Read Aloud
Recommendations
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Title: If You Give A Mouse A
Cookie
Author: Laura Joff
Numeroff
Illustrator: Felecia Bond
Publisher: Laura Geringer Book, 1985
SUMMARY
A bossy little mouse can't keep
his mind from wandering every time he
sees something new. Everything he sees makes him want one more
thing and he always asks the little boy he's with to get it for
him. After all, if you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want
a glass of milk....
GUIDING
STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES &
RESPONSE STRATEGIES
This book is wonderful for
practicing predictions, learning about cause
and effect, discussing sequencing, and exploring chain
reactions. For students who are ready, the concept of circular
plot can be explored. Begin lesson by flipping through the
pictures and making predictions. A good way to start this
exercise would be to pose the question, "If you give a mouse a cookie,
then what?" When reading the story, stop to change, confirm, and
check predictions. The reading should be stopped at key points to
check for any unfamiliar vocabulary and to assess comprehension.
Afterward, class discussion can be centered around retelling the story
following the appropriate sequencing and talking about cause and
effect.
SUPPORTING ENGLISH LEARNERS
The illustrations in this book are fantastic and do a wonderful
job supporting the text. The use of total physical response (TPR)
would be helpful for EL learners and bring the story to life for all
the students. TPR could be supported with realia for vocabulary
that might be new such as "nail clippers" and "mustache."
RECOMMENDATION
My aunt who is a teacher and principal, introduced this book to
me after she had read it to her multi-grade classroom. Her
students of all ages loved this book and requested it over and over
again. It's been a favorite of mine since the first time I read
it.
Title:
The Giving Tree
Author: Shel Silverstein
Illustrator: Shel
Silverstein
Publisher: Harper &
Row, 1964
SUMMARY
This story explores the concepts of kindness, giving, and unconditional
love through the relationship between a boy and a tree. The tree
loves the boy so much that it will do anything for him. When the
boy is happy, the tree is happy It is a poignant and touching
story that can spark conversation about the nature of giving and the
motivation that lies behind it.
GUIDING STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES &
RESPONSE STRATEGIES
This book is another good candidate for teaching sequencing, as
well as cause and effect. The story can be discussed first by
looking at the pictures and guessing what will happen. After the
story is read, the students can work together to remember what the tree
gave to the boy and in what order. Then, cause and effect can be
explored by asking, "What did the boy want?" followed by "What did the
tree give the boy?" The students should understand that because
the boy's want was the cause and the effect was that the tree gave
another part of itself. Character education can also be taught by
exploring the relationship between the tree and the boy. This can
be done by posing questions such as, "How does the boy feel about the
tree?" and "How does the tree show the boy how it feels?"
This can lead to sharing personal experiences led by questions such as,
"Does this story remind you of a time when you gave something to
someone or someone gave something to you?" and "How do you show others
that you care for them?"
SUPPORTING ENGLISH LEARNERS
EL learners may need help with vocabulary such as "branches",
"shade", "leaves", "busy", "whispered", etc.... Comprehension
should be checked as the story is read. The use of a dictionary,
drawings, or realia can aid EL students in understanding unfamiliar
vocabulary. Teachers should scan the text first and have support
on hand to clarify words that might challenge the EL students in the
class. Also, the phrase "the boy grew older" may be confusing for
EL learners and require clarification. It should be explained
that the word "grew", in this case, could be replaced with "got" or
"became".
RECOMMENDATION
I like this
book because of the ambiguity regarding the motivation and
self-sacrifice of the tree. The story evokes emotion because the
tree gives of itself so wholly. It is a springboard for
discussion into why we choose to give of ourselves. Shel
Silverstein is a famous and talented storyteller whose poems and
stories have long been favorites of children and adults alike.
Title: Lon Po Po (Caldecott Medal Book)
Author: Ed Young
Illustrator: Ed Young
Publisher: Philomel Books, 1989
SUMMARY
This story is a Chinese variation on Little Red Riding Hood.
A wolf, Po Po, comes to the home of three little girls, Shang,
Tao, and Paotze, while their mother is away
visiting their grandmother for her birthday. The girls must use
their cunning to defend themselves from the sneaky wolf who wants to
eat them.
GUIDING STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES & RESPONSE
STRATEGIES
Previous knowledge should be
explored about before reading this book. The class should be
asked to share what they know about Little Red Riding Hood. Make
a list of the main story elements the students know. After
reading the book, make sure the students fully understood the
vocabulary and the story. Many students will probably be
unfamiliar with Gingko nuts and that provides an opportunity to
research what they are and how these nuts are used in the Chinese
culture. Have a class discussion about how this book is different
from Little Red Riding Hood. Use a Venn diagram
to record the differences between the two stories. Also, students
can be invited to pretend they are one of the little girls in the story
and write what they would tell their mother when she returned. A
writing template can be found here.
SUPPORTING ENGLISH LEARNERS
EL learners who were raised in a different culture may not be
familiar with Little Red Riding Hood. If this is the
case, such a student should be given the chance to read and understand
the story of Little Red Riding Hood before beginning Lon Po
Po. Also, these students may have a similar story from their
own culture that they can share with the class. EL learners may
need help with vocabulary such as "Gingko", "awl", "cunning", "latch",
"plump", “hemp”, etc.... and should be provided with support to
learn these and other hard words.
RECOMMENDATION
I read this story for the first
time while teaching students in South
Korea. The students who
read this story were already familiar with the American version of Little
Red Riding Hood so they were able to make comparisons between the
two stories. Even more, they had a Korean version with unique
nuances that they were eager to share. It’s particularly
interesting to children who have previous knowledge of the story
line. It helps develop compare and contrast skills. It can
also be extended to have children make their own similar story or lead
into a study about the Chinese culture
