Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream

Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream

By: Jenny Han

Illustrated by: Julia Kuo

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011

Grade level: 3 and up

Fountas and Pinnell: Not Available

Lexile: 600L

Accelerated Reader: 3.4

Suggested Delivery: Individual

Author: Jenny Han

Illustrator: Julia Kuo

Summary:

Clara Lee is a fun, cute, book with wonderful illustrations and a fantastic message about being proud of who you are. Clara Lee lives with her parents, younger sister and Grandpa. She has a great imagination, a best friend and dreams of being the Apple Pie Princess. Like many kids her age, Clara learns how to enjoy the good days she has, and how to hold your head high during the bad days, when kids make fun of you, when you fight with a friend and get in trouble at home.

Key Words/Phrases to Describe the Book:

1. pageant 

2. family

3. Korean-American background

4. dream

5. determined

Key Vocabulary:

Mightiest: possessing great and impressive power or strength, especially on account of size.

Complimented: politely congratulate or praise (someone) for something.

Festival: an annual celebration or anniversary.

Teeny: tiny

Whoops: another term for oops

Bouncy: springy

Resources:

Jenny Han has her own website, giving her bio and different books she has written for kids of all ages.

Julia Kuo has a fun and vibrant about me page to get to know more about her as an illustrator of this novel.

Teaching Suggestions:

• Ask students to highlight the cultural differences that are seen throughout the novel
• Have students write down how their family life differs from Clara's.
• Have students pick out one of their favorite passages in the book and have them write about what is significant about what they chose and why it's their favorite. 

Comprehension Strategies:

Before: Ask students what they think is meant by "the apple pie dream."  What do they know about apple pie and its correlation to America?

During: Have students make a character chart of Clara and all her family members and write short bullet points about each character as they read

After: Have students give this book a different title, and tell them to explain their reasoning behind the new title

Writing Activity:

The theme of family is so significant throughout this novel.  Have students write in a few paragraphs about what family means to them.

Bibliography:

Han, J., & Kuo, J. (2011). Clara Lee and the apple pie dream. New York: Little, Brown.