This book tells the story of a little boy entering the science fair, but is behind his peers and keeps running into issues with his bird watching project. But he sticks with it, and on the day the judges come, he wins first prize for sticking to his project. ( )

In my opinion, this is a great book for teaching young children to pursue an idea that they may have and to not give up. I liked this book for three reasons. First, I enjoyed this book because the main character, Otis thought of an idea for the science fair project independently and did not let the other students in the class talk him out of using his idea. I also liked this book because the teacher allowed the children to be creative when thinking of their own science project and he encouraged them along the way. I think that this is interesting because it displays the inquiry method of teaching, supporting the fact that asking questions are key in learning science. The last reason that I enjoyed this book is because the main character did not give up on his idea although there were some bumps along the way. He was even awarded in the end for sticking with it and being so positive.

The characters were very believable throughout the story. The author did an excellent job of making them seem very realistic for an elementary school classroom. The characters in the story are definitely relatable to children who may be reading the book. The illustrations in the story help display the science projects. The illustrations are key in helping children understand what science projects the students are completing. The illustrations help children paint a picture in their minds of some possible unfamiliar vocabulary. For example, if a student is not familiar with the bird, a goldfinch, there are illustrations to help them understand. The main idea of the story is to encourage children to stick with something that they may believe in and to never give up. ( )

A bit misleading because the story is not about a science fair which is probably for the best because the children this book is written for are too young to participate in them. ( )