Something About Hensley’s

Polacco, P. (2006).  Something about hensley’s. New York: Philomel Books a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Patricia Pollaco is an outstanding author and illustrator that is known for creating stories from her real life experiences.  I absolutely love her books, and I have used many of them to teach different skills in reading. 

Something About Hensley’s is a great story because it is about an elderly man that owns a store that helps all the different people that come there.  Hensley’s  is one of those stores that you go to when you can’t find what you are looking for anywhere else, but you know that Mr. John Soncrant will have it.  Whether it is discontinued China, track shoes, or fiddle strings, you can find it at Hensley’s.  Old John can tell what everyone needs before they even know they need it.  Until one day when a new family moves in with a challenge.  Little Molly has asthma and a mother that is just a student in school who doesn’t have the income to give her what she needs.  You’ll have to read to find out if Old John was able to give Molly what she needed!

Patricia’s artwork was extraordinary!  As I was reading the book, I felt like I was a character in the store because the illustrations just pull you in. She uses Old John as her focal point by on the majority of the pages.  Sometimes, he may seem to be the largest visual on the page, but then when he is shown smaller, he is making a movement that draws your attention straight to him.  She also uses a warm color scheme to show the happy and welcoming mood throughout the story. 

I would use this book to teach how a character responds to a challenge because Old John is faced with the challenge of Molly’s asthma.