Ms. Bell's class is introduced to the saga of Memorial Day thanks to two children, Brian and Beth, and their gnome friends. It is a narrative that takes you on an adventure from a seemingly regular day at school to Gnomeville, a magical parallel universe where gnomes, too, observe a similar holiday. Encounters with Army gnome Sergeant Brave and creating a model for Memorial Day bridges the gap between the mundane and the magical, fusing whimsy into everyday learning. The tale culminates with Sergeant Brave mystically appearing and disappearing from the school project, engraving a lasting memory of Memorial Day in the minds of these young students.
This story contains 1,940 words. The reading level of this story is most appropriate for children in elementary school, probably around 2nd or 3rd grade. The language is simple, but the subject matter (Memorial Day) has some complexity that could lead to further discussions. It also introduces more abstract concepts like death and remembrance in a gentle, story-focused way. Difficult words for early readers might include: soggy, Memorial, robin, awesome, exclaims, observes, military, service, grateful, Unfortunately, sergeant, gnometastic, scramble, and whisper.