’t give the ending away but I’m going to say its one of my favorite endings in a children’s book by far. I think it captures real life situations and shows how families come together to better one another and show support. This is a great book for a child, teen, and adult.
At the beginning of the story the grandma is waiting on a park bench to go to see her grandkids. On the following page is Anna waiting by the window. On the window Anna draws a birthday cake with her finger symbolizing she is excited to work on her fathers birthday gift. The colors and details of their faces show how much this family loves each other and how comfortable the setting is.
During the story Anna’s brother Sam will appear for a short time. They constantly bring up the fathers birthday but the grandma acts like she forgets about it purposely because they don’t want Sam to find out what they are up to.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when the grandma and Anna are on the couch reading together. Anna looks very interested in what the grandmother is saying. One of the quotes I loved from here was “ Only seven years old and smart as paint already!” Then Anna says “They’re all going to be so surprised on Saturday” while reading this part I thought the young girl Anna learned how to read a big chapter book and wanted to share it with them but it turns out differently at the end of the story....
Following on the other pages the father comes home and the family is portrayed to be very excited and you can tell while reading because in the pictures they all have smiles. Then its time for the father’s birthday! They get everything ready and invite grandma over. The best part of the book is when they all gather in the family room to open presents. The father is not expecting many gifts so when Anna announces her and her grandmother have one more gift the father can’t possibly guess what it is.
I won’t give the ending away but I’m going to say its one of my favorite endings in a children’s book by far. I think it captures real life situations and shows how families come together to better one another and show support. This is a great book for a child, teen, and adult.
September 3, 2014
Anna is a seven-year-old girl who is easily excited. Her impatience to run down the stairs and wait by the door before her Grandma has time to walk up the front steps illustrates her contagious energy and excitement for the surprise she and Grandma are planning. The breathe pictures that she shows to Grandma symbolize their special bond because Grandma is the only one who knows what Anna has drawn. Grandma is as dedicated to the surprise as Anna. Whenever the subject of her son's birthday comes up, she acts as if she has forgotten all about it.
Children and adults of all ages feel an immediate connection with Anna and Grandma as they prepare a surprise for Anna's dad's birthday. They meet together on Wednesday when no one but her brother Sam is around, and they read picture books that Grandma has brought in her big, cloth bag. Grandma plays that absentminded, old lady when reminded of her son's birthday as is she and Anna “hadn't been working on [their] special surprise for weeks and weeks.” When Dad's birthday finally comes around, everything goes as planned and everyone present is in for the surprise of a life-time. I would rate this picture book a five star rating.
I loved how the reader was drawn into the story as they became a part of the surprise birthday gift. I actually felt like I was in the story. I felt excitement when I read that Grandma was coming. I felt a sense of importance as they got “down to business.” I felt butterflies in my stomach when Anna and Grandma were so nervous they felt sick. The artwork was realistic as if to add merit to the lifelike story. There was even a lesson at the end: you are never too old to learn.
Children and adults of all ages feel an immediate connection with Anna and Grandma as they prepare a surprise for Anna's dad's birthday. They meet together on Wednesday when no one but her brother Sam is around, and they read picture books that Grandma has brought in her big, cloth bag. Grandma plays that absentminded, old lady when reminded of her son's birthday as is she and Anna “hadn't been working on [their] special surprise for weeks and weeks.” When Dad's birthday finally comes around, everything goes as planned and everyone present is in for the surprise of a life-time. I would rate this picture book a five star rating.
I loved how the reader was drawn into the story as they became a part of the surprise birthday gift. I actually felt like I was in the story. I felt excitement when I read that Grandma was coming. I felt a sense of importance as they got “down to business.” I felt butterflies in my stomach when Anna and Grandma were so nervous they felt sick. The artwork was realistic as if to add merit to the lifelike story. There was even a lesson at the end: you are never too old to learn.
November 20, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Realistic
Grade Level: 1-2
This is a good story that will open up the eyes of some students. Hopefully by reading this they will realize that not everyone is lucky enough to be taught to read at such a young age. Reading this gave me a new appreciation for my education. It would be a great conversation starter and deals with uncommon themes. Overall a great read.
Grade Level: 1-2
This is a good story that will open up the eyes of some students. Hopefully by reading this they will realize that not everyone is lucky enough to be taught to read at such a young age. Reading this gave me a new appreciation for my education. It would be a great conversation starter and deals with uncommon themes. Overall a great read.
October 20, 2009
This is a beautiful and inspiring story about a 7 year old girl named Anna and her successful efforts to make her grandmother read. On Wednesdays, Grandma and Anna spend time together where they share in a wonderful surprise. They work together to share with one another the wonderful lessons of life. Grandma teaches Anna how to knit, and Anna teaches her European Immigrant grandmother how to read English. This is the surprise that Grandma gives to her son for his birthday.
This book definitely brought tears to my eyes! What a lovely story connecting generations to one another. I loved the bond I felt between the grandmother and Anna, and how much they both appreciated the gifts they had to offer. This book is a wonderful way to show students how literacy should not be taken for granted and how crucial it is to know how to read. I also loved this story because it showed that it is never too late to learn something new. This teaches everyone a beautiful lesson of life, and I look forward to sharing this wonderful story for generations.
This book definitely brought tears to my eyes! What a lovely story connecting generations to one another. I loved the bond I felt between the grandmother and Anna, and how much they both appreciated the gifts they had to offer. This book is a wonderful way to show students how literacy should not be taken for granted and how crucial it is to know how to read. I also loved this story because it showed that it is never too late to learn something new. This teaches everyone a beautiful lesson of life, and I look forward to sharing this wonderful story for generations.
May 7, 2011
This was the book that was sent home with my six year old daughter this week for homework and to make sure she does a good job on her AR tests, we have a system. On the first day she reads whatever book she has brought home to me, then on day two I read the same book to her, and finally on day three I re-read and ask questions to make sure she is retaining what she reads. This system quickly lets me know if my daughter and I like a book or not. If we are still enjoying the story on day three, it is probably a pretty good book.
This said, I would just like to add that we were still enjoying this story on day three. The Wednesday Surprise truly was a surprise. It is the story of one person's quest to learn how to read. The person I thought was learning to read was actually doing the teaching. But I don't want to give too much away, so pick up your own copy and find out how surprising The Wednesday Surprise really is!
This said, I would just like to add that we were still enjoying this story on day three. The Wednesday Surprise truly was a surprise. It is the story of one person's quest to learn how to read. The person I thought was learning to read was actually doing the teaching. But I don't want to give too much away, so pick up your own copy and find out how surprising The Wednesday Surprise really is!
April 22, 2014
The Wednesday Surprise is about a little girl named Anna and her grandma who are planning a surprise for her dad’s birthday that nobody knows about except her and her grandma, not even the reader. The dad drives trucks which means he is gone a lot and when he gets back the family has a birthday celebration for him. Just when he thought he was done opening present, Anna and her grandma give him the best one of all. The grandma sits down and starts reading a story. The surprise was that Anna taught her grandma how to read. This was a fun book to read because the reader was surprised just like the characters in the book. It also goes to show how important it is to know how to read. So many children may take reading for granted, when there are some people out there who were not given the opportunity to learn how to read. I loved this story! It was so heartwarming and inspiring and expresses the true love that family members have towards each other.
March 17, 2017
A grandmother and her young granddaughter, Anna, are working on a surprise for Anna's daddy's birthday. It's to be the best surprise ever. Everybody should know how to read, but for some it's a struggle, so Wednesday evenings when Grandma comes to babysit they spend the time reading books, then Grandma lugs heavy bags home with her to keep the secret a secret.
When Papa comes home from trucking all week, they're excited to see him. While he's sleeping (because he'd driven all night) Grandma arrives with a bag full of books. She and Anna hide it behind the couch.
After dinner, and after all the other gifts are given Papa, Anna drags out the bag of books. She tells her daddy it's a special surprise. She pulls out a book ... and it IS a wonderfully special surprise.
The ending of this story is so sweet. It may seem as if I've told the whole story, but I haven't. You have to read it to see what's so special about it.
When Papa comes home from trucking all week, they're excited to see him. While he's sleeping (because he'd driven all night) Grandma arrives with a bag full of books. She and Anna hide it behind the couch.
After dinner, and after all the other gifts are given Papa, Anna drags out the bag of books. She tells her daddy it's a special surprise. She pulls out a book ... and it IS a wonderfully special surprise.
The ending of this story is so sweet. It may seem as if I've told the whole story, but I haven't. You have to read it to see what's so special about it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews