Flash Frankie
There is no holding Frankie back! He’s on his bike and away, relishing exciting adventures all over the neighbourhood.
Sometimes he flies off by himself, sometimes he dashes with his friend Charlie, but always there’s some sort of superhero-ish aspect to his fun!
At the end of the day, he might need a hand to get home but he always knows the all-important information that every kid should know — his address and phone number!
Available at:
The front cover of Flash Frankie
The Backstory
My brother Frank was born 13 months after me. We were both very active kids (honestly we are probably both ADHD). My brother would hop on his bike and head out on many adventures. My mother could never figure out how he would manage to divert obstacles like stairwells and fences. She marvelled at how he always managed to find his way back home.
Recently we were sharing childhood memories and I mentioned to him that for his 65th birthday, I wanted to capture his energy in a picture book. I asked him how if he was a kid today he would explain how he managed to get around obstacles. He quickly responded it’s easy, “I’m a superhero!”.
I went home that day and the story of Flash Frankie tumbled out onto my screen.
This story captures the optimism and grit children find in embarking on their daily adventures. It also highlights the importance of teaching our children safety strategies in the event that they become lost, such as who they should speak to and what information they need to get back home, namely, their parent’s phone number and their address.
Guide for Reading: PRC
Predictions, Reflections and Connections
Predictions
Predicting is an essential tool when developing as a strong reader. This story has been written to hook the young audience in engaging in predictable events.
Reflections
Reflecting throughout a book makes the story extra personal and come alive. It reflects a reader’s level of comprehension. A more thoughtful and complex reflection and connection reveal a higher understanding of the story. They also help reinforce one’s memory sequence which forms the basis of a retelling with more detail and reference to nuance. A simple and literal retelling reflects a more simplistic understanding.
Connections
Making connections facilitates a deeper understanding of a story through making inferences, noting details and relating them to prior information. It is seeing, linking, and articulating other topics and events to the story. The reader is applying this reading experience to other learned information. Often when making connections the reader will arrive at exciting new insights that extend beyond the literal story.
