Apt. 3 (Picture Books)

I purchased this book as a donation to a book collection drive for young children. Along with their engaging story lines, one of the things that I love about the Ezra Jack Keats books is the artwork. That is probably what attracts most people to the books. The vivid, beautiful colors and stylish designs always catch the eye of both children and adults. Then, they fall in love with the charming stories of children's adventures in life. Apt. 3 does not disappoint. I definitely appreciate the fact that the main characters are black children because it is not easy to find storybooks that include them or feature them prominently and positively.

Used this for a project because I wanted books to show ethnicity and also people with disabilities.

This book is a wonderful read aloud to share with any grade in school as it can be adapted to suit different age groups & their comprehension abilities. Along with Keats' other books, it has an urban theme & great to use as a mentor text or author study.

My first graders really liked this story.

The student love this book

A gift for my grandchild and she adores it!

Overpriced, I thought that it would be heavier/more durable for the extra cost for the school/library version.

Written in 1971, Ezra Jack Keats APT. 3 is one of many books penned by the esteemed author. As a preschool teacher, I have been reading Keats’ books to my students for 25 years. Beholden in his stories are concepts waiting to be brought to life by the reader; lessons that beg the creative application by teachers and parents alike.In APT. 3, young brothers Sam and Ben follow their curiosity from floor to floor and door to door throughout their apartment building. They explore, in search of the origin of the music that they have heard. Their investigation eventually leads them to the dark apartment of a blind neighbor who goads them into coming in, and closing the door behind them.When he wrote APT. 3, Ezra Jack Keats intention was undoubtedly, to foster the values that contemporarily we have come to understand as diversity, acceptance, and respect for human differences. Most of us strive, with intention, to instill these values in children. We often teach them simply by precept and example. Keats recognized the need for such teaching.For this teacher, presently the most opportune lesson that APT. 3 provides is in the examination of the perilous risks that the young boys take. In writing APT. 3, Keats unknowingly created a realistic scenario that we can frighteningly identify with, in regards to the vulnerability of children. The world in which we presently live, demands that we teach children never to put themselves within reach of such dangers. It is our responsibility to teach children the lessons of self preservation.I began my lesson by reading APT. 3 in its entirety to my class. I followed up with questions about what the boys experienced as they moved through the halls of their building. Were the sights, sounds, smells good or bad? I asked students if they thought the boys were at all frightened. My intention was to focus on the issue of safety, and I asked if anyone thought that the boys did anything that was dangerous. Then, I revisited the book. I paraphrased the story up to the point where Sam and Ben were caught peeking into the blind man’s door. A lengthy discussion about safety followed. I talked with my students about the fact that the brothers entered their neighbors’ apartment without their mother or father. I told my students that they should never do that.Role play came next. I taught my students that if another person is trying to hurt them, grab them, or trick them into doing something that is unsafe, that they must get away. We role played fighting back. I taught my students it is okay to fight back if someone is trying to take them away. We practiced screaming, hitting, kicking, and biting. I taught my students that they must scream as loud as they can, hit, kick, and bite until they are free.APT.3 provides the perfect opportunity to teach children about self preservation. However unintended, Keats presents us with a concept that is often difficult to approach. I will continue to revisit APT.3 with my students, and to recommend it to others for the same purpose.