SQUASHED IN THE MIDDLE

ALA NOTABLE Book, Bank Street College BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Selection, Starred Selection, Booklinks, Best New Books for the Classroom!

Daisy’s father was chopping carrots. Her mother was talking on the phone. Her big sister was chasing her little brother around and around the kitchen. Being a middle child is not easy. Nobody EVER listens to Daisy, even when she tells them she’s going across the hall to spend the night with her best friend, Rosa.

With humorous text and bold, colorful illustrations, the book captures the frustrations of one child trying to be heard over the noise of a boisterous, well-meaning family.

More information about middle child feelings:

Click Here: Check out “The Middle Child Crisis”

For Discussion:
Go around your classroom and have each student tell the class how many brothers and sisters he/she has and the names and ages of his/her siblings. How does each student feel about being an only child, a younger sibling, an older sibling, or a “squashed in the middle” sibling? Does he/she ever feel ignored?

Writing:
Have each student write or dictate a letter to Daisy with advice on how to make her family members listen to her.

Social Studies/Art:
Introduce your class to genealogy by drawing your own family tree on the blackboard. Then have each student design their own family tree by hand or on the computer, and ask them to write an adjective to describe each of their relatives. Encourage them to extend the family as wide as possible to include not only siblings, but grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins.

Illustrated by Pat Cummings
Henry Holt, 2005
“Beginning with the up-close, downcast face on the jacket, this direct picture book personalizes the frustration of a middle child wanting to be heard. Daisy’s courage surprises her family into finally understanding how she feels. Cummings’ recognizable robust style and intense palette give Daisy and her African American family a modern, familiar look.”
-Booklist, Starred Review

ISBN: 0805064974