Character: I(Steven), Aunt Carolyn, Grandma, Sean, Grandpa, Uncle Charles, Aunt Marsha,
Setting: Summer, grandma’s house
Plot: Aunt Carolyn always visits other places and she sent me a postcard that made me feel special
Perspective: First-person
Genre: realistic fiction
The story The Jones Family Express, written by Tavaka Steptoe, talks about Steven looking for a gift to give to Aunt Carolyn. Steven is at the family block party with all his family members, except his favorite aunt, Aunt Carolyn. He wants to get something special for her before she arrives, so he sets out to find one. He visits to many stores, but he can’t find anything special. Just when Steven is very discouraged, Uncle Charles sees him and offers to help. He takes him to his apartment and finds many things where they find a very old train, that can still be repaired. Steven starts fixing it. When Aunt Carolyn arrives, she is delighted with the gift, and she proudly shows it to the other family members. Everyone enjoys the day together.
Love is an invisible bond between people, but it can represented by meaningful symbols that we can see. Love is very powerful, like a strong tug toward a person. Love is comfort when someone is unhappy. The love between people helps them understand each other better. Although you can’t see love, it is there. A solid thing can represent deeper meanings that you cannot see, which is called symbolism, For example, rose is a symbol of love. In the story, Uncle Charles understands that Steven is very stressed and volunteers to help Steven find a unique gift for Aunt Carolyn: an old toy train. Steven doesn’t just buy a gift. Instead, he chooses an old train that requires repair. Although it was broken, Steven worked hard and spent time to fix it. The train became special because it wasn’t just a toy—it was filled with Steven’s love, care, and effort. The train Steven fixes becomes a symbol of love. Not every train is a symbol of love, but this train Steven gave to Aunt Carolyn is unique because it’s made out of love, care, and connection. Love is built through care and effort, making it essential in everyone’s life.
Creativity helps when times are a little bit hard, creativity is very important, especially for kids. Instead of buying plastic items, one can create things, which can also save money. In the story, Steven makes a gift for Aunt Carolyn instead of buying it. He creates something special for her, rather than choosing something ordinary that everyone else has. Common gifts wouldn’t be enough for his special aunt. So he makes a unique train to show how he loves her, he makes the train all by himself, he puts effort into it and Aunt Carolyn sees value in it. Creativity can help make life more interesting, and it helps make gifts and other things life needs.
Family members are very important. They trust and love each other, have faith in and depend on each other, live and have fun together, and cheer each other up when they are feeling down. In the story, the Jones Family gathers every year for the annual block party. The whole family comes together to the same place to share and enjoy what they have had fun at. They share their care, love, happiness, trust, and support. All their bad memories or worries fade away on that day, they simply relax and enjoy their time together. Family is essential to building a good life.
The story talks about Steven looking for a gift to give to Aunt Carolyn. Steven was at the family block party with all his other family members with him except his favorite aunt, Aunt Carolyn. He wants to get something special for her before she arrives, so he sets out to find one. He went to many stores, but there was nothing special. Then, Uncle Charles saw him and tried to help. He took him to his apartment and, found a very old train, but it could still be fixed, so, Steven started fixing it. When Aunt Carolyn arrived, she loved the gift very much, and she gave it to the other family members to see, everyone enjoyed the day. The love between people and people is unbreakable. Creativity is a gift that people with strong imaginations use to help their family. Being together as a family makes everyone feel safe and relaxed.
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