Polly Greenberg (1932–2013)

The book, "Oh Lord, I Wish I was a Buzzard", by Polly Greenberg and illustrated by Aliki, a young girl and her family are in a field picking cotton. The girl's father promised her a sucker if they picked a lot of cotton. Throughout the day, as dogs, buzzards, snakes, butterflies, and partridge were moving about, the girl kept wishing she were them. There able to lay down, fly, and slither about as they pleased. The girl received a red sucked from her father, which she greatly appreciated and enjoyed. I really like this book, as it can teach children to be appreciative for what they have and that working hard pays off. The girl worked hard and received a prize for her work. I also liked that the illustrations were detailed and colorful, which can help keep readers engaged in a book. The pictures accurately represent the writing.
The book repeatedly said, "We picked and we picked", which helped me understand how long the day was and felt for the family and girl.… (mehr)

I had mixed feelings about this book after reading it. I liked the book because the illustrations were simple but vivid so you got an essence of where they were and what they were doing. For example, the images of the cotton field were a realistic sketch and the faces on the characters were determined and hard-working. But I did not like how simple of a plot this book had – I really did not understand it very much. It is in the point of view of a little girl who had to pick cotton in a field on a hot day for a sucker (or lollipop) at the end of the day. Of course it brings up the lesson that hard work pays off, but the little girl kept referencing that she wished she was a different animal because they were keeping cool. I understand that she wanted to be anyone else anywhere else, but I was not very engaged in it. In comparison to the other books I have read, this one was not one of my favorites and probably not one I would make a point to include in my future classroom.… (mehr)

In my opinion I liked this book a lot. This book portrayed a main character that wanted to be anyone else anywhere else. She had to help her family pick cotton and that just wasn't what she wanted she thought she was meant to do. The author used repetition of the lines " we picked and picked and picked and picked" numerous times throughout the book. This is a great way for children to follow along. They will become familiar with this line and could even say it aloud together when reading! The patterned language was well paced and sets the mood. It is told in first person and very believable. It really gives the reader a different perspective. Since I was in school reading this book, while she is not in school, but helping her family pick cotton. Overall, this books message is that handwork pays off!… (mehr)