"Dear Ms. Pinkney..."

There are quite a few students in my 5th grade classes who have read The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney. They gather in a gaggle to talk about the book whenever they are in the library. In the "you know a book has touched a reader when" category, one of the students wrote this...

The Red Pencil Message

Dear Ms. Pinkney,

Your book was one of my favorites, and I will never forget the events that happened in this book. Some of the events I was happy crying, and some events I was crying because the book was sad. For example, I cried from sadness when Dando died. He was one of my favorite characters, but I cried from happiness when at the end she decides to go to school. All the events I loved, but some touched me in particular.

I can’t even describe one of the parts in this book. When Amira found out that she loved art, I thought of myself. Amira loves drawing so much she draws everyday. I am on a swim team, and I love it so much I go to the pool everyday. She shows lots of passion for drawing. Like, I show passion for swimming. Back to my thoughts on the book, it's not about me. Another part of my favorite part is when she gets her red pencil. She loves how she can draw on real paper, not just the sand.

Something that really made the book stand out was the illustrations.There was a lot of detail to the drawings that made them realistic. The way the illustrator put the pictures in was perfect. I can picture even better with pictures. Also, I love that the pictures aren’t perfect. Its more realistic when they aren’t the best thing you have ever seen. It looks like she drew it.

Your book was truly inspirational and I will never forget it. It will always be my favorite, or one of my favorite books. You are an amazing author and I hope you will like this message I have written to you.

Sincerely,

Elisabeth