The Big Orange Splot is a children's picture book by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. It was published in 1977 by Scholastic Inc., New York. The age range is ages 4–8, and all 32 pages have a full color picture.
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| Author | Daniel Manus Pinkwater |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Daniel Manus Pinkwater |
| Publisher | Scholastic, Inc. |
Publication date | 1977 |
| Pages | 32 |
| ISBN | 0-590-44510-3 |
Plot
editMr. Plumbean lives on an orderly but mundane street, where all the houses look the same. One night a seagull flies over his house and drops a can of bright orange paint over his house, leaving an orange splot on his roof. The neighbors all want Mr. Plumbean to repaint his house so it will look like theirs again. Instead he decorates his house with a psychedelic tropical theme. His neighbors are astonished, but he tells them:
"My house is me, and I am it. My house is where I like to be, and it looks like all my dreams."
Mr. Plumbean's neighbors ask the neighbor next door to talk him into restoring his house so they can have a "neat street" again. After spending an evening with Mr. Plumbean, the neighbor also remodels his house to look like a ship. When the frustrated neighbors protest, he replies as Mr. Plumbean did.
Gradually the other neighbors find themselves following suit, each one spending an evening with Mr. Plumbean, and then going on to remodel their own homes to resemble their dreams. Eventually each house looks different and special. Visitors fret that it is not a neat street, but the neighbors respond:
"Our street is us and we are it. Our street is where we like to be, and it looks like all our dreams."
Use in education
editThe book is being used in elementary school education in the US and Canada.[1][2][3]
References
edit- ^ "e-readers Lesson Plan: The Big Orange Splot". e-readers Project (Seminole County). Retrieved 2007-10-19.
- ^ "Lesson: Dream Houses". TeachNet-lab.org. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
- ^ "It's a Beautiful Day In This Neighborhood... Won't You Be My Neighbor?". Chariho Regional School District, Rhode Island. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
External links
edit- "Top 100 Picture Books, #48". School Library Journal Blog. Retrieved 2012-05-20.