A Photo for Greta by Anna Alter- OPTIONAL

Alter, Anna. A Photo for Greta, 40 pgs. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011.  $16.99.  Inside cover:  “Greta loves spending time with her dad.  She loves reading books with him, playing checkers in the park with him, and eating ice cream with him on Saturdays.  But Greta’s dad often has to travel far from home for work.  He’s an important photographer who takes pictures of astronauts, opera singers, and circus performers.  Greta has her own adventures while her dad is away, but she misses him.  When he finally returns home, Greta learns that taking pictures isn’t the only important thing to her dad.  Here’s a reassuring story about the special bond between fathers and daughters and the love that endures even when one of them has to be away from home.”  When I review books, I try to picture reading to my classroom and whether the book will keep the attention of the students.  I didn’t see that this book would really be an attention grabber.  We liked the tenderness of the bond between Greta and her father, but didn’t see a huge application to the school. (Unless doing a unit on careers or family).  EL (K-3).  OPTIONAL.  Reviewer:  SL.