Working with his dad in the park, Owen gets to do his favorite job all
by himself. First, he clears the park of picnickers, checkers players,
sleepy dogs and geese, and then the magic happens ...
It's a busy morning in the park. All along the boulevard, families are
picnicking and people are napping, playing checkers and reading on the
grass. But Owen and his dad are hard at work, raking and mowing the
grass. And today, Owen gets to do the best job all on his own. With
his dad's encouragement, Owen gathers his courage and goes around to
everyone in the park. He tells the families, the checkers players and
the readers what he has to do, and they rush off. Finally, when the park
is empty, it is the moment Owen has been waiting for. He turns the tap
for the sprinkler system, and water cascades over the trees and flower
beds.
In creating this book, Scot Ritchie was inspired by his trip to the
beautiful Tiergarten park in Berlin. Owen at the Park is a sweet story
illuminating the small pleasures in everyday life and the excitement of
a child taking on new responsibilities.
Key Text Features
author's note
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key
details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and
challenges.
