Analysis of ON THE SAME DAY IN MARCH: A TOUR OF THE WORLD'S WEATHER by Marilyn Singer, Illustrated by Frane Lessac-Course Requirement

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Singer, Marilyn. 2000. ON THE SAME DAY IN MARCH: A TOUR OF THE WORLD'S WEATHER. Ill. by Frane Lessac. HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 0-329-26904-6.

PLOT SUMMARY
ON THE SAME DAY IN MARCH,  the author takes readers on a journey on the same day. Each location has very specific weather and students are able to take a "tour" to examine many different places and the connection to weather.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The repetitive nature of the chorus, "on the same day in March", hooks readers into drawing comparisons. Although there is little rhyme in this poem, the illustrations and text emphasize the concept of weather changes around the world. The language of the book paints a mental picture of the way of life for people and animals in the different parts of the world. The oil painting illustrations have vivid colors that appeal to the young eye. The repeat language hooks readers in to identifying similarities and differences of weather around the world. Marilyn Singer's text and illustrations by Frane Lessac, create a well balanced approach to activating background knowledge of the reader, connecting fairly new concepts to prior schema, and inspiring interest to upcoming units of weather study.

REVIEW EXCERPTS/AWARDS

From Publishers Weekly

"In this companion volume to their Nine O'Clock Lullaby, Singer and Lessac embark on a meteorological trip around the globe, pointing out the drastically different weather conditions that can occur in various places, all on the same day. From the Arctic to the Texas Panhandle, Northern Kenya and all the way down to Antarctica, readers trek across both hemispheres, checking out snow, ice, fog, clouds, sun and heat. Singer's poetic language makes the voyage a particularly intriguing one, describing African rains that "leave the gift of a river," Patagonian clouds, "white puffs" that "vanish wet and cold/ in [a boy's] fat warm hands" and, in Barbados, sunlight that "dazzles on the sand." Lessac's folk-art paintings are like stylized picture-postcards, featuring jaunty groupings of brightly clad people and distinctive backgrounds, ranging from bustling cityscapes to wide-open countryside. No matter the time of year, youngsters will be eager to take this informative tour." Ages 4-8.

CONNECTIONS
I used this book to inspire interest and introduce the topics of weather, the greenhouse effect, polloution...etc. to my students. The book guides the thinking that weather changes according to ceratin factors, the variations of temperature in different parts of the world, and the importance of weather around us. This book is a great introductory piece to the unit of weather and it's effects.