Fiction Evaluation Form

(Picture Books, Folklore, Modern Fantasy, Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Multicultural Books)

Your Name: Deanne Gonzales Book Title: Milo’s Hat Trick

Author: John Agee Illustrator: John Agee

Genre: Fiction (Modern Fantasy) Publisher/Year: Penguin Random House /

2001

EVALUATE THE BOOK USING THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS

STYLE and Language: Using examples from the book, explain the following: word choices,
dialogue, rhythm, rhyme and sentence length. Also, explain unexpected insights or interesting
information the reader learns from the story. Give examples.

There was no rhyming on the book at all but there was great word choices. The book has
some nice vocabulary words that can be taught to the children. The dialogue between the
characters were pretty normal and regular. It just seemed like they are regularly talking.
For example, when the circus manager was talking to Milo, he was most definitely furious,
“Tomorrow night, you better pull a rabbit out of your hat or else.”
CHARACTER – With examples from the book give the following: Who is the main
character? Explain the character’s personality traits.
How can the reader relate to the character, become involved in the story?
Who are the supporting characters?

The main character in this book is definitely Milo. The book is not only named after him
but everything also revolves around him in the book. Milo was not a very good magician in
the beginning of the story. It was explain that he was almost fired because his magic tricks
were just really bad. His card trick was botched, his rotary was tangled, and most
definitely, there was no rabbit in his hat. Although, Milo learned how to be a good magician
because of a good friend. Once he met the bear, he became a great magician and together,
they became the circus sensation. In the end, once the bear had to say goodbye due to
hibernation, Milo learned from the bear. He was the one doing the magic tricks such as
jumping in the hat and jumping out.

The readers will be able to relate and learn from Milo because just like everyone, they
have to learn little by little, they have to learn from someone. Just like Milo, he was not a
very magnificent magician in the beginning. He, then learned how to be able to jumped
through hats by imagining his bones turning into rubber just like the bear said.
1. PLOT: summarize the major events in the story-
Milo was not a very great magician. His magic tricks were all ruined during the show and
got the circus manager mad. The manager told him that he must find a rabbit to jump out
of his hate or he will be fired. Milo found a bear instead of a rabbit and this bear turned
out to be extremely helpful. He showed Milo that he was able to jump in and out of his hat
and decided that he will help Milo perform magic tricks at the circus. The two were doing
amazing at the circus but one day, the bear got tired and decided that it was time for his
hibernation (long sleep). Milo decided that he will still keep doing his magic tricks in front
of his huge crowd but this time, he will be the one jumping in and out of the hats. Just like
how the bear showed him, legs turning into rubber.
2. SETTING – Explain the place and time of the book.
THEME- What is the story’s theme/message?

Setting: The time and place of this book seemed modern. Yet not too modern since people
are still going to circus and wearing hats.
Theme: I believe that the message of this book was that there are many different kinds of
people that we will meet in life and most of them will leave an impression and a
lesson. In this particular book, the bear taught Milo how to be able to jump through
hats by thinking of his legs like rubber. When the bear had to say farewell, Milo was
able to learn and copy the bear.
ILLUSTRATION –Analyze the illustrations for the book you selected (see Chapter 4) with the
categories below:
Choose a 2-page spread in the book to answer the following:
What Style (realism, surrealism, expressionism, impressionism, naïve, cartoon art)?
expressionism

Media choices (paints, oils watercolors, pencil, pen, charcoal, crayons, acrylic, chalk) :
colored pencil

Give examples and describe how the following visual elements are used in the
illustrations:
Line: the lines in the book are mostly straight, indicating the there is not much movement
going on in the pages
Shapes the shapes were curvy and some are straight. In the nature, when Milo was looking
for a rabbit to capture, the shapes were curvy yet straight to show the tree he was hiding
from
Color it was a colorful book but the brightness was not too bright. If anything, the book is
somewhat washed out which was interesting. Since colored pencil was used, the blending
and the shadow and the light was created beautifully by adding more white for the lighter
areas and darker colors on the shadowy parts
Texture texture in this book was not really thought of. There was absolutely no texture, the
images were extremely smooth

Explain how illustration and text are combined to tell the story. What do illustrations show that text
does not explain?
In this page, when the manager was yelling at Milo, it did not show that Milo's audience
were extremely not happy with him and decided to throw eggs on him which it was showed
in the illustrations but was not mentioned in the text.

Page design: Summarize the following: placement of illustrations and text; the use of borders and white/dark
space; are both pages designed the same or differently?
The left of the two pages had no boarders and just filled the whole page with the
illustration while the right of the two had the illustration in the middle of the page and a
white boarder around the page with the text written on top and bottom
CHILD DEVELOPMENT THEORIES – CHOOSE 2 of theories below and evaluate the book according to
the developmental theories. (How the book fits the developmental stage and age?)

PIAGET-COGNITIVE-INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
Name the stage: pre-operational
and the age: 2 - 7 years

Explain the cognitive development from the stage: language and vocabulary developing
rapidly; develops concepts of friends, death, birth, sharing, good/bad; fantasy and
imaginative play

Give examples from the book show how the book fits the cognitive stage: the book had
a pretty good word choice which will hep the children increase and develop their language
skills and vocabulary words, for example, the beginning of the book, the manager was
described as furious. That can be a great new word for the children to learn
ERIKSON – PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Name the stage: 4
and the: school - age

Explain the social development for this stage: they are able to complete some tasks that
are given to them with time allotted; they are able to learn and perfected some skills such
as reading, school subjects, physical skills (riding a bike or a sport)
Give examples from the book that support the social development of this stage: the
students will be able to understand that it is not easy and that it takes time to be able to
perfect some magic tricks and that Milo could not just learn how to jump in and out of
hats.
Emotional DEVELOPMENT
Identify the Age: 7 - 11 years
Explain the emotional development for the age: understands that people can have more
than one emotion at a time; emphatic, understands that they are able to ask others to
explain about the emotions they are feeling

Using examples from the book, explain how the book fits the emotional development of
the age: by the end of the book, when the bear felt tired, Milo understood that the he
needed to go back to his home so he can rest. Milo took him to his cave in order to rest
better. In this case, I believe that since the students will be more emphatic and also
understand that it is the right choice to bring the bear back to its home in order to
hibernate
2. Overall Rating of the book (3 highest - 1 lowest) 1 2 3
Comments: (Support your overall rating)
the book was easy to understand and I genuinely enjoyed that the bear and Milo became
friends and helped each other.