Download Importance of Vocabulary & Narrative Skills in Children's Books: A Document on Book Skills and more Schemes and Mind Maps Construction in PDF only on Docsity!
A Bad Case of Stripes
A Bad Case of Stripes Author: David Shannon Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (2004) Binding: Paperback, 32 pages Item Call Number: E SHANN Camilla Cream loves lima beans, but she never eats them. Why? Because the other kids in her school don't like them. And Camilla is very, very worried about what other people think of her. In fact, she’s so worried that she's about to break out in a bad case of stripes! Questions to talk about with your child: Why did Camilla break out in stripes (and other patterns?) What did you notice about the patterns that break out on Camilla? Do they have anything to do with what’s happening around her? Look at each of the pictures. Was there anything about Camilla that stayed the same each time she changed? What made Camilla finally turn back into herself? Did Camilla learn anything from having a bad case of stripes? Look at the last page. Was there anything different about the way Camilla looks? Fun things to do together: David Shannon always hides a picture of his white terrier Fergus somewhere in each of his books. Look for the picture of Fergus in this book. Camilla loves lima beans. Have lima beans for lunch or dinner one day. Draw a picture of yourself with stripes, polka dots or some other pattern. Check out a book about patterns, for example, Pattern Bugs by Trudi Harris or Patterns at the Museum by Tracey Steffora. Recognizing and completing simple patterns is an important kindergarten readiness skill. Book Skills Loves Books (Print Motivation): Large, colorful illustrations make this book very appealing to children of all ages.
New Words (Vocabulary): This book contains many words that may be unfamiliar to your child. Talk about the meaning of such words as specialists, bacteria, nutritionist or bizarre.
A Chair for My Mother
A Chair for My Mother Author: Vera B. Williams Publisher: Greenwillow Books (1982) Binding: Hardcover, 32 pages Item Call Number: E WILLI A child, her waitress mother, and her grandmother save dimes to buy a comfortable armchair after all their furniture is lost in a fire. Questions to talk about with your child: How would you feel if you lost all your things in a fire? What do you think you would miss the most? How do the pages with the fire look different than the rest of the pages in the book? Why do you think the author chose to illustrate the pages this way? When the family moved into their new apartment, what did neighbors and friends do to help? What kind of chair do the girl and her mother want to buy? Fun things to do together: See how long it takes to fill a jar with coins. Guess (predict, estimate) how many coins it will take to fill the jar. Count and sort coins into separate piles: pennies, nickels, dimes, etc. Go to the bank and get paper rolls for your coins and wrap them together. Design a room together. Use pictures from magazines or draw pictures of the different furniture and decorations you would like to have in this room. Help your child make a savings plan for something he or she would like to have. Work together on a simple graph to show how much must be saved each day, week, or month to be able to purchase the item. Book Skills New Words (Vocabulary): This more complex picture book story has a few words not common to picture book stories you can look up and discuss with your child: bargain, armchair, charcoal, ashes, furniture. Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): The author starts with the coin jar, recalls a past event in simple flashback (the fire and the new apartment), and then goes on to tell the full story of the jar of coins. Explain this time shift to your child and help them understand a story can go backward (flashback) and forward again to explain an event.
A Splendid Friend, Indeed
Publisher: Atheneum (1972) Binding: Hardcover, 32 pages Item Call Number: E VIORS Recounts the events of a day when everything goes wrong for Alexander. Questions to talk about with your child: What are some of things that happen to Alexander? If these things happened to you, would you be happy or sad? Why? Have you ever had a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day”? What happened? How did you feel? How can you tell from the pictures if Alexander is happy or unhappy? Why does Alexander say he wants to go to Australia? Fun things to do together: After reading the book, have your child “retell” the story using the pictures only. Talk about whether the story is different or close to the story the words tell. Have your child draw a picture of a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day”. Discuss what things might happen that would make your child feel badly. Talk about things your child could do to feel better. Find Australia on a map and compare its location to where you live and how a person might travel to get there. Locate the equator on a world map and talk about how the seasons are different below and above it. Discuss seasons and what happens in each of them. Go the library and find information on the different animals that live in Australia. Make a kangaroo, koala or sheep craft from the many craft websites on-line. Book Skills New Words (Vocabulary): This story offers great examples of different adjectives with the same meaning and is a great vocabulary builder with words like scrunched, almond, cavity, and scolded. Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): The logical, straight-forward sequence of events can easily be retold to practice narrative skills.
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock Author: Eric A. Kimmel Publisher: Holiday House (1990) Binding: Paperback, 32 pages Illustrator: Janet Stevens Item Call Number: E KIMME Anansi the Spider uses a strange moss-covered rock in the forest to trick all the other animals until Little Bush Deer decides he needs to learn a lesson. Questions to talk about with your child:
How did Anansi trick his friends and why did he want to? How do you think his friends felt when they realized they had been tricked? Who tricked Anansi and how did they do it? Do you think Anansi learned his lesson? Fun things to do together: Go the grocery store and pick out some of the foods that are in the book- yams, bananas, melons. Compare and contrast weight, texture and color. Check out some African music from the library. Find the continent of Africa on a globe or map. Look for Ghana, Kenya and South Africa since they are home to many of the animals in the story. Book Skills Loves Books (Print Motivation): The bright illustrations and very funny story will encourage several readings. Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): This West African folk tale lends itself perfectly to a captivating story.
Bark, George
Bark, George Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc. Part Number: Price: Illustrator: Jules Feiffer Item Call Number: E FEIFF A mother dog tries to teach her pup how to bark, and is surprised at why he wasn't learning. Questions to talk about with your child: What was your favorite part of the story? What do animals do when they go to the veterinarian? What are the animal noises made in this book? What is the order of the animals pulled from George? Do you think George swallowed a human at the end of the book? Fun things to do together: Take an empty box and pretend that it is George. Pull the animals in the book out of the box when telling the story. Set up a pretend vet's office with band aids, clipboards, Doctor kits, and stuffed animals. Visit a pet store or a vet's office. Book Skills Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): The simple storyline makes this book easy to retell with stuffed animals. Make Sounds (Phonological Awareness) : Children will love making the animal sounds with the story.
Bear Snores On
Author: Russell Hoban Publisher: HarperFestival (1995) Binding: Library Binding, 32 pages Illustrator: Russell Hoban Item Call Number: E HOBAN Frances has trouble going to sleep because of frightening sounds and objects that may be going to get her Questions to talk about with your child: What time is Frances's bedtime? Does Frances want to go to bed? What does Frances think is in her room? Is it real? What snack does Frances get to eat? What is the wind's job? Does Frances finally go to sleep? Fun things to do together: Talk about bedtime routines in your house and create a routine for a stuffed animal or doll. Use animals or dolls to recreate the song "10 in the Bed". Sing the song "Twinkle, Twinkle". Throw a blanket on a chair and what do you see? A giant? A lion? Draw simple pajamas for a set of paper dolls. Book Skills Loves Books (Print Motivation): A story that many children relate to and are anxious to find out the outcome encouraging them to read. New Words (Vocabulary): The short concise sentences relate the thoughts and actions so clearly and keep the story moving Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): The short concise sentences relate the thoughts and actions so clearly and keep the story moving.
Bill Grogan’s Goat
Bill Grogan's Goat Author: Mary Ann Hoberman Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2002) Binding: Hardcover, 32 pages Item Call Number: E HOBER Presents the familiar rhyme about a pesky goat that gets in trouble for eating shirts off the clothesline. Questions to talk about with your child: What do you think of Bill Grogan? Was tying his goat to a railroad track a good thing or a bad thing to do?
The train in the story is a passenger train. Who are the passengers? Notice the different patterns on each of the three red shirts. Can you find those patterns anywhere else in the story? What happens at dinner? What happens when you make a mess? What does the goat end up doing? Why? Fun things to do together: This book was adapted from a folk song. Listen to a recording of the original “Bill Grogan’s Goat.” This is a traditional “echo song.” Have your child repeat each line after you. Find a book about goats to learn more about what they really eat. Wash some shirts and hang them up to dry outside instead of putting them in the clothes dryer. Find the pairs of rhyming words throughout the book. Book Skills Loves Books (Print Motivation): The silly story and pictures along with the rhyming text will make this an enjoyable story. Singing the book will add to the enjoyment. Make Sounds (Phonological Awareness) : The rhyme scheme of the song makes it fun to read aloud and encourages children to play with the ending sounds of words.
Biscuit
Biscuit Author: Alyssa Satin Capucilli Publisher: HarperCollins (1996) Binding: Library Binding, 32 pages Item Call Number: EASY READER CAPUC A little yellow dog wants ever one more thing before he'll go to sleep. Questions to talk about with your child: Why do you think that Biscuit keeps asking for things like snacks, drinks, and extra hugs? Why does Biscuit go upstairs at the end of the book? What does Biscuit do when he gets upstairs in the little girl’s room? Do you sometimes ask for drinks and “one more hug” at bedtime? If so, why? Fun things to do together: Set up bedtime routine cards for your child. Have a card for pajamas, teeth brushing, story, hug, tuck-in time, etc. These can help your child know what to expect at bedtime. Make coupons for “10 more minutes at bedtime” or “ 1 more hug at bedtime.” Role play to act out the story with your child. Take turns acting out the parts of Biscuit and the child. Using your child’s day as a model, work together drawing pictures or making a list of things that Biscuit is likely to do from waking up to going to sleep at night. Book Skills Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): This story is simple and easy to re-tell or act out.
Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business Author: Esphyr Slobodkina Publisher: HarperFestival (2008) Binding: Board book, 32 pages Illustrator: Esphyr Slobodkina Item Call Number: E SLOBO A band of mischievous monkeys steals every one of a peddler's caps while he takes a nap under a tree. Questions to talk about with your child: What was the man selling? What were the colors of all his hats? Can you count the hats he wore on his head? How did he feel when he lost the hats? What did the monkeys do in the story? What did you think of the monkeys? How did he get his hats back? Why didn't the man sell any hats? Fun things to do together: Make a hat from newspaper or other material. http://www.dltk- kids.com/crafts/columbus/newspaper_sailors_hats.htm Act out the story with the child acting as both the peddler and the monkey. Balance several soft things on your head and see how far you can go. Cut out twenty circles of different colors from construction paper and move the circles around to see how many patterns you can create. Count the circles and sort them by color. Book Skills Loves Books (Print Motivation): The playful monkeys and colorful illustrations draw the child in. Repetitive phrases encourage the child to say the words along with the reader for a more interactive, fun experience and help build confidence for budding readers. Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): The simple story leads the reader to a satisfying conclusion. Repetitive phrases throughout the story structure aid children in understanding and retelling the story.
Click Clack Moo
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type Author: Doreen Cronin Publisher: Scholastic (2005) Binding: Paperback, 32 pages Illustrator: Doreen Cronin Item Call Number: E CRONI When Farmer Brown's cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want. Questions to talk about with your child: Why do the cows and the hens ask Farmer Brown for blankets? What do the cows do when Farmer Brown refuses to help them? What deal do the cows make with Farmer Brown to get the blankets? When the ducks get the typewriter, what do the ducks want from Farmer Brown? What is a "neutral" party? Fun things to do together: Show your child a keyboard and help them type a simple note to Farmer Brown asking for something they want; Print it out for them to see. As you read, ask your child to "read" the Click, clack refrains with you and be very enthusiastic about the sounds the animals make. Point to the "Click, clack" refrains as you read them to emphasize the text and give the child a cue as to when to say them with you. See if you can find a manual typewriter, then you can experiment with the clicking noises. Sing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" Play a game of "Duck, Duck, Goose" Book Skills Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): The story structure, the actions of the animals, and the reactions of the farmer make this story a good choice for practicing description of events and retelling a story in sequence. Use Books (Print Awareness): The print is black, large and bold, often against bright white space or in boxed areas resembling typed letters, making the words stand out on the page. The font makes the words easy to point to as you read aloud, capturing the child's attention and encouraging them to follow along.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Publisher: Viking Juvenile (2008) Binding: Hardcover, 40 pages Illustrator: Don Freeman Item Call Number: E FREE A toy bear in a department store wants a number of things, but when a little girl finally buys him he finds what he has always wanted most of all Questions to talk about with your child: What is your favorite part of the story? Do you think it would be fun to run around a store at night when no one is there? Do you have a favorite bear? Do you like to ride the escalator in big stores? Fun things to do together: Set up your stuffed bears and other animals and have a Teddy Bear Picnic. Learn (or pretend) to sew a button on like Lisa does for Corduroy. Hide your teddy bear under the covers (but keep the ears out!) and see if someone else can find him. Act out the nursery rhyme "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear". Book Skills Loves Books (Print Motivation): The soft and gentle story about finding a home and a friend will encourage children to talk about their own stuffed animal friends. New Words (Vocabulary): This book has some challenging words in the story such as "escalator", "watchman", and "toy department".
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Author: Mo Willems Publisher: Hyperion Press (2003) Binding: Hardcover, 40 pages Illustrator: Mo Willems Item Call Number: E WILLE When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place - a pigeon! Series: Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late (2006), The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog (2004), The Pigeon Wants a Puppy (2008) Questions to talk about with your child: Where do you think Pigeon would go if he drove the bus? How do we know how Pigeon feels when he does not get to drive the bus?
How does Pigeon lose some of his feathers? How do you know pigeon feels? What do you think pigeon is feeling when there are no words - just black squiggles above his head? Fun things to do together: Sing The Wheels on the Bus. Then sing The Pigeon on the Bus and make up your own words. For example, "The Pigeon on the bus flaps his wings..." Pretend to be on a bus. Arrange kitchen chairs in rows to resemble bus seats. Take turns being the driver and the pigeon begging to drive the bus. Visit a local park or downtown area to feed and observe the pigeons. Try to count and categorize them by color, markings, size, etc. Create your own sequel to this book. Don't Let the Pigeon Bake a Cake, Ride a Horse, etc. Book Skills Loves Books (Print Motivation): With a funny and engaging character like Pigeon, children learn to love and laugh along with books. Use Books (Print Awareness): With text highlighted in different colors, as well as us bold print, children can learn how the words move on the page.
Down the Road
Down the Road Author: Alice Schertle Publisher: Sandpiper (2000) Binding: Paperback, 40 pages Illustrator: E.B. Lewis Item Call Number: E SCHER Hetty takes her first trip to the store by herself and is very careful with the eggs she's bought, until she stops to pick apples. Questions to talk about with your child: Where does the story take place? City or country? How can you tell? What instructions did Mama and Papa give to Hetty? What else besides eggs could you buy at Mr. Birdie's Emporium and Dry Goods Store? How did Hetty feel when she broke the eggs? Why did Papa and Mama climb the apple tree? Do you think Mama and Papa will let Hetty go to the store again by herself? Why or why not? Fun things to do together: Point to and make sound effects for words like "thup", "bump", "squish" and "splat" to reinforce phonological awareness. Play running a store like Mr. Birdies. Practice carrying eggs in a basket. Make an apple pie together. Climb a tree together.
Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash! Author: Suse MacDonald Publisher: Little Simon (2007) Binding: Hardcover, 30 pages Follow the leader and count the fish that live beneath the sea. Turn the book upside-down and count again. Questions to talk about with your child: How does each fish change when you turn the page? Look at the picture on the right; then turn the page and look at the picture on the left. How do they compare? What shapes do you see? What colors can you see? Which fish does not have fins? Fun things to do together: Visit the library or an aquarium to learn more about fish and their habitats. Count the number of fish on each page to associate the written number with the actual number of fish. Group goldfish crackers by number (one alone, two together, three together, etc.) and then eat them for a special treat. Design your own fish with unique patterns. Use buttons, ribbons, and other scrap materials to add texture. Book Skills Loves Books (Print Motivation): Books that encourage children to manipulate them ( pull outs, fold outs, upside down pictures, etc.) create added interest and participation in the activity of reading books. Make Sounds (Phonological Awareness) : The rhyming text is fun to read and will encourage children to enjoy playing with language. Use Books (Print Awareness): Reading the book correctly requires turning the book to follow along and count forwards and backwards. This helps a child learn how to properly hold the book to read it.
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Author: Eileen Christelow Publisher: Sandpiper (2006) Binding: Paperback, 32 pages Illustrator: Eileen Christelow
Item Call Number: E CHRIST As soon as they say good night to Mama, the five little monkeys start to jump on their bed. But trouble lies ahead as, one by one, they fall off and hurt themselves. Questions to talk about with your child: What is your favorite part of this story? How many monkeys were jumping on the bed at the beginning of the story and at the end of the story? Did any of the monkeys stop jumping when another monkey got hurt? Why? Did you ever get hurt? Did your parents help you? Did you have to go to the doctor? Fun things to do together: Count from 1 to 5 forwards and backwards Draw a monkey and make a band-aid to put on his head - give it a kiss to feel better Put a mattress on the floor and jump on it while singing the story (or find a rhythmic instrument, such as maracas, to play while chanting the book in rhythm) Get a box and a toy. Help your child place the toy on top of the box, beside it, inside it, under it, and over it; then have your child do it themselves to practice obeying ?position/spatial word' directions. Book Skills Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): The story is simple and repetitive, making it simple and fun for children to re-tell (or sing)! Use Books (Print Awareness): The illustrations make it easy to highlight the action words on the page - i.e. "jumping on the bed".
Frog and Toad are Friends
Frog and Toad Are Friends Author: Arnold Lobel Publisher: Harper & Row (1970) Binding: Hardback, 64 pages Illustrator: Arnold Lobel Item Call Number: E LOBEL Five warm, funny stories of Frog and Toad's friendship that can be read by parents or a beginning reader.
Series: Frog and Toad All Year (1976), Adventures of Frog and Toad (1979), Days with Frog and Toad (1979), Frog and
Toad Together (1999)
Questions to talk about with your child: What are some of the nice things that Frog and Toad do for each other? What do you like to do with your friends? Have you ever received a letter in the mail? Who was it from? Which story was your favorite?
Children can really have fun with sounds and language in this story. The many sound words (zoop, zap, zwit, flop) make for a fun read aloud and will inspire children to "read" along with you.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Author: James Marshall Publisher: Dial (1988) Binding: Hardcover, 32 pages Illustrator: James Marshall Item Call Number: E MARSH Three bears return home from a walk to find a little girl asleep in baby bear's bed. Questions to talk about with your child: Look carefully at the pictures of the Bears' home. Do you see anything in the pictures that tell you Goldilocks is in the bear's house? Which bear is big? Which is small? What are the different sizes of furniture for each of the bears? How would you feel if Goldilocks came into your house without permission? Should you ever go in to someone's house without permission? Fun things to do together: Act out the story with your child with puppets or other toys. Take a look at Baby Bear's messy room. Identify as many objects as possible. Book Skills New Words (Vocabulary): This story offers opportunity to learn and talk about the concepts of small, medium, and large (little, bigger, biggest) and discuss the concept of size comparison. Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): This classic story's structure is a great example of the elements of a story (beginning, middle, end and perfectly identified characters) and a perfect choice for practicing how to tell a story and describe events.
Green Eggs and Ham
Green Eggs and Ham Author: Dr. Seuss Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (1960) Binding: Hardcover, 72 pages Illustrator: Dr. Seuss Item Call Number: E SEUSS Sam-I-Am mounts a determined campaign to convince another Seuss character to eat a plate of green eggs and ham. Questions to talk about with your child: Would you try green eggs and ham? If so, where would it be? In a box, with a fox, etc? Why do you think Sam refused to stop asking his friend to try green eggs and ham? Why do you think Sam's friend tried green eggs and ham? What are the different types of transportation in the story? Can you count them all? Fun things to do together: Make your own green eggs and ham. http://www.seussville.com/printables/geah_recipes.html Identify the animals and colors in the story. Book Skills Tell A Story (Narrative Skills): Repetitive phrases makes this story easy to remember. It has a great rhythm perfect for reading aloud. Make Sounds (Phonological Awareness) : Dr. Seuss introduces many pairs of rhyming words such as box, fox, house, mouse, etc.
Gregory the Terrible Eater
Gregory, the Terrible Eater Author: Mitchell Sharmat, Ariane Dewey Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (2009) Binding: Paperback, 32 pages Illustrator: Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey Item Call Number: E SHARM
