Evie’s Field Day: More Than One Way To Win

PreS-Gr 2–Evie is a competitor and proudly displays her trophies and ribbons on her bedroom wall. She eagerly awaits Field Day at school and plans on jumping, running, and hopping her way to more awards. The day arrives and she participates in the beanbag toss, musical hoops, and balloon stomp—but she keeps losing! The sack race is her last chance at a first place prize. Evie’s ahead in the race but sees a fledgling on the ground that is in danger of getting hurt as the children hop to the finish line. She decides to stop mid-race and help the fledgling fly back to its nest and mother high up in a nearby tree. Her good deed lands her in last place again, but she is greeted with cheers of “Hooray!” Evie realizes that losing isn’t so bad after all. Echoic words scattered throughout the text put some zing into the story and highlight the Field Day activities. Teba’s adorable pencil sketches and gray watercolor washes are accentuated with bursts of color that highlight the multiethnic characters and action of the story. Sportsmanship strategies are included, encouraging participative learning.