This text is filled with words (Misfortune, gnaw, morsels) and phrases (look glad at the misfortune of others) that will be unfamiliar to 2nd grade readers. This, along with the some-what formal register, will require reader support throughout the text. This is especially true when Charlotte discusses how she and her brothers did their best to follow “the rules”. There will be occasions where the vernacular will be unfamiliar to students. This is especially true in the illustrations, and students must “read” the pictures too in order to fully understand what has happened in the story as Charlotte’s narration only shows her perspective. The organization, for the most part, is sequential, but occasionally the point of view shifts from Charlotte’s to President Washington’s. When thinking of 2nd grade readers, this text falls under the Texts That Stretch a Reader or Require Instruction category on the Qualitative Measures of Text Complexity Rubric. While this is a historical fiction story, the history the story is based on will be unfamiliar to young readers. Thankfully, Charlotte’s persistence pays off and the now famous Lansdowne Portrait of President Washington is completed. She fills these wonderful letters with very good reasons for their misbehavior and even better reasons why President Washington should return.
Unfortunately, this does not happen on any of President Washington’s three visits to their home, even though they do try to follow the Rules for Good Behavior. Charlotte, in hope of encouraging the president’s return, writes three different apology letters.
It is April of 1796, Gilbert Stuart has been commissioned to paint President George Washington’s portrait, and Charlotte, James, and baby John have promised to be on their very best behavior. Genre: Historical Fiction Recommended for grades K-3 ATOS Book Level 2.8, Lexile AD760 Washington by Lynn Cullen, Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter Published: 2015, Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers Hardback, 32 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0-8037-3038-0
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