Lunch-Box Dream

Lunch-Box Dream was written by Tony Abbott, this book is intend for children between the ages of 6-12 years old. Abbott's writing style is fast, compelling and engaging, which you will discover upon reading this book. This book has a lot of history with in so at times it could get boring to a child but this is information a child should be taught. Tony Abbott uses an interesting technique for the book's narration. Rather than having just one narrator, he uses multiple ones. The story is told from the points of view of Bobby, Jacob, Hershel, Louisa, Cora, Grandma, Frank, James and Ruth, with Bobby. A list of characters and their relationship to each other is given at the beginning to avoid confusion, which makes it easier for the children to picture each character. This Story presents racism, and segregation from multiple perspectives. In this story of witnessing without understanding, a naïvely prejudiced boy, in brief flashes of insight, starts to identify and question his assumptions about race. Bobby and his family are visiting Civil War battlefields on the eve of the war's centenary, while inside their car, quiet battles rage. When an accident cuts their trip short, they return home on a bus and witness an incident that threatens to deny a black family seats. Long after the Civil War ended, but before the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 became law, segregation was alive and well in the South. This story takes place in 1959, a time when the South had separate water fountains, entrance doors, service counters, bus seats, and schools for blacks or "coloreds people," as they were called. People with dark skin weren't permitted to mingle with the "white folk" in public. Slavery is a huge topic that should be addressed to young child so that they understand that everyone is equal.

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Discussion Questions:

Class Activity:

Since He starts the book with a poem, have the children make up their own poem to go along with the theme of the book.
The whole class should research the cost of living in 1959. What was the average price of every day Items? Things to include should be: gasoline, candy bar, loaf of bread, ice cream cone, milk, first-class postage stamp. Make a chart.

Others book written by Tony Abbott are:

Abbott, Tony. Lunch-Box Dream. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011.