Actually that is a misnomer. Yesterday I shared a new picture book called Cicada by Shaun Tan. The main character is a cicada, but it is also a metaphor for the outsiders of society. It is a very unsettling book. I read it to a group of rising 4th and 5th graders, and after we talked about the meaning of the story, I asked them who they thought would appreciate this book. We agreed the best audience would be in Middle School or older. Today as I stepped outside on this brutally hot day, I spotted this actual cicada on a table outside the library. Since it was dead, I can’t really say I brought learning to life but I did share it with the 4th and 5th grade class and they were quite intrigued by seeing an actual cicada up close.
