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Absolutely Not
Gloria, an ant, takes her friend Frieda for a walk and tries to convince her not to always view the world as a frightening place. Reprint.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Matthew McElligott
25 books42 followersMatthew McElligott is the author and illustrator of many books for children. When Matt is not writing, he teaches as a Professor of Graphic and Media Design at Russell Sage College in Albany. He lives on a small farm in upstate New York with his wife and their animals.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 27, 2018
Cute picture book about a bug's anxiety of all the dangerous things in the world. Good for a one-on-one book share.
March 11, 2021
I read this to my first graders and they loved the pictures hidden within the pictures. Big hit in my elementary school and checked out for the rest of the school year.
February 26, 2015
Personal Reaction: I think this is an amazing book and an amazing story! It is simple, but there are many lessons to learn from it. I also really enjoyed the illustrations. Frieda is very frightened and afraid of things. As Gloria takes her on a walk, Frieda is skeptical of everything Gloria would like to do, and if you look in the illustrations the ground, leaves, and trees start look like animals and other things Frieda is scared of. I think that is really fun and an interesting way to illustrate the story.
Purposes: Read aloud for K-2nd grade
-enjoyment of the story itself, it has a very good lesson in it. Gloria is very adventurous and Frieda is not. Frieda is starting to imagine all these scary things on their walk. There is a clear problem with Frieda's fears, and steps to solve it that are layered through out the story. The ending is also interesting because it is not what you would expect!
-the characterization through the story is really great, and laid out. The ending offers a lesson to both characters, and stresses a lot on optimism and pessimism
-the imagination and illusions that Frieda believes she is seeing, which are shown through the illustrations and are really great for students to identify and pick out of the page because they blend in with the rest of the picture.
-the personification of the two bugs is more entertaining to the students, rather than just two people. The bugs bring a more fun and imaginative element to the story.
Curriculum: Read aloud for K-2 grade
-introducing students to the idea of optimism and pessimism and discussing the pros/cons of each, and how they saw that during throughout the story
-prompting students to use shapes/scraps of paper/strings and use their imagination to create an illustration with the supplies. Similar to the ones in the story- maybe even have the class create their own story with their own illustrations.
-overall, a great way to explore the imagination of the students
-also there is potential for discussion on the theme of friendship and points of view/perspectives, which will be helpful when talking about literature
Purposes: Read aloud for K-2nd grade
-enjoyment of the story itself, it has a very good lesson in it. Gloria is very adventurous and Frieda is not. Frieda is starting to imagine all these scary things on their walk. There is a clear problem with Frieda's fears, and steps to solve it that are layered through out the story. The ending is also interesting because it is not what you would expect!
-the characterization through the story is really great, and laid out. The ending offers a lesson to both characters, and stresses a lot on optimism and pessimism
-the imagination and illusions that Frieda believes she is seeing, which are shown through the illustrations and are really great for students to identify and pick out of the page because they blend in with the rest of the picture.
-the personification of the two bugs is more entertaining to the students, rather than just two people. The bugs bring a more fun and imaginative element to the story.
Curriculum: Read aloud for K-2 grade
-introducing students to the idea of optimism and pessimism and discussing the pros/cons of each, and how they saw that during throughout the story
-prompting students to use shapes/scraps of paper/strings and use their imagination to create an illustration with the supplies. Similar to the ones in the story- maybe even have the class create their own story with their own illustrations.
-overall, a great way to explore the imagination of the students
-also there is potential for discussion on the theme of friendship and points of view/perspectives, which will be helpful when talking about literature
February 27, 2015
Personal Reaction:
-While reading "Absolutely Not," Gloria and Frieda are two bugs trying to find their way through a long journey. Gloria enjoys every aspect of the walk and stays interested in all of the little things. Frieda on the other hand is frightened by every shadow and element throughout the walk. As the journey continues, Gloria tries encouraging Frieda to step outside of her comfort zone. Both friends try working together in order to overcome any fears Frieda might have on the walk.
Purpose:
-This story is a great way to show the values of friendship. I would read it aloud to students between first and third grade.
-This book uses new vocabulary such as "sinister" and "frightening." These words could be introduced to students and described while reading aloud.
Other:
-This story shows students the extent in which their imagination can be used.
-While reading "Absolutely Not," Gloria and Frieda are two bugs trying to find their way through a long journey. Gloria enjoys every aspect of the walk and stays interested in all of the little things. Frieda on the other hand is frightened by every shadow and element throughout the walk. As the journey continues, Gloria tries encouraging Frieda to step outside of her comfort zone. Both friends try working together in order to overcome any fears Frieda might have on the walk.
Purpose:
-This story is a great way to show the values of friendship. I would read it aloud to students between first and third grade.
-This book uses new vocabulary such as "sinister" and "frightening." These words could be introduced to students and described while reading aloud.
Other:
-This story shows students the extent in which their imagination can be used.
August 13, 2010
Absolutely Not is a story about two friends, one is adventurous and the other absolutely not. One is full of confidence, the other is afraid and sees all sorts of imaginary things that scare her.
This is a great read with a fabulous twist at the end (and I do love a good ending). There is a clear problem and clear steps to solve the problem. Books like that are very easy to read. The characters endear themselvesto you in that you can see a bit of yourself and/or others in them and yet they are interesting animals. If this were a book about people it may not be as good. We all have experience of opposites, but seeing the world from a bug's eye is very original and lends itself well to this story.
This is a great read with a fabulous twist at the end (and I do love a good ending). There is a clear problem and clear steps to solve the problem. Books like that are very easy to read. The characters endear themselvesto you in that you can see a bit of yourself and/or others in them and yet they are interesting animals. If this were a book about people it may not be as good. We all have experience of opposites, but seeing the world from a bug's eye is very original and lends itself well to this story.
March 17, 2016
This book is always well received to the Kindergarten classes when I read it. A story about bravery and imagination and friendship.
It's no wonder the author is the illustrator since the illustrations tell a lot of the story and are cleverly done.
It's no wonder the author is the illustrator since the illustrations tell a lot of the story and are cleverly done.
December 13, 2008
The illustrations are fun.
August 1, 2009
Book about fear. Two bugs are characters---one is calm and reasonable the other is afraid of everything. Tries to balance caution vs. unsubstantiated fears.
November 24, 2010
A cricket has a phobia of the outside world. Everything is an absolutely not bright to Frieda. Confront it!
August 28, 2012
What a delightful little book. This teaches us about adventure and seeing the world differently. Children will enjoy using their imagination to see what the insect sees in the world around her!
November 19, 2015
Could use for fear, perception, positive attitude
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews