Captain Chuck Harman 
Studio Five/Fourteen 
P.O. Box 110254 
Carrollton, Tx 75011-0254 

Dear Captain Chuck, 

     Thank you for sharing your books with me.  The Artie series is a wonderful way to get the attention of elementary age students and show them that everyone has a gift they can offer to others.  The airplane characters and airport related personalities heighten the interest of little ones as they all love the idea of flying and are intrigued by the mystery of flight. 
     At the same time the moral lessons are offered without being overbearing and becoming the focal point of the story.  I have been struggling to teach my students about theme with the books that we currently read.  Most have many complex messages.  With Artie books the theme is easy for beginners to find and give voice to.  In discussions with the students the author's message is discussed and discovered together.  The students are delighted that they were able to say precisely what the author's message is and it becomes quite clear that theme is just another word for the author's message.  They are able to relate it to their own experiences and it gives them the confidence to tackle books that are more and more complex.  These books give the student a sense of accomplishment and confidence that they can indeed, find the theme in their own literature book. 

                                                                                       Respectfully,