The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman

This week's reading story is called The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman. It's an adorable book about an uncle and his niece who write letters to each other. Uncle Ray lives in South Carolina and works in his wood shop. He can't take time off work to visit his niece Tameka in California, so he creates Oliver K. Woodman, a wooden statue he hopes people will take along on their trips across the US. He puts a letter in Oliver's backpack and makes him a wooden sign that says, "California or Bust!" The book's pages are a mixture of letters between Uncle Ray and Tameka as well as letters from travelers explaining their stories and Oliver's journey to Uncle Ray. As we read the book, we tracked Oliver across the country.

It also has a sequel called Searching for Oliver K. Woodman. Our friend Oliver has gone missing, so Uncle Ray sends his friend Imogene Poplar, a private detective, out to find him. It's a fun story with great little geographical tidbits. I can't wait to read it to the kids!

This book reminded me of Flat Stanley. It's a perfect time to start our Flat Stanley project! If you and your family or class is interested in receiving Flat Stanley from us, leave a message below and / or send me an email at AlysiaBattista@yahoo.com!