Youth Veterinarian Initiative

Header image: Cuban trogon (Priotelus temnurus), Maravillas de Vinales, Cuba by Charles J. Sharp
Source: Wikimedia Commons – CC-BY-SA 4.0

FOREST WORLD
by Margarita Engle

Our YVI book club scholars had differing opinions about Forest World, a verse novel about young siblings who reunite in Cuba.

We asked students to evaluate it as a book critic would, giving it a rating and explaining why they chose that rating.

We gave them the option of earning a bonus merit badge by drawing an image of the Cuban trogon (el tocoroco), Cuba’s national bird.

ETOILE ACADEMY – Houston, TX

Etoile Academy 5th graders gave Forest World a rating of 0.5 to 3 stars.  The students didn’t like the fact that there were no images in the book and many of them said they didn’t like poetry.

All students opted to draw a picture of Cuba’s national bird, el tocoroco.

HOLY FAMILY – Chicago, IL

Eighth-grade students at Holy Family rated the book at 3.5-5 stars. They liked the cultural differences highlighted in the story and the dynamics between the siblings. One of the students said he liked learning about extinct animals.

MARION P. THOMAS CHARTER SCHOOL STEAM ACADEMY – Chicago, IL

MPTCS scholars gave Forest World a wide range of ratings. One student simply did not like the book. Several enjoyed the family relationships and the fact that the siblings wanted to preserve the environment of the Cuban forest. One student liked the “hispanic representation.”

5TH YVI BOOK CLUB & MERIT BADGE PROGRAM ZOOM CALL – April 1, 2023

Once again, students were forthcoming with their opinions about the book club reading.

Everyone felt that preserving the environment was important, and almost everyone said they would personally intervene if they knew someone was trying to harm the environment.

Students were compelled by the way that the protagonist siblings’ desire to keep the forest from harm brought them together.

Everyone expressed an opinion about poetry, given that Forest World is a verse novel.

To learn more about the Youth Veterinarian Initiative, click HERE.