Fiction Evaluation Form

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

Your Name Renata Couyette Book Title Oscar and the Cricket
Author: Geoff Warning Illustrator: Geoff Warning

Genre: Fiction- Picture Book Publisher/Year: 2006

EVALUATE THE BOOK USING THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS

STYLE and Language: Explain the language used – word choices, sentence length, dialogue, rhythm, rhyme.
Explain unexpected insights or interesting information the reader learns from the story. Give examples form
the book for each one:

Word choice: bouncing, force, direction, stopping ,pulling, pushing, slowing down, smooth, straight line,
muscles.
Sentence length: One simple sentence
Dialogue: Oscar was unsure of what he found and how to play with it.
Rhythm: Its simple
Rhyme: No rhyme
Insights/interesting information in the back of the book has Information for the parent to do with the child to
try pushing a ball on smooth surface and on bumpy surface. And ask the child what the noticed?

CHARACTER – 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? Give examples of each from the book.

Main character: Oscar

Personality traits: Curious
How reader can relate to main character: Children love to explore and curious on how and why things roll.
Supporting characters: Cricket, Ted

1. PLOT: (Explains the major events in the story.) Summarize the plot

Oscar finds a ball and did not know what it was and meets a friend Cricket that tells him he needs
to push the ball with his paw to make it move. Cricket tells Oscar try rolling it down the hill, on a
path while hopping along helping Oscar with the question he asked as the ball rolled differently

2. SETTING – Explain the place and time of the book.

THEME- What is the story’s theme or lesson?

Setting: On the hill during fall.

Theme: Oscar learned that his ball rolled differently on different surfaces by pushing it up and
rolling the ball down by using his force to make things move.

ILLUSTRATION –Analyze the illustrations in the book (see Chapter 4 for details on the categories below.)
Choose a 2-page spread in the book to answer the following:
What Style (realism, surrealism, expressionism, impressionism, naïve, cartoon art)?
Cartoon art

Illustration and Text: explain how illustration and text combined to tell the story.
Then, explain what illustrations show that text does not explain? Illustration shows Oscar pushing the ball and cricket
hopping along and guiding Oscar into rolling the ball pushing the ball. What the Illustrations show that the text does not
explain was strong enough it did not show in the picture why Oscar was not strong enough.

Page design --Describe:

The Borders Spring fall colors red, brown,orange
Use of white/dark space: Dark space
Text placemen: Left to Right
Font size: Small to medium
Placement of illustrations: Covers the pages

3. 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____Intuitive age_________________ and the age__4 years old____________

Explain ONE cognitive development trait from the stage: Likes to ask lots of questions

Give examples from the book show how the book fits that trait and cognitive stage: Oscar kept
asking Cricket questions on why he ball moved a certain way on different surfaces.

ERIKSON – PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Name the stage ____Iniative Guilt__________________________ and the age_3-5 years_____

Explain ONE social development trait for this stage: Curiosity

Give examples from the book that support that social development trait and of this stage:
Oscar was curious of what he found and wanted to see what happens

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Identify the Age ___3-5_______________________________
Explain ONE emotional development trait for this age:
Determination and curiosity
Give examples from the book to illustrate that emotional development trait and this age:
Oscar was curious and determined to learn that force is required for his ball to move.