Book Talk

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear
by Lindsay Mattick, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Boston: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2015.

Suggested age and interest level: Pre-K through 3

 Editions: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Languages: English, Chinese, German. Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Spanish

Awards and mentions: Caldecott Medal Winner, 2016, #1 New York Times Bestseller, and a whole string of others

Topics to Explore:  Bears, Teddy Bears; Family; History; Journeys; Kindness and Empathy; Zoos

Skills to Build:
Concepts of Print
Semantics: Vocabulary, Homonyms, Synonyms, Attributes, Idioms, Metaphors (figurative language), Prepositions
Morphological units (suffixes)
Grammar and syntax: Two- and three-word utterances, Noun + verb agreement, Tense structures (present progressive, past, future, and advanced syntax structures)
Language literacy (a.k.a. Language discourse): Relating personal experiences,Sequencing events, Cause-and-effect relationships, Predictions, Problem solving, Drawing inferences, Answering Why questions, Storytelling, Discussion
Executive functions: Goal selection, Planning and organization; Initiation and persistence, Flexibility, Execution and goal attainment, and Regulation
Fluency
Articulation: Phonemes K and H 

Summary:  This is the remarkable true story of the real bear that inspired A. A. Milne’s classic children’s book, Winnie-the-Pooh. Lindsay Mattick tells the story of her veterinarian great, great grandfather’s encounter with a little cub tied to a bench at a Winnipeg train station. Despite traveling with his regiment during a time of war, Harry Colebourn followed his heart and bought the bear from the trapper, rescuing her from an unknown fate. He named her Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg, and she joined the troops as they embarked on their long journey to prepare for war.

From the fields of Canada to a famous convoy across the Atlantic to an army base in England, the little bear delighted the soldiers as they prepared for battle. But battlegrounds would not be a safe place for Winnie, so Harry again followed his heart and drove her to the London Zoo where she could be taken care of. That was where Winnie made another new friend, a real boy named Christopher Robin.

The back material includes WWI-era photographs and diaries of Colebourn, the man who followed his heart, and amazing photos of Christopher Robin right next to Winnie inside her zoo enclosure. The child’s father published a children’s story about this extraordinary friendship in 1926, immortalizing the incredible bear and forever warming our hearts.

Methods:

Before the read-aloud, show the cover and share that the book tells the incredible true story about an exceptional little bear, named Winnie. And she was a girl!

Concepts of print,
Relating personal experiences,
Making predictions

To help younger children develop print awareness, read the title and subtitle as you run your finger under the words in the direction in which they are read. Explain that the letters represent talk written down, and the words inside the book will tell the story, along with the pictures.

To work on relating personal experiences, ask children what they know about Winnie-the-Pooh. Consider sharing a copy of A. A. Milne’s classic book or a picture of Winnie-the-Pooh from the internet.

If children have experience with the stories, encourage them to relate what they know about this classic teddy bear.

To work on predicting events, ask children to describe what they like best about the cover illustration. Then ask –

• What’s unusual about this picture?
• Where is the bear cub?
• What do you think this story is going to be about?

During the read-aloud, model, scaffold, expand, and recast targeted language structures while using the illustrations and text in the following ways:

Two- and three-word utterances,
Present progressive tense structures,
Prepositions

On the title page, reread the tile and subtitle.

To work on two- and three-word utterances, talk about the little bear in the tree looking across at the bunny to elicit picture descriptions such as –

• little bear * little bunny
• bear in tree * bunny on path
• bear sees bunny

To work on present tense constructions and prepositions, expand utterances to include where the action in taking place, i.e.,

• up in the tree
• on the path
• across the meadow, and so on.

Present tense structures,
Relating personal experiences

On a page turn, the story opens with a child named Cole requesting his mother tell him a story before bed. Pause to restate how the story begins and what the boy is holding, as in-

• Cole wants a bedtime story.
• Cole is holding his teddy bear

Also encourage children to relate their own experiences at bedtime.

• Do you have a special stuffed animal?
• Do you like a story at bedtime?
• Tell about your special animal.

Vocabulary, Attributes

On a page turn, see the illustration of the man petting the horse. The text reveals the setting that begins the story, including the character, Harry.

Pause before the page turn to talk about the word veterinarian.

To work on attributes, discuss what made Harry a good veterinarian. He was –

•   kind
•   caring
•   warm

Talk about the setting in Winnipeg, Canada, where the country is typical of the flat plains called tall grass prairie and winters were very cold.

Past and future tenses

On a page turn, see Harry at the train station boarding a train to go off to war.

To work on past tense constructions, pause to talk about the wars of history where soldiers mounted horses. Discuss the horses’ need for good care. Encourage sentence constructions in past tense to retell the story, such as –

• The horses needed care.
• The veterinarians tended to the horses.

To work on future tense constructions, talk about what Harry was going to do, or would do, on his arrival.

• Harry would take care of the horses.
• The horses would need a veterinarian.

Two- and three-word utterances,
Prepositions, Idioms

On a page turn, see the train move through beautiful snow-covered mountains until it reaches the station. The text reads –

The train rolled right through dinner and over the sunset and around ten o’clock and into a nap and out the next day, until it stopped at a place called White River.

 To work on early utterances, encourage repetition of parts of the text as it relates to the beautiful images.

To work on prepositions, talk about the implication of time that the text implies and discuss the images in terms of wherethe train went, as in –

• on the train tracks
• over the bridge
• inside tunnels
• through the mountains

After the train rolls into the station, the text states –

Harry decided to stretch his legs.

To work on idioms, talk about how sone words put together are called an expression, and can have a different meaning than that of their individual words. In this case, to stretch your legs means to go for a short walk after sitting in one place for a long time.

Then scaffold children’s attempts to use it in a sentence. For example,

•   Harry was sitting on the train for so long he needed to stretch his legs.
•   I need to stretch my legs after I sit for too long.

Vocabulary, Drawing inferences,
Metaphors (figurative language)

On the next two page turns, we meet the charming baby bear. As the mother tells the story to her son Cole, see the little cub tied to a bench by a trapper.

Discuss the meanings of words trapper and cub.

To work on drawing inferences, discuss the meaning of the text,

“that Bear has lost its mother,” he thought, “and that man must be the trapper who got her.”

Ask –

• Why would a little cub be at a train station?
• Why does the trapper have the cub tied to the bench?
• What must have happened to the cub’s mother?

Then see Harry, the veterinarian, struggle with a decision. The story reads –

Then his heart made up his mind…

To work on metaphors, or figures of speech, talk about the meaning of the words. Ask –

• What does it mean when your heart makes up your mind?

Point out the picture of Harry walking in circles, scratching his head. How is Harry feeling?  Talk about how difficult making choices can sometimes be.

Talk about how kindness and empathy can shape our opinions and the choices we make.

Homonyms, Vocabulary,
Syntax (present and past tense constructions),
Metaphors (figurative language), Making predictions

On the next five page turns, see how the little cub joins the troops of the Canadian Army, how the officers welcome her into their regiment, name her Winnie, care for her, and even train her! Winnie was in the Army now!

To work on homonyms, show the page where Winnie is safely on Harry’s lap, being fed and learning to drink on her own from a baby bottle. The text says –

The men roared.

Talk about the different meanings of the word roared, as in –

• A wild animal’s deep, loud sound, like that of a lion
• To move at a high speed, making a constant sound, as a car roars down the road
•  To laugh loudly

To work on vocabulary, show the text stating that Winnie was a good navigator. Ask for definitions in the event your audience has prior knowledge. Then explain that a navigator is crucial to the success of a regiment to ensure safe and accurate travel routes

The illustration shows Winnie clinging to the trunk of a tree, certainly giving her a better perspective than her fellow army men. Ask –

• In what ways might she have been a good navigator?
• She was small, but did she have an advantage over the officers?

To work on syntax formations, ask children to tell what Winnie is doing, or did, in order to relate the story in past tense. Point out her path taken around the tents to find a hidden object, even if it was far away.

To work on metaphors, or figures of speech, point out that when thinking about their pending trip across the Atlantic Ocean, Harry again had doubts about taking Winnie along. The text reads –

His head said, “I can’t.” But his heart made up his mind.

Talk again about the meaning of the words. Ask –

• What does that mean when your heart makes up your mind?
• How can kindness and empathy form our opinions and choices we make?

To work on predicting events, ask children what they think will happen next, based on the story’s events so far.

N + V agreement,
Regular and irregular past tense constructions

On the next page turn, see the setting where their journey begins across the Atlantic. Discuss the huge warships –

carrying about 36,000 men, and about 7,500 horses…and one bear named Winnie.

Point out the little cub riding on the bow of the huge ship.

To work on N + V agreement, model, shape, expand, and recast descriptive sentences about the ships and the little bear, such as –

• The ship heads out to sea.
• The ships head out to sea.
• The bear rides on the ship.
• The horses ride on the ships.
• The ship and Winnie leave the harbor.
• Many ships leave the harbor

To work on regular and irregular past tense constructions, encourage sentence constructions using the verbs sail and ride.

• Lots of men sailed on the ships.
• Lots of horses sailed on the ships.
• Winnie sailed on a ship.
• Lots of men rode on the ships.
• Lots of horses rode on the ships.
• Winnie rode on a ship.

Vocabulary,
Syntax (Present progressive and Complex constructions),
Metaphors (figurative language),
Making predictions

 On the next three page turns, see the cub accompanying the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade at their training in England. The men wholeheartedly embrace her presence in their regiment, calling her their mascot. Winnie was in the Army now!

To work on vocabulary, discuss the meaning of mascot (e.i., a person, animal, or object that symbolizes an organization and thought to bring them good luck).

Give examples from baseball, such as –

•             The Pittsburgh Pirates have the Pirate Parrot.
•             The Arizona Diamondbacks have Baxter the Bobcat.
•             Chicago Cubs have Clark the Cub.

To work on syntax formations, use the illustrations of the soldiers and Winnie to describe what they are doing, such as marching in the rain, living in tents, and getting their picture taken with Winnie.

Support children’s advanced syntactic structures with consistent phrase expanders, such as –

•  When Harry was in the Army, he _______ (e.g., tended the horses, kept care of Winnie, marched with the soldiers, etc.).
• When Winnie was in the Army, she ______ (exercised, lived in a tent, had her picture taken, and so on.)

But Winnie is growing bigger. When the order comes for the men to go to battle, Harry thinks seriously about what to do with Winnie. The text reads –

But his heart made up his mind.

 To work on metaphors, discuss again the figurative use of the text. Ask –

•  What do you think that means?
•  Was he making a hard decision?
•  How did he finally decide?

To work on making predictions, ask children what they think will happen next.

• Will Harry take Winnie along with the soldiers into the battlefield?
• Will Harry think about what’s best for a little bear cub?

Early utterances,
Answering Why questions, Problem solving

On the next two page turns, see Harry drive Winnie to the city where he takes her to her new home at the London Zoo.

Notice the topography of the rolling hills with hedgerows and Stonehenge in the background as they drive the car to the London Zoo.

To work on early utterances, use the illustration of Harry and Winnie in the car to encourage repetition of portions of the text, as in

• Harry drove
•  Big city
• Winnie and Harry
• They drive together.

Then see their emotional farewell. Harry tells Winnie there is something she must always remember.

Even if we’re apart. I’ll always love you. You’ll always be my bear.

Encourage children to construct meaning from the page to tell what is happening in the scene.

To work on answering Why questions, ask why Harry took Winnie to the zoo. Model, scaffold, expand, and recast children’s responses to express their understanding, such as –

• The soldiers were going to battle.
• The war front was not a good place for Winnie to be.
• Winnie would be safe at the zoo.

To work on problem solving, ask children to state the problem and solution. Support the construction of responses such as –

• The problem was that going to war with soldiers wouldn’t be good for a bear.
• Harry solved the problem by taking Winnie to live at the zoo.
• Harry decided to put Winnie in a place where she was safe

Drawing inferences,
Cause-and-effect relationships

On the next three page turns, the story transitions to a different place and time, and we see different characters. Discuss the transition.

A little boy with a teddy bear can’t think of a suitable name for his stuffed animal. When his father takes him to the zoo, he sees a bear in a big enclosure and becomes friends with her. Her name is Winnie.

When he comes home he names his teddy, Winnie-the-Pooh! His father wrote books about his son, Christopher Robin, and his friend, Winnie-the-Pooh, named for the bear of the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade saved by a veterinarian, Harry.

To work on drawing inferences, ask children to explain who the bear is that the boy sees in the zoo.

To work on cause-and-effect relationships, ask children what effect the boy’s visit to the zoo has on his teddy bear. For example –

• How did the boy’s teddy bear get the name Winnie-the-Pooh?

Encourage the use of connector words so and because in responses. For example –

• The teddy was named Winnie-the-Pooh because the boy met Winnie, the real bear, at the zoo.
• The boy finally named his teddy bear because he met the real bear, Winnie.
• He liked the bear at the zoo, so he named his teddy bear after her.

Metaphors (figurative language)

On the next two page turns, the story transitions back to Harry, the veterinarian, as he comes back from the war and visits Winnie at the zoo.

The story tells that Harry went back to Winnipeg, married, and had a son. His son grew up and had a daughter, and that daughter had a daughter named Lindsay.  Lindsay is Cole’s mom, telling Cole the story of his great, great grandfather and his decisions from his heart that led to heartwarming stories for generations to come.

To work on metaphors, point out the illustration with the progression of family members. Talk about the meaning of a family tree. Explain that a family tree helps us visualize people’s ancestry, with each branch representing the descendants.

 

After the read-aloud, visit the back material to see photos from the family album. They include war-time photos of a real live Winnie with Harry Colebourn, and then right next to the little boy, Chrisopher Robin, at the London Zoo. Point out Harry’s diary from the year, 1914 and other fascinating details. Ask children to share their thoughts, such as –

•    What are your favorite photos of Winnie?
•    What makes these photos so interesting?
•    What does seeing the photos make you feel about this story?

Then review the pages to work on additional skills such as –

Synonyms, Morphological units (suffixes)

The story tells us that Winnie was a “Remarkable Bear.” Talk about the meaning of remarkable, as in worthy of being or likely to be noticed, especially as being uncommon or extraordinary.

Brainstorm synonyms for remarkable, such as

• Extraordinary
• Outstanding
• Notable
• Uncommon

 Talk about the parts of the word by breaking it down into its syllables.

• Re – mark – a – ble

To work on morphological endings, show how adding the suffix –able to the word remark makes remarkable.

Demonstrate how the suffix works with other synonyms, as in –

• Not – able
• Ador – able
• Love – able

Then encourage use of the words within the context of the story, such as –

• Winnie was a notable bear.
• She was an adorable cub.
• The officers in Harry’s troop found that Winnie was a loveable bear.

Then brainstorm more words with suffix –able, such as –

• Readable
• Breakable
• Washable
• Dependable

Encourage use of the brainstormed words within the context of everyday life, as in –

• The letters are readable.
• The glass is breakable.
• My sweater is washable.

Sequencing events

Review the pages to talk about the journey the little bear took with the Canadian soldiers as they traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to their post in England.

Encourage language discourse with connector words, first, then, later, next, and finally. It might go something like this –

• First Harry traveled on a train through the mountains with his troops.
• Then they stopped at a train station where Harry saw the cub.
• Then he bought the cub, and they traveled by train to a camp in “the green fields of Valcartier.”
• Later, they made the voyage with a convoy of ships across the ocean.
• Next, they set up camp in England, on the Salisbury Plain.
• Finally, Harry drove Winnie to the London Zoo where she was loved and cared for.

Storytelling

Finding Winnie is ideal for working on story schema due to its depiction of the setting, characters’ emotions, Harry’s attempts to solve the problem, and the extraordinary outcome.

Structure and scaffold children’s narratives that contain the following essential story grammar elements to make up a complete episode. Children should be able to understand and express Harry’s motivation toward his goal and how his feelings motivate his behavior.  Ask questions about –

• Characters: Who is the story about?
• Setting: When and where does the story take place?
• Initiating Event: What happened to start the story off?
• Internal Response: How did Harry feel about this?
• External Attempts: What did Harry do? How did he respond to the situation?
• Consequences: What happened as a result of his attempts?
• Internal Response: When he finally got the cub to the London Zoo, how did he feel about this?
• External Attempt: What did that motivate him to do then?
• Outcome: How did Harry and cub each feel about this? How did their relationship change? Did Harry do the right thing in his kindness toward the cub? What events happened as a result of this?

Begin with the first few elements. Support children in putting them together in literate discourse style. Continue until a whole episode can be told. If helpful, go back and review methods for sequencing events and problem solving to assist in expanding the narrative.

Discussion

Return to the title page and read the dedication –

To Cole. May this story always remind you of the impact one, small loving gesture can have.

Throughout the story, the Army needed to move toward its destination, the battlefield. This meant Harry had to make decisions about the well-being of the little cub. Ask –

   How did Harry make his decision ____

• …at the train station?
• …at the Canadian camp in Valcartier?
• …when training for war on England’s Salisbury Plain?

Each time, the story tells us

 …his heart made up his mind.

Talk about Harry’s choices. Ask children for their thoughts.

• Did Harry do the right thing?
• What makes you think so?

Executive functions

The story is true! And let’s face it. Life in the Army is different. Harry and his troops had to adjust their daily lives and plan to accommodate their little friend for life among the soldiers. This included crossing the ocean on board ship for a long journey!

Harry also had to be flexible and think about the best decisions for Winnie as well as his troops. Discuss the following aspects of this extraordinary endeavor. Many are things children may need to consider in caring for their own pet.

1. Goal Selection: The story shows how Harry walked in circles thinking about whether to buy the cub and bring her with him.  Ask –

• What might have been on Harry’s mind before he made his decision?

Suggestions include –

• What should I do if I bring Winnie with us on our journey?
• Should I just use the old routine and hope Winnie makes it?
• Or, do I need to develop a plan?

2. Planning and Organization: The story shows Winnie was well received among the troops. But now what? Harry would surely have been thinking about how to plan for her new life so different from the natural forest where she was from.  Ask –

• If you were Harry, what would you do?
• What would you talk about with your fellow troops?
• What would you be asking yourself once you brought Winnie to the Army?

Suggestions include –

• How do I determine what a little cub needs in the Army?
• Do we need special things for her?
• Do we need a strategy? A plan?

3. Initiation and Persistence: The story shows that the troops brought in plenty of food for Winnie. The text reads –

They brought her carrots and potatoes, and apples and tomatoes, and eggs and

beans and bread. And a tin of fish, and some slop in a dish. But Winnie was still

hungry.

Harry knew that a little bear’s needs are constant. When he needed to be somewhere else, how could he make sure she was safe and didn’t destroy their camp? Ask –

• If you were Harry, what would you do?
• How should you initiate the plan? First with self-talk?
• Should you write it down, or talk it out, even with your regiment?

Suggestions include –

• Write down a plan, make a chart, and talk out loud about it.
• Assign each man a job, like getting the food.

4. Flexibility: The story tells that –

Harry taught her to stand up straight and hold her head high and turn this way

 and that, just so!  Soon she was assigned her own post.

Winnie learned to do lots of things, but that wasn’t by leaving her on her own.  Ask –

• Why did Winnie need to be taught to do special things?  Like commands?
• If you were Harry, would you need to be flexible?
• What would you have to change and plan for when Winnie boarded a ship?

Suggestions include –

• Make sure Winnie is trained so she could be managed by the troops.
• Make sure Winnie is looked after by someone when Harry has work to do.
• Make sure they could change the plan in a different situation, like on a ship (like bringing plenty of food for her to eat!).

5. Execution and Goal Attainment relies on flexibility and self-evaluation. The story says that winter had arrived and –

The time had come to fight.

In thinking about the real goal for Winnie, what does that mean in terms of her welfare?  Ask –

• Will Harry have to evaluate the situation and be able change his mind?
• Will Harry have to make a new plan if conditions aren’t safe for Winnie?
• Did rescuing Winnie mean keeping her with him no matter what?
• Or, did it mean keeping her safe and well so she would have a good life?

Suggestions –

• Winnie needed to be safe.
• Winnie couldn’t go back into the wild because she couldn’t fend for herself.
• Winnie needed to be taken care of by people who loved her just like the troops.

6. Regulation: Once Winnie was transferred to the zoo, Harry needed to evaluate his decision to make sure it was a good one. The story tells us

When Harry visited Winnie at the zoo, he saw how happy she was. She was being raised. She was truly loved. And that was all he had ever wanted from the moment they met….

 Ask –

• How did Harry judge whether his decision was right to take Winnie to London Zoo and avoid the battlefield?
• Did he need to alter his efforts? Or, did his ultimate goal succeed?

Then talk about how good planning and strategies lead to good outcomes – and in this story, for more than just Winnie!

Fluency

To practice fluency techniques such as easy start and initiating phonation on a steady stream of air, begin demonstrating with the character’s name, Harry, beginning with phoneme /h/.

Then review the pages and create short phrases or sentences about what Harry, initiating air flow before moving toward the word Harry as demonstrated. For example –

• …Harry rode the train.
• …Harry saw a cub.
• …Harry bought the cub.

Next, demonstrate the techniques of air flow followed by lip rounding, using the phoneme /w/ and the word Winnie.Structure responses of increasing word length such as –

• …Winnie ate lots of food.
• …Winnie slept by Harry’s cot.
• …Winnie had his picture taken with the soldiers.

To work on adjusting attitudes and moving away from beliefs such as “I don’t have to change”, “I don’t need to speak” and “I can get others to speak for me”, consider holding a discussion on decision-making.

Possible questions to start a discussion might include –

• How did Harry make his decisions about the little cub? Were they easy?
• How would the story have been different if Harry had given in to his fears about taking Winnie with him? What if he had not followed his heart?

Consider discussing the decision-making aspects of avoidance.

• How is avoiding speaking a decision?
• Is speaking to another important, even though you might stutter?

Other messages in this story may also be suitable for working on resilience and promoting healthy perceptions, depending on the unique child.

Articulation, phonemes K and H

To work on production of K, use the word cub to talk about Winnie and structure responses at the child’s ability level as you engage in Book Talk about the story through the text and illustrations.

Other words with K in the text and illustrations: Cole, Colebourn, Captain, Colonel, creature, Canada, camp, car, mascot, pictures, and like.

To work on production of H, use the name of the main character, Harry, when structuring responses to the literature as you demonstrate using a steady airstream before phonation of the complete word.

©SoundingYourBest.com/book-talk/

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Note: Find literally hundreds of quality picture books ideally suited for building the skills addressed here in Book Talk – and a whole lot more – under the headings in the Skills Index of Books Are for Talking, Too (Fourth Edition).

Then find the book titles cross-referenced in three age-related Catalogs and discover similar book treatments that provide you with methods, prompts, and loads of ideas!

Plus!  You’ll also find popular picture books that cover this book’s topics, including Bears, Family, Kindness and Empathy, and more in the Topic Explorations Index of Books Are for Talking, Too! (4th Edition). Then see them featured in the Catalogs with methods for supporting communication skills – for a lifetime of success!

 All in One Resource!

 Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition)

 ~ Engaging children in the language of stories since 1990 ~

Available on Amazon at: https://a.co/d/efcKFw6 

Extended Activities: Watch a video of the author, Lindsay Mattick, talking about her experience writing the book. You’ll see charming illustrations of Winnie-the-Pooh and hear her talk about the importance of adults sharing their stories with their children – and of children’s awareness about these stories so that they may ask questions about their backgrounds and know where they came from.

Some of the most amazing stories are true!

Visit: https://youtu.be/jfj9ZkD0dN8?si=ZTsePlHpZjuYofkv

Also! Watch the wonderful read-aloud video, Symphonic Storytime Finding Winnie: the true story of the world’s most famous bear accompanied by Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor, by CoosBayLibrary.org.

Then see a Listening Guide a the end with questions such as, What instruments do you hear? What instruments stand out? What do you feel while listening to the music? The suggestion is to leave this on while children color and create pictures of their own. Very inspiring!

At: https://youtu.be/d9oIYRj_LQo?si=ijo2xAkppeXmCdPC

The Man Who Didn’t Like Animals
by Deborah Underwood
New York: Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2024.

Awards:  A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year 2024; Amazon Top 20 Books of the Year 2024.

Topics to Explore: Animals, City Life, Communities, Friendship, Perspective-taking, Sounds and Listening

Skills to Build:
Concepts of Print
Semantics: Vocabulary, Metaphors, Categories, Prepositions
Morphology (prefixes)
Grammar and syntax: Two- and three–word utterances, Present progressive and past tense structures, Advanced syntax structures, Negative structures
Language literacy (a.k.a. Language discourse): Making predictions, Sequencing events, Cause-and-effect relationships, Problem solving, Drawing inferences, Point of View,  Answering Why questions, Discussion
Pragmatic social language:  Nonverbal communication, Being a friend
Articulation: K and G, L
Phonological Awareness

Summary: A fun read-aloud about a tidy man who lives alone in the city. He doesn’t like cats. Enter a cat. Then another. He doesn’t like dogs. Enter a dog. Then another. He doesn’t like ducks, chickens, pigs, goats, or any other animals, but they all find their way to the man who doesn’t like animals and crowd his once tidy home, making their unique sounds. Strangely enough, he finds shared interests with all his new companions and begins to enjoy them. But when “cranky” neighbors come, he must decide. Part with all the animals he now loves?  Or (spoiler alert), move to a farm! EE-I-EE-I -O!

Methods:

Before the read-aloud, introduce the book and share the cover, where a story is waiting to be told!  Support literacy and spoken language development by engaging children in the following ways –

Concepts of Print, Making Predictions,
Pragmatic language (Interpreting gestures and expressions)

To work on concepts of print, show the cover and read the title, The Man Who Didn’t Like Animals, running your finger under the words in the direction in which they are read.

The additional text at the top reads –

Before there was Old MacDonald, there was …

You may wish to ask children what they know about Old MacDonald and his farm  – or you may wish to leave out the reference to the well-known character as it certainly has a spoiler effect.

To work on making predictions, ask your audience to describe what’s going on. Point to the man leaning out the window scratching his head as he looks at a cat on the windowsill. Talk about all the animals gathered around the steps of the entrance. Reread the title and ask –

• How could this be?
• How could it be that a man who doesn’t like animals lives where there are lots of them around?
• Do you think he’s aware of the other animals at the side of the steps?

Encourage predictions of what the story will be about.

• Do you think the man likes all the animals beside his house?
• What do you think the animals are going to do?
• What will the man do about all those animals?

To work on interpreting gestures and expressions, talk about the man as he looks at the cat.

• What is he doing? (Scratching his head)
• What might he be thinking? (How did a cat get on my windowsill? How am I going to get rid of this cat?)
• What does his expression tell us? Does he like the cat?

Concepts of Print, Vocabulary. Categories,
Social Pragmatics (Nonverbal communication),
Syntax structures, Prepositions

During the read-aloud, pause at the inside cover for Book Talk as you follow the man through his village street.

To work on concepts of print, point out the signs that label each of the stores along the street where the man is walking. Read them aloud, running your finger under the word in the direction the print is read. They include the –

• Fromagerie (cheese shop)
• Hardware store
• Sports store
• Bird Shoppe
• Reptile House
• Book store
• Music store
• News kiosk with pinned posters

To work on vocabulary, name the items in the picture, such as the –

• Horse
• Buggy
• Fence (enclosing dog park)
• Birdcage (carried by woman)
• Potted plant (carried by the man)

Encourage use of the word, linking it to other words within the context of the story. Model, scaffold, and expand on child responses.

To work on categories, ask children to name all the animals on the street scene, many  of which are hanging out of upstairs windows. They include –

         horse, dog, goose, lizard, pig, cat, cows, and donkey.

Then ask –

• What are they all called? (animals)

Note: See the additional Categories heading listed below in the section, After the read-aloud.

To work on nonverbal communication, point out the man’s reaction to the animals as he sees them on the street.

The title says the man doesn’t like animals. Talk about what his expressions and body language say about how he is feeling. Ask –

• Why is he turning his head to look behind him as he leaves the reptile house?
• Why is he looking away with his arm outstretched toward the horse?
• Why is he holding his plant in the opposite direction as he looks at the cat?

Now locate the man playing with the dogs in the dog park. Talk about how he is communicating something different. Ask –

• How are his actions and gestures different from those of the man?

Answers include –

• He smiles.
• He is facing the dogs.
• His hands are outstretched toward the dogs.

To work on present progressive tense, prepositional phrases, and advanced syntax structures, continue talking about the action in the story using various verbs to construct present tense sentences, including walking, carrying, eating, talking, driving, and looking.

Then expand the simple sentence with an adverbial phrase to explain where the action is taking place. For example –

• The man is walking ____

…down the street
…across the street
…in the middle of the street
…past the shops
…in front of the horse
…away from the horse
…toward home

Follow the man down the road to tell what else he is doing and how he feels about all the animals he encounters.

Syntax structures, Social Pragmatics (Nonverbal communication)

At the title page, read the title again and continue to share in the telling of the story as you follow the man with the plant up the stairs to his home.

To work on present progressive and past tense structures, ask questions such as –

•  After the man went shopping, then what did he do?
• What’s happening in the story now?

To work on nonverbal communication, point out and identify the man’s reaction to the woman’s dog passing by on the sidewalk. Ask –

• What do his expressions and gestures say about how he is feeling?
• What doesn’t he like now?
• How can you tell?

Vocabulary, Social Pragmatics (Nonverbal communication)

On a page turn, the first page of story text reads –

There once was a man

who loved his tidy home

and who didn’t like animals.

Discuss the word tidy and ask for definitions, such as –

• neat
• no clutter
• well arranged
• everything in its place

Then ask for examples from the illustration, as in –

• What are some things in the picture that tell us he has a tidy home?

Answers can include –

•   He has a duster.
•   He’s wearing an apron.
•   There is no clutter, or mess.

Then use the words in connection with other words on the page to create sentences about the story.

To work on nonverbal communication, point out and identify the man’s expression while cleaning his house, and how it is now different.

• Has his expression changed?
• How does he feel now?
• What does that say about what he likes?

Social Pragmatics (Nonverbal communication),
Two- and three-word utterances, Negative syntax structures

On a page turn, read the text that describes what happens to start the story off.

One day, a cat appeared.

To continue work on nonverbal communication, share talk describing how the man uses gestures and expressions to try to communicate with the little cat. For example, ask –

• How is the man trying to communicate with the cat?
• What do his gestures say?
• What is he saying when he _______

       …puts his hands on his hips and turns his mouth down?
…lifts his hands up high and wiggles his fingers toward the cat?
…pulls his hands up high when the cat rubs against his legs?

Then talk about the importance of our gestures and expressions when we communicate with others.  Ask. –

• How do our own gestures talk?

Give and share examples.

To work on early utterances and syntax structures, encourage repetition of the short text. Then ask what the man is saying so children can use the words in a way that relates the events of the story. Shape structures into negative formations, as in –

• The cat did not go away.
• The cat did not leave the house.

Two- and three-word utterances, Syntax constructions

On a page turn, see the man realize all the things he and the cat have in common.

To work on two- and three-word utterances, encourage repetition of the words of the text as you point to the pictured action, such as –

•  …sleeping in the sun
• …watching the rain
• …eating dinner

To work on present tense constructions, model, scaffold, and expand responses about the man and cat with verb phrases. For example, say –

• They are _______.

…sleeping by the window (in the sun).
…walking outside in the rain (together).
…watching the rain.

You can also begin a sentence for the child to repeat and then complete. Begin by asking –

         Q: What do they both like?

         A: They both like _________(e.g., sleeping in the sun, walking the rain, eating dinner together).

 

Negative syntax structures, Predictions,
Social Pragmatics (Nonverbal communication)

On a page turn, see another cat appear at the man’s door.

To work on negative syntax structures, encourage children to repeat the text, filling in the last word, as in –

•  I don’t like cats.

Then use language that tells the story, as in –

•   He doesn’t like cats.

To work on predictions, ask children what they think will happen next and express the reasons for their predictions. For example –

• Do you think the cat will leave?
• What makes you think it (will or won’t)?

To continue syntax formations, pause to encourage picture descriptions and talk about the second cat sleeping on man’s head!

*Note: Also point out the cat bowls with the printed names that will continue to grow in number as the story unfolds. Ask children how the animals came to have names.

To work on nonverbal communication, continue to identify the man’s expressions and body language as he points to the door in a gesture indicating the cat must leave. Then discuss how the man’s expression changes. Since the story doesn’t relate their dialogue, encourage children to provide the “talk” for what the characters are saying as you share in the process of Book Talk.

 

Predictions,  Negative and present tense syntax formations

On the next five page turns, see a dog, another dog, a duck, more ducks, a chicken, and more chickens enter the once tidy home. Each time they do, the man says, “Go away.”  But with each animal that arrives, the man finds steadfast friendship.

Continue to work on language skills as you’ve done on the previous pages by describing the activities the man and his growing number of animal friends like to share. The repetitive structure is predictable, enabling the child to participate with consistency that’s so beneficial in reinforcing skills.

 

Negative and present tense syntax formations,

On a new page turn, see the house from a new perspective as it is filled with animals popping out of the windows, all making their special sounds. Pick out the different actions taking place to support the skills you want to target as you share in Book Talk. Also support the use of different verb phrases.

 

Cause-and-effect relationships, Problem solving

On a page turn, see the “cranky” neighbors arrive at the house. Pick out more details that add to the chaos in this scene, including –

• pigs playing Scrabble
• the dog knitting
• ducks swimming in a barrel
• the pig playing the piano
• the hen in a next on top of the piano

and so forth.

To work on cause-and-effect relationships, ask children what caused the neighbors to get so upset. For example, ask –

• What effect did all the animals have on the neighbors?

Support constructions with connector words such as so and because, such as –

• The neighbors got mad because the animals were making too much noise.
• The animals were making too much noise, so the neighbors came to complain.

Or, provide the first part of the sentence and have the child complete it starting with the connector word.

To begin work on problem solving, ask children to state the problem in the story, as in –

• The neighbors don’t like the noise.
• There are too many animals living in the house.
• The situation is out of control!

Then ask for ideas about how the man should solve the problem.

Problem solving, Point of View, Answering Why questions.

On a page turn, see the man thinking through his dilemma and telling the animals –

 “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to go,” he said.

To continue working on problem solving, ask what the man did to solve the problem.  Answers may include –

• He thought about it.
• He agreed the animals made a lot of noise.
• He made a decision.

To work on point of view and perspective-taking, point out how the man agreed with his neighbors that the animals were making too much noise. Ask –

• Was that usual or unusual?
• Was that a bad choice or a good choice?

Talk about how the man understood his neighbor’s point of view.

To work on answering Why questions, ask why the man sent all the animals away, even though he was enjoying them. Model, shape, and expand on utterances using connector words so, so that, and because.

 

Metaphors, Drawing Inferences, Concepts of Print

On a page turn, see the man heartbroken, then changing his mind as he runs after the animals calling,

WAIT!

To work on concepts of print, identify the letters of the names printed on the pet food bowls. Then show the word wait on the opposite page, in the talk bubble. Explain how it represents the man’s talk written down.

To work on metaphors, talk about the meaning of a broken heart. Often called a figure of speech, the words used in this context indicate loss, grief and sadness. Ask –

• What does his expression say about how he truly feels about the animals?

To work on drawing inferences, ask how we come to realize he changed his mind, even though it isn’t stated.

 

Concepts of Print, Problem solving, Syntax construction

On the remaining page turns, see the magnificent hug, the cleanup and departure from his home, and the joyous ride as they relocate to Old MacDonald’s Farm and live happily ever after. Sum up the story with a comment such as –

• So, now you know the origins of Old MacDonald’s Farm, just like the book cover states!

To continue work on concepts of print, show that the sounds the animals make have changed from the oinks, moos, and baas to aaahhhhs once they all reunite.Also show how the newly arrived farmer paints his sign with letters that say Old MacDonald’s Farm, and that the animals are now learning their letters, EE-I-EE-I-O!

To finish working of problem solving, talk about how the man who didn’t like animals finally solved his problem by bringing all the animals he now loves to live with him on a farm.

To continue work on syntax construction, encourage talk about what’s happening in the illustrations as the happy crowd works together to build their happy life on the farm.

 

Articulation, phonemes K and G, and L

The text is heavily loaded with the repeating velar plosives K and G, and the liquid consonant L. Throughout the story, work at the child’s acquired ability level to produce the accurate sound(s) during Book Talk.

To work on K and G, use the opportunity of the repetition of the word cat and go (away) in the beginning pages.

Additional words with K in all positions in the text: car, like, taking, walks, came, duck, ducks, chicken, chickens, cow, cows, cranky, called, cluck, and oink.

Words with K in the illustrations: park, couch, clock, kitty, cane, clean, and chorus.

Words with G in all positions in the text: gardening, pig, goats, gathered, grew, grass, dog, and began.

Words with L in the text and illustrations: plant, like, love, table, animals, sleep, cluck, ladder, street light, slowly, called and filed.

 

After the read-aloud, ask children to tell you their thoughts about the story. For example, ask –

• What was your favorite part/page?
• What did you like most about it?
• Why was that an important part of the story to you?

Then review the pages to work on additional skills such as –

Discussion

Hold a discussion on friendship. Ask children how it was that a man who didn’t like animals came to love them. Ask what happens when you share activities with a special someone. How does your friendship grow?

 

Sequencing Events

To work on sequencing events, ask children to describe the picture sequence of the animals that came to visit the man in his house, culminating with the arrival of the “cranky” neighbors. Scaffold with connecting words first, then, next, and finally. For example –

• First, a cat arrives.
• Then another cat arrives.
• Next, a dog arrives.
• Then another dog arrives.
• And then a duck, chickens (and so forth) .
• Finally, the “cranky” neighbors arrive to complain.

 Categories

To work on categories, review all the animals in the story and ask what kind of animals they are (farm animals). Continue to group items in the story into categories by asking –

• Name all the types of furniture in the man’s house.
• Name all the activities the man and animals liked doing.
• Name all the rooms in the house that the animals were in.
• Name all the cleaning utensils the man used.

Go back to review the illustrations if needed.  Then connect the category word with other words in the story to create sentences, such as –

• The animals sat on the furniture.
• The man and his animal friends liked to do activities together.
• The animals were in all the rooms of the house, even the bathroom.

Social Pragmatics (Being a friend)

To work on using language effectively in social contexts, including making friends, finding commonality and enjoying things that you each have in common, asking questions such as –

• What are some good ways of making friends?
• What are some ways that the man and his animal visitors became friends?
• What did they enjoy doing together?
• What kinds of things could they have said to each other when doing the things they enjoyed?

 Morphology  – prefixes

In this story, the man starts out not liking animals. He doesn’t like animals. Or you can say he dislikes animals.

Use the animals in the story to create sentences about what the man dislikes.

• He dislikes cats.
• He dislikes dogs.
• He dislikes ducks.

and so on.

Share other words that start with the prefix dis-.  Explain that the prefix frequently means to do the opposite of when used in front of the root word. For example,

• Dis – connect
• Dis – continue
• Dis – agree
• Dis – appear
• Dis – assemble
• Dis – belief
• Dis – cover
• Dis – infect
• Dis – obey

Discuss the root words. Give examples of their meaning or ask children to define the words and use them in a sentence.

Then say the word with the prefix. Show how the new word is the opposite of the root word. Then use the new word in a sentence.

 

 Phonological Awareness

 Play Phonological Awareness (PA) games with the words of the text.

Note:  If the child’s abilities fall on the earlier end of the PA spectrum, you may want to start with the games provided here at the Initial Sound Awareness level.

If the child has been assessed at the advanced Phonemic Awareness levels, consider working on other activities for Phoneme Analysis and Phoneme Manipulation, to name a few. Given the short amount of text in the story, creating a list from this source may need to be supplemented with other story-related words. Then proceed with specified activities that focus on each level of the continuum until the child has achieved the final stages of phonemic awareness

NOTICE: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following phonological awareness games are copyrighted material from the 3rd and 4th editions of Books Are for Talking, Too!  They are the intellectual property of the author/publisher. They are used here in Book Talk by the author/publisher for educational purposes only. Duplication of this material for commercial use is prohibited without explicit permission from the  author/publisher.

 

Initial Sound Awareness Level – Alliteration

Please Note: In all the following games, “the sound L” or “the sound P“, etc., means the phoneme, and should be produced as the sound, not the letter name.

Play: Same-Sound. Children identify whether two words (or three-word strings) from the text begin with the same sound.  For example,

say –

• Listen to the following words: love, like.
• Do the words love and like start with same sound? (Yes)
• Yes, love and like both start with the sound L.

Continue using words from the following list. Intersperse non-alliterative words into the sets to make odd pairs:

• love,  like
• like, ladder
• cow, cat
• man, meow
• cluck, clock
• bath, bark
• goat, go
• tidy, table
• dog, duck
• pig, piano
• chair, chickens
• farm, food
• neighbor, noisy

 

Now play Same Sound with 3-word strings.  For example,

say –

• Listen to the following words: like, love, ladder.
• Do the words like, love, and ladder start with the same sound? (Yes)
• Yes, like, love, and ladder all start with the sound L.

• Listen to the following words: man, meow, bark.
• Do the words man, meow, and bark start with the same sound? (No)
• No.  Man and meow start with the sound M. Bark starts with the sound B.

Intersperse non-alliterative words into the following 3-word strings:

• love, like, ladder
• man, meow, move
• bath, bark, baa
• cat, cow, car
• dog, duck, dish
• goat, go, game
• farm. food, fingers
• pig, piano, park
• neighbor, noisy, neat

 

Odd-One-Out. Children select from a string of alliterative words the one that does not belong based on its beginning sound. Use the list provided in the Same-Sound game to build word strings with a non-alliterative word. For example,

say –

• Listen to the following words.
• Which word does not start with the same sound as the others?
• dog, duck, oink  (oink)
• That’s right. Oink is the odd one out.

 

Word-Search. Children search for a word in an illustration or recall a word from the text that begins with the same sound as a target sound or target word. For example,

    From the opening scene of the man dusting in his living room, say –

• I’m searching for something in this picture that starts with the P sound.
• Can you help me find a word that begins with P? (e.g., piano.)

Or say –

• I’m searching for a word that starts with the same sound as cat.
• Can you help me find a word? (e.g., couch )

 

Say-the-Sound. Children listen to a series of words taken from the text and produce the initial sound common to each word. For example,

say –

• Listen to the following words: park, piano, pig.
• What sound do they all start with?
• That’s right! Park, piano, and pig all start with the sound P.

Continue by using the alliterative word strings provided in the Same Sound game.

 

Note: For book treatments that encompass the full range of phonological awareness (PA) skills, check out the Phonological Awareness Catalog in Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition.) You’ll get tables showing the hierarchy in the development of PA, and a whole range of activities and instructions to use with easy-to-find picture books.

© SoundingYourBest.com.  All rights reserved.

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Note: Find literally hundreds of quality picture books ideally suited for building skills addressed here in Book Talk – and a whole lot more – in the Skills Index of Books Are for Talking, Too (Fourth Edition).  Then find the book titles cross-referenced in three age-related Catalogs and discover similar book treatments that provide you with methods, prompts, word lists, activities, and loads of ideas!

Plus!  You’ll find other popular picture books that cover this book’s topics, including Farm Animals, City Life, Communities, Friendship, Sounds and Listening, and more in the Topic Explorations Index of Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition). Then find the books featured in the Catalogs to support you in using a thematic approach to literature –  building skills for a lifetime of success!

 All in One Resource!

 Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition)

 ~ Engaging children in the language of stories since 1990 ~

Available on Amazon at: https://a.co/d/efcKFw6

 

Extended Activities:

Great, must-see Read-Aloud of child reading this book!  YouTube: “Kids Read Aloud – The Man Who Didn’t Like Animals” – https://youtu.be/R9WwrplKTJw?si=T04CQLfBZDKt2oOG

The Snail and the Whale
by Julia Donaldson
New York: Puffin Books, 2003.

Suggested age and interest level: Ages 3 to 7 years

Editions: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Large Print, Braille, and Magnetic Book. Also an Audio book available on iTunes.

Languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian, Russian, and Turkish

Awards: Winner, 2004 Spoken Book gold award for best audiobook for ages 6 and under.

Topics to Explore: Animal rescue, Beaches and seashore, Friendship, Geography, Ocean creatures and habitats, Whales

Strategies for Book Talk: Consider pausing only minimally during the read-aloud so that the brilliant use of language crafted in rhythm and rhyme isn’t interrupted. However, pausing for children’s input and to define a word are always suggested. On a second read-though, target more specified skills you want to support.

Skills to Build:
Concepts of Print
Semantics: Vocabulary, Beginning Concepts (Part-Whole Relationships),  Homonyms, Synonyms, Associations, Adjectives, Attributes, Prepositions
Grammar and syntax: Two- and 3-word utterances, Noun + Verb agreement, Singular and Plural forms of nouns, Syntax structures (past, present and advanced)
Language literacy (a.k.a. Language discourse): Relating personal experiences, Sequencing events, Cause-and-effect relationships, Predictions, Problem solving, Drawing inferences, Verbal expression (Giving explanations), Compare and contrast, Answering Why questions, Discussion
Pragmatic social language:  Nonverbal communication, Being a friend
Fluency
Articulation, W, F and V
Phonological Awareness

Summary: A tiny snail with an “itchy foot” on a soot-filled rock overlooking a busy harbor has a wonderful dream. So, she advertises for a ride around the world. Her dreams come true when, after writing an ad with her silvery snail trail, she is invited to climb aboard the tail of a humpback whale. What a wonderful whale to take her to far off lands, to the South Pole’s icebergs with penguins and seals, and tropical islands with monkeys, palm trees, and spewing volcanoes. But when the whale gets pushed too close to land, he gets beached on an empty shore. Find out how the tiny snail saves the day with her courage and ingenious snail trail that rounds up the community. Together they all try to preserve the giant sea mammal until the tide comes in again and he’s heading back to port. Waiting for them is whole “flock on the rock” and they all climb aboard for a new adventure to end this endearing tale.

Before the read-aloud, encourage children to share what they know about the cover illustration, engaging in Book Talk as you support the following skills:

Vocabulary, Attributes, Discussion, Relating personal experiences

As you read the words of the title and author on the cover, encourage descriptions of the story’s setting, identifying the toucan perched on a palm tree, and parrot flying over the sea.

To work on vocabulary, talk about the whale and how it inhales air when it comes to the surface of the water using a blowhole, distinguishing it from fish. Describe how the whale blows a powerful burst of air from its blowhole, and that condensation from colder air outside creates the mist, making it look as if it is spewing water. After it has exhaled, then it inhales air and can swim under the water with this air until it is time to come back up again and repeat the process.

Name other attributes of this marine mammal, like its size, color, and special dorsal fin on his back (not visible in this illustration) that identifies him as a humpback. Then identify the tiny creature, barely seen at the tip of his tail – the snail.

As you discuss snails and their features, talk about how they leave a silvery, glistening snail trail behind them when they are on the move. This helps them navigate and propel their movement over rough, dry surfaces.

The snail trail is key to understanding the story. Ask children to relate their own experiences observing snails. Ask –

•  Where did you see the snail?
•  What do you notice about the snail?
•  Have you ever seen a snail trail but no snail?
•  What does its trail tell you?

Talk about the difference between a sea snail (like the one in the story) and a garden snail. For example, garden snails have lungs and sea snails have gills, so they can breathe under water.

During the read-aloud, model, scaffold, expand on, and recast language as you engage in children in Book Talk. Consider minimal interruptions in the flow of the rhyming verse on the first read-through, then pause for lengthier exchanges when you revisit the pages after the entire book has been read.

Perspective-taking, Vocabulary, Syntax structures, Idioms, Homonyms

On the first page turn, pause for talk about the setting.

To work on perspective-taking, point out the single tiny snail on the rock overlooking the harbor. Make the story come alive by asking –

• What can the snail see from the rock?
• How is her view different from those on the little boat coming into the harbor?
• How is it different from that of the seagull perched on top of the old pilings?

Vocabulary includes –

• Port
• Dock
• Cranes
• Tugboat
• Ships
• Anchor
• Seagulls
• Lichens (on rocks)
• Lighthouse
• Shore
• Buoy
• Metal barrels (oil drums)
• Pilings (providing a habitat for marine life)

To work on vocabulary and syntax formations, model use of the words in sentences and connect them to other words. Then scaffold and/or expand the child’s constructions, such as –

• Big ships are docked in the harbor.
• Cranes lift cargo (off the ships).
• Lichen grows on the rocks (and pilings).
• The seagull eats lichen (off the rock).

and so on.

To work on idioms and homonyms, talk about the expression itchy foot that is so important to the meaning of the story. Share that the expression means longing to travel or do something different. Ask yes/no questions to insure understanding. For example, ask –

• Does this expression mean the snail’s foot itches and she needs to scratch it?
• Does it mean she is itching to travel and see the world?
• Does the little snail long to set foot on other lands?

Share that a snail’s underside is called a foot. Which gives the idiom a homonym aspect. What does foot mean when referring to a sea snail? 

Concepts of print, Idioms

On a page turn, see lots of snails on the soot-covered rock in the harbor. Talk about the shells on their back. Point out and run your finger along the snail trail as you read the text –

• This is the trail
• Of the tiny snail,
• A silvery trail that looped and curled
• And said, “Ride wanted around the world.”

To work on concepts of print, show the rock on which the snail created a message with her silvery trail. Talk about how she formed the loopy lines of her snail trail into letters – perfect for handwriting. Explain how the loopy letters say something in writing. They are talk written down. Ask –

• What did the snail want to say to the ships’ captains?
• What did she want to ask them?
• How was this clever?

Encourage children to be on the lookout for another place in the story where they might see the snail use her trail to write a message.

To work on idioms, talk about the meaning of the words, hitch a ride, as in getting a ride from someone for free, especially since they’re going where you want to go. They are especially important words to the meaning of the story.

Encourage use of the idiom, both within the context of the story and within children’s own lives.

Part-Whole relationships, Prepositions

On a page turn, see the whale swimming under the nighttime stars. The center part of its body (its dorsal fin) is hidden, submerged under water. The tail appears separately above the water.

To work on part-whole relationships and prepositions, ask children to identify the whale’s parts. Then connect the parts by identifying where each is located. Use prepositions such as under, beneath, in, above, and on top of in relation to the water and context of the story.

In the sidebar illustration, identify the whale’s tail as it rests against the rock. As the tiny snail climbs on, ask where she is and where the rest of the whale’s “immensely” long body is located. Continue working on prepositions in relation to the tail, the rock, and snail that help children express meaning within the context of the story. 

Two- and 3-word utterances, Vocabulary (Adjectives and Verbs),
Plural forms of nouns,
Syntax formations (including advanced syntactic structures),
N+ V agreement, Prepositional phrases

On the next five page turns, see all the places the giant whale takes his tiny passenger. Look for opportunities to engage in the rich text of the rhyming verse to support a variety of communication skills.

To encourage early utterances, invite children to chime in on portions the verse with repeatable phrases, such as –

• tiny snail
• tail of the whale
• snail on his tail
• in the sea
• waves splash
• running a race
• close to shore

Then expand on the utterances to add more words, such as –

• the tiny snail on the rock
• the big tail of the whale
• the whale with a snail on his tail

and so on.

To work on vocabulary development, including adjectives and verbs, focus on the author’s great use of adjectives to describe the –

• towering icebergs
• fiery mountains
• golden sands

and the verbs that tell what the waves were doing as they –

• arched
• crashed
• foamed
• frolicked
• sprayed
• splashed….

…the tiny snail.

Encourage use of the word in ways that connect it to another word in the story, such as –

• The waves arched over the whale’s tail.
• The waves crashed on top of the whale.
• The waves foamed as they crashed on top of the water.

To work on syntax structures, talk about the action in the story as it is depicted in the images. Point out a favorite creature and combine it with the action taking place on the page.

• whale swimming
• whale carrying (the snail)
• penguins watching
• seals sliding
• dolphins playing
• fish swimming
• volcano spewing
• monkey climbing

Encourage advanced syntax structures by creating prepositional phrases, such as –

• The whale is swimming ____(e.g., alongside, in front of, between) the icebergs in the sea.
• The whale is carrying the snail ______ (e.g., on top of, on the tip of) his tail.
• The penguins are looking _____ (out, toward, across) the sea at the whale.

To work on N+V agreement, highlight the difference between pages where text begins with the same pattern, but grammatic constructions are determined by either the singular or plural subject. For example –

• This is the snail…
• This is the rock….
• These are the other snails….
• This is the sea…
• These are the waves….
• These are the caves…
• This is the sky…

Pause at the illustration showing the whale off the shore of the tropical island to work on singular and plural nouns and N+V agreement. For example –

For: Toucan/Toucans

• The toucan sits in the tree
• The toucans sit on the tree

For: Crab/Crabs

• The crab holds hands (pinchers) with the other crab.
• The crabs hold hands (pinchers)

For: Tree /Trees

• The tree stands on the shore
• The trees stand on the shore

For: Shell/Shells

• There is a shell on the beach.
• There are many shells on the beach.

Vocabulary, Sequencing events, Cause-and effect relationships, Verbal expression (Giving explanations), Answering Why questions

On the next two page turns, see enthusiastic boaters racing at sea, forcing the poor whale into shallower water.  And then –

 the whale lost his way.

As the whale now lies on shore, out of his element, he spews ocean water from his blowhole. But he is stuck!  Where will more water come from? The story reads –

This is the tide, slipping away.

On a page turn, read –

And this is the whale lying beached in a bay.

To work on vocabulary, invite Book Talk about the meaning of beached as it pertains to an aquatic animal. Encourage use of the word in descriptions of the whale’s predicament.

To work on sequencing events, consider that before children can express cause-and-effect relationships, they must be able to verbally sequence story events. Ask what happened in this part of the story, scaffolding with words first, and then.  For example –

• First the boaters got in his way.
• Then he had to swim closer to shore in shallow water.
• Then the waves went out to sea (the tide went out).
• And then the whale got stuck on the beach!

To structure cause-and effect relationships about the sequence of actions, ask children what caused the whale to become beached. Scaffold sentences with connector words so, that caused, and because to help construct the relationships of the events, such as in –

• The boats got in his way, so he got off course/had to in a different direction.
• The whale got beached because he had to swim too close to the shore.
• It was the tide going out that caused him to get beached on shore.

To work on giving explanations and answering Why questions, engage in Book Talk about the problem that develops in the story.

Talk about ocean tides and how they bring water toward the land during one stage. In the next stage the water goes back out to sea. Then encourage language formations that explain how whales need deep water to swim in. For example, ask –

• How could a whale end up on the beach?
• Why is it that he is not able to swim back out to sea?
• Why does the story say the water is “slipping away?”

Scaffold and expand on answers such as –

• The tide moves back toward the sea so there’s no water beneath him.
• When there’s no water beneath him, the whale’s belly touches the sand.
• His flippers can’t pull at the water to move him forward.

Concepts of print, Predictions

On a page turn, see how the courageous little snail attempts to solve the problem. After she exclaims, “I’ve got it!” she crawls to a schoolhouse where the children and teacher are surprised by –

A silvery trail saying “Save the whale.”

To work on concepts of print, point to the blackboard with the snail trail message. Ask children to recall how she wrote her last message on the soot-filled rock in the harbor. Show how she formed the loopy lines of her trail into handwriting (rather than printing). Explain how letters say something in writing.

To work on making predictions, ask children what might happen next. Based on what transpired after writing her last message on the rock, what might happen now? (E.g., People will read it.)

Social Pragmatics (Nonverbal communication), Sentence constructions

On a page turn, see the school children shocked and amazed at seeing the snail’s message on their blackboard.

To work on nonverbal communication, talk about the actions and expressions of the characters, including the teacher. Talk about what it says about their thoughts and feelings. For example –

• The girl is standing up out of her chair. She’s pointing. Her mouth is open. She dropped her crayon on the floor.  She must be –
•      startled
•     amazed
•     shocked
•     …thinking this can’t be true!
•     …thinking, no way!
•     …thinking, I can’t believe a snail wrote that!

On a page turn, see the children running toward the beach and the red emergency vehicles with their lights flashing. Support responses such as –

• The boy is running with his arms out and his mouth open.
• He’s probably saying “Hold on! We’re coming to rescue you.”
• The girl behind him is running with her hands up in the air.
• She is worried about the whale.
• She is hoping they will get there in time to save him.
• The boy behind her is holding the tiny snail as he runs with his schoolmates.
• He’s probably being careful not to hurt it.

On the opposite page, emergency crews and villagers help dig sand out from under the whale and hose him down to keep him cool. Support children in interpreting the actions and expressions of people trying to help, especially the little boy still holding the tiny snail.

To work on syntax constructions, use all the action taking place on shore to save the whale in targeting various syntactic structures.

Sequencing events, Part-whole relationships, Prepositions, Syntax constructions

On the last two page turns, see the happy whale, once again blowing bursts of air from his blowhole that turn to spray and mist as he swims back to the harbor with his tiny friend. There they tell their story to a flock of snails and invite them to come aboard for more adventures.

To work on sequencing events and syntax constructions, review the text that reads –

• And the whale and the snail
• Told their wonderful tale
• Of shimmering ice and coral caves,
• And shooting stars and enormous waves,
• And of how the snail, so small and frail,
• with her looping, curling, silvery tail,
• Saved the life of the humpback whale.

Ask children to tell the story the way the whale and snail would have told it, sequencing events with connector words first, next, and then. Help structure the story by asking –

• How did they start off?
• What happened first?
• What did they see?
• Where did they go next?

To work on part-whole relationships, see the sidebar illustration, as it appeared in the beginning page of the book – only this time, with lots of little snails climbing onto the whale’s tail! Ask children to identify the whale’s tail and locate where the rest of his body is. Predict how the whale will be seen differently in the next picture.

To work on prepositions and syntax formations, talk about the action taking place in relation to the whale’s tail, the rock, and snails that help express meaning within the context of the story.

 

After the read aloud, pause for your audience reflect on the story and ask general questions about their opinions, such as –

• What did you especially like about this story?
• What page did you especially enjoy looking at?
• Was there something you didn’t like about the story?

Revisit pages in the story that can provide added meaning and work on the skills previously outlined as well as additional communication objectives such as –

Discussion, Social pragmatics (Being a friend)

The message in this story is that no matter how small you may be, you can make a difference.  Talk about how the tiny snail overcame her initial thoughts of being “terribly small” and instead found a way to make a positive effect.

Consider holding a discussion on friendship. A whale and a snail are unlikely friends. But once the connection is made, they become steadfast companions. Ask thoughtful questions about how their friendship formed, as in –

• How did the whale initiate being a friend to the tiny snail?
• What did they share in common?
• What kinds of things might they have talked about on their travels?

Then ask how they showed friendship toward each other. For example  –

• What did tiny snail do to show her appreciation for her friend?
• What did the humpback whale do to show his appreciation for his friend?

Then ask children to apply the principals to their own lives. For example –

What are some good ways to make a friend? (E.g., Offer to do something for someone, offer to help if they have a problem, and so on.)

Sequencing events

In reviewing the pages of the story, support children in describing the events in sequential order, using connecting words first, next, then, after that, finally, and so on. For example,

• First the snail watched the boats in the harbor and wanted to travel with them.
• Then she wrote a message that she wanted a ride around the world.
• Next, a whale offered her a ride.
• Then she climbed on his tail.
• After that,….

and so on.

Problem solving

Review the pages where speedboats unintentionally push the whale into shallower water. Showing the page with the huge whale on the sand, ask,

•     What is the problem in the story? (The whale got beached.)
•     What needed to happen? (The whale needed to get off of the sand.)
•      How was the problem solved? (The snail wrote a message with its trail to save the whale.)

Continue Book Talk about how the whole community helped in solving the problem of saving the beached whale.

Answering Why questions, Giving explanations, Drawing inferences

Review the pages where the school children and emergency vehicles race to the scene of the beached whale. Excavators help dig the whale out of the sand and machines with extension ladders pump ocean water over him.

To work on answering Why questions, ask –

• Why are emergency vehicles racing to the beach?
• Why are excavators needed to help the whale?
• Why are the fireman hosing off the whale?

Expand and scaffold responses containing connector words such as so that and because.

To work on giving explanations and drawing inferences, ask questions such as –

•  How are the children helping the beached whale?
•  How did the rescue vehicles and excavators get on the scene?
•  How was the whale with the snail able to swim away?                            

Fluency

To work on fluency techniques, use the metaphor of the mist from the whale’s blowhole, his exhale of air, to work on breathing exercises and speaking on a steady airstream.

Talk about whales as mammals, that they breathe in and exhale air just like we do. Review the section in Before the read-aloud under the vocabulary heading for an explanation of how the whale’s exhalation is actually made up of air, not water.

Use the metaphor as well as the wonderful verse with great rhythm to demonstrate and practice easy starts, light contacts, speaking on a steady breath stream, and so on.

The repetitive story structure is ideal for initiating techniques with sentence starters. For example,

• This is the whale that ______.
• This is the sea that ________.
• This is the sky that ________.

As you turn the pages to revisit the story, point to the story features and model sentence starters with steady air flow as you begin –

• This is the ______
• These are the ____

To work on healthy self-perceptions, talk about what the tiny snail does to save the whale. The story shows that that no matter how small you are, you can make a difference.

A snail doesn’t speak, of course. But that doesn’t stop her from attempting to communicate her message. She draws on her courage and uses the abilities she has to call for the whale’s rescue.

While she could have focused her thoughts on being too “terribly small”, instead she sees herself as being able to make a positive effect.

By talking about the tiny snail’s courage and belief that she can be effective, you can segue to the child’s own self-acceptance. It isn’t necessary to speak perfectly. Even though you may be fearful of speaking in certain situations, believing in yourself that you can communicate your message, no matter how, is what matters

Ask what the snail might have said if she could have spoken words. Then segue to the child’s own self-acceptance. Consider asking –

• In what ways are you an effective communicator?

For any child, no matter what the objective, believing in yourself as an effective communicator, no matter how you speak, is what truly matters.

Articulation

Given the rich use of language in the text, the book offers opportunities to work on almost any phoneme! It is particularly useful for the lip rounding movements for W. The text is also well suited for working on fricatives F and V.

To work on W, demonstrate, model and practice production of the word whale on every page, along with -:
Words with W in the text: whale, water, waves, wanted, (ride wanted), world, wanted around the world, wide, world is wide, towering, who, wiggle, wonderful, wild, how, away and how.

Words with F in the text: foot, itchy foot, flock, sniffed, free, fiery, foamed, frolicked, free, filled, flashing, frightening, fail, fetching, firemen, safe, safely, wonderful, frail, and after.
Words with F to use with the illustrations: fun, and wharf

Words with V in the text: volcano, vast, villagers, and wave
Words with V to use in the illustrations: very, vessel, evening, travel, move, moving, over, and above.

Phonological Awareness

The superb rhyming text not only tells a complete story, its constituent words are ideal for PA activities, especially at the earlier levels.

Depending on where the child’s abilities fall on the PA spectrum, you may wish to start with the games provided here at the beginning levels, Initial Sound Awareness and Rhyming  Awareness.

NOTE: The full spectrum of PA is not within the scope of this book treatment. For book treatments that encompass the full range of PA, look through the PA Catalog of Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth edition), where you’ll find activities across the entire  PA spectrum to use with easy-to-find picture books.

 NOTICE: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following phonological awareness games are copyrighted material from the 3rd and 4th editions of Books Are for Talking, Too!  They are the intellectual property of the author/publisher. They are used here in Book Talk by the author/publisher for educational purposes only. Duplication of this material for commercial use is prohibited without explicit permission from author/publisher.

 Rhyming Awareness Level

Play: Finish-the-Rhyme. Children supply the rhyming word left out at the end of a familiar verse. Provide the initial phoneme cue and picture prompts if needed.  Say –

This is the tale of the tiny ______ (snail).

And the great big, gray-blue humpback _______ (whale).

This is the tail

Of the humpback _____(whale).

He held it out of the starlit sea

And said to the snail, “Come sail with _____ (me).

Begin with shorter verses and more familiar pages until children are successful finishing the rhyme.

Play: Rhyme-It-Again. Children identify the rhyming word heard after a rhyming set is given. For example,

   After ending the rhyming verse, reiterate the rhyming word –

   Say –

• That’s right. Tail rhymes with w _____ (whale).
  That’s right. Sea rhymes with m _____ (e)

 Play: Do they Rhyme? Children determine if word sets rhyme or do not rhyme. For example,

    Say,

•      whale, snail
•      Do they rhyme? (Yes)

Say,

•  trail, sail
  Do they rhyme? (Yes)

   Say,

•  whale, sand
  Do they rhyme? (No)

Some rhyming word pairs from the text include –

•  soot, foot
•  rock, dock
•  sighed, wide
•  foot, put
•  curled, world
•  night, bright
•  long, song
•  caves, waves
•  sea, free
•  crashed, splashed
•  fins, grins
•  lightening, frightening
•  land, sand
•  all, small
•  race, place
• roar, shore

Play: Make-a-Rhyme. Children supply another rhyming word, either after a rhyming word from the story is presented or after a set of two rhyming words is presented. Accept any rhyming nonsense word. For example,

   Say.

• rock, dock
  Do they rhyme? (Yes)
  What’s another word that rhymes with rock? (e.g., sock clock, lock, knock, etc.)

Initial Sound Awareness Level – Alliteration

Play: Same-Sound. Children identify whether two words (or three-word strings) selected from the text begin with the same sound. For example –

Say,

• sea, sand
  Do they start with the same sound? (Yes)

Say,

• whale, world
  Do they start with the same sound? (Yes)

Say ,

• trail, snail
  Do they start with the same sound? (No)

Continue with word pairs and strings provided below. Intersperse a word from a matched set with one from another set to create a non-alliterative pair.

• whale, waves
• wiggle, wide
• snail, small
• foot, foamed,
• play, pool
• land, looping
• ride, ring, rock
• tiny, tide, travel
• cave, cool, curling
• wanted, world, whale
• stars, sunny, small,
• silvery, squirting, spraying
• looping, land, lightening
• shimmer, sharks, school
• blue, beached, big, board, bay
• frolicked, flashing, frightening, firemen

Play: Say-the-Sound. Children listen to a series of words taken from the text and produce the initial sound common to each word. For example –

Ask,

• What sound do you hear at the beginning of –
  tiny, tide, and travel?
  Hear it. Say it.
  That’s right. T is the sound at the beginning of tiny, tide, and travel

Continue the game with words of the text provided above, grouped according to their initial sound.

Once children are successful at these levels, continue to work on the next levels in the hierarchy of Phonological Awareness. Try structuring your own activities with suitable words from the text for all the specified PA levels. By focusing on each level of the continuum in this systematic way, the child will eventually achieve the final stages of phonemic awareness.

Note: For book treatments that encompass the full range of phonological awareness (PA) skills, check out the Phonological Awareness Catalog in Books Are for Talking, Too! (4^th Ed.). You’ll get tables showing the hierarchy in the development of PA, and a whole range of activities along with instructions and word lists to use with the easy-to-find picture books.

© SoundingYourBest.com. All rights reserved.

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Note: See other bestselling books by Julia Donaldson featured in the 4th edition of Books Are for Talking, Too!

• Browse through three age-related Catalogs featuring literally hundreds of quality books, readily accessible in school and public libraries or reasonably priced at online booksellers.
• Looking for books to target a special skill? Explore those listed under 75+ skill headings in the Skills index, where book titles are cross-referenced to the Catalogs.
• Thinking of doing a thematic unit? Find books that cover this book’s topics and a whole lot more in the Topic Explorations Index.
• Want to include PA training? Get explicit, systematic instructions for activities across the entire spectrum of Phonological Awareness for use with books in the PA Catalog — so each child can work at his or her appropriate level.
• ~ All in One Resource!  ~

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Available on Amazon:  https://a.co/d/efcKFw6

• Best practices- aligned
• Based on academic research
• Backed by ASHA Guidelines

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Additional Resources for The Snail and the Whale:

• Videos:
  The Snail and the Whale Animated Read-Aloud Book at:
  https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+of+the+snail+and+the+whale&view=detail&mid=F467CE14832237B14124F467CE14832237B14124&FORM=VIRE&PC=APPL
• YouTube video: https://youtu.be/wfAsZdCtHOc?feature=shared
• Extended Activities:
  Paper Projects Snail on The Whale Sparkly Reusable Stickers:
  https://a.co/d/dPrwGsf
• The Snail and the Whale Sticker Book
  Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/1rL6oWc
• Craft ideas and activities: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/383439355769544475/

————– # # —————

Flotsam
by David Wiesner
New York: Clarion Books, 2006.

Suggested Age and Interest Level: K through 5th* and beyond

Editions: Hardcover, eBook

Awards: Caldecott Medal, New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book, Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s, Booklist Editor’s Choice, School Library Journal Best Book, and more.

Languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish

Topics to Explore: Beaches and seashore, Fantasy, Humor, Ocean creatures, Perspective-talking

Skills to Build:
Semantics: Vocabulary, Categories, Homonyms, Synonyms, Associations, Adjectives, Prepositions
Grammar and syntax: Noun + Verb agreement, Plural forms of nouns, regular and irregular, Present progressive tense structures, Negative structures, Advanced syntactic structures
Language literacy (a.k.a. Language discourse): Sequencing events, Cause-and-effect relationships, Problem solving, Drawing inferences, Verbal expression (Giving explanations), Compare and contrast, Answering Why questions, Predicting events, Discussion
Pragmatic social language: Nonverbal communication
Articulation: Carryover for most any phoneme, especially S, Sh, and Ch
Executive Functions
Fluency

Summary: A wordless picture book about a curious, science-minded boy on the beach examining flotsam (i.e., objects that have washed ashore). He has come with microscope, binoculars, shovel, collection box, and pail. While fascinated with a sand crab, a huge wave knocks him into the ocean. Back on the beach, he sees that the wave deposited something of interest lodged in the sand – an old, barnacle-encrusted, box camera known as a Melville underwater camera.He discovers a film roll inside, so he runs to the seaside camera shop to get it developed. He leaves the store with incredible photos in hand, leading him to astounding revelations of where the camera has been and what it has recorded over many eras – in fact, going back as far as the invention of the camera! Follow the magical images and see how he solves the mystery with his scientific aids, then see what he contributes in furthering its magical journey.

Strategies: Consider book talk by viewing just a few pages at a time, leaving off at a suspenseful part to come back to later. This fantastic tale with multiple images per page has plenty of details. The many images on a page requires study. Allowing time to figure out the scene so key revelations aren’t missed makes book talk more rewarding. On some pages, you may wish simply to allow your audience to view the image in silence to process the wonders of the artist’s talent and imagination.

Methods:
Before the read-aloud, show the book’s cover, read the title and author, and discuss the illustration.

Vocabulary

Ask children to describe the cover with questions such as –

•          What is the “eye” in the center?
•          What are the creatures in the corners?
•          Where might the story take place?

Talk about the meaning of flotsam. Ask for a definition, an idea, or guess, then supply your own. Read the inside jacket cover that explains it this way –

Something that floats.

If it floats in the ocean,

it may wash up on the beach,

where someone may find it,

and be astonished,

and share the discovery

with someone else –

 Vocabulary, Present tense constructions

On a page turn, reveal what sets the stage for the story in order to add meaning. Describe the beach scene, scaffolding targeted grammatical structures with the elements, including –

• The boy is (by himself) on the beach.
• He is holding a shovel.
• He’s reaching to find something in the ______ (water/wave that came ashore).

 

Vocabulary, Categories

At the inside title page, ask children to name the items on the page that define flotsam, as used on the story.  Flotsam shown includes –

• Shells (sand dollar, conch, and clam shells)
• Starfish
• Driftwood
• Tools,
• Compass
• Bottles,
• Coins
• Feather

To work on categories, ask children what all the items are called to name the category flotsam. Then ask children to name some of the flotsam pictured. To continue working on categories, ask what items came from the sea, what items came from land, animals, are handmade, and so on.

Vocabulary, Prepositions, Giving explanations

On a page turn, see the story open with a sand crab and a large eye behind it. Identify the sand crab and its interesting parts, including its eyestalks, antennae, pinchers, shell, and walking legs, called pereiopods.

Ask children to identify the object behind the crab, the human eye. Support children in explaining the illustration using prepositions.

• The boy’s eye is behind the sand crab.
• The boy picked up a sand crab at the beach.
• The boy is looking at the sand crab in front of him.

 

 Vocabulary, Present progressive tense and Advanced syntax constructions.

Continue to share in the storytelling as you turn the page and see the boy enjoying his discovery of the crab.  Use various verbs in describing each scene, such as –

• The boy _______  (stares, gazes, looks out) at the sandcastle.
• He __________ (walks, strolls, wanders) along the beach.
• He ________ (sees, discovers, finds) a sand crab.

Then all of a sudden, a big wave comes unexpectedly crashing onto the beach. The boy gets knocked off his feet, into the splashing wave. Support  advanced syntax structure in descriptions about the boy and what is happening with the wave at the same time, such as –

• The boy looks at the crab as the wave crashes behind him.
• The wave crashes and the boy is knocked down.
• The boy gets knocked over when the wave crashes onto the shore.

Cause-and-effect relationships

On a page turn, see that the boy back on the sandy beach, farther away from the waves. Yet the scene has changed. Seaweed wraps around his feet. He stares at an old box camera that washed ashore.

To work on cause-and-effect relationships, ask how the old box camera got lodged in the sand. Structure sentences with connecting words since, because, as a result of. For example –

• A camera is stuck in the sand as a result of a big wave that brought it ashore.
• A camera appears in the sand because of a big wave from the sea.
• A camera is on the beach since it got washed up by a big wave.

Vocabulary, Noun + Verb agreement, Syntax structures, Pronouns

On a page turn, see the boy fascinated with the old box camera, how it functions, and the film inside the camera.

To work on vocabulary, label and define a roll of film as it is shown in the story. It can be described as a thin sheet of (usually) celluloid that is covered with emulsion, rolled up, attached to a spool. The film is inserted into the camera to record a photograph.

To work on N + V agreement, syntax structures and pronouns, support sentence constructions about the boy sharing his find with his parents and the lifeguard as they try to figure out if the camera might belong to anyone around them. For example –

• He shows the camera to his mom and dad.
• They show the camera to the lifeguard.
• The lifeguard doesn’t know.
• His parents don’t know.

Then describe the boy’s actions as he finds a roll of film inside the camera.

• He opens up the camera
• He finds an object inside the camera.
• He removes the yellow roll of film.

 

Sequencing events, Adjectives, Nonverbal communication

The next picture sequence shows the boy hurriedly leaving the beach, running to the seaside town, and finding Bob’s One-Hour Photo shop. After an exchange with the woman behind the desk, he goes outside to wait.

To work on sequencing, ask children to describe the picture sequence of the boy waiting on the bench. How does the artist show the passage of time? Scaffold with connecting words first, then, next, and finally. For example –

• First, he sits and crosses his arms.
• Then he lays on the bench
• Then he disappears.
• Then he comes back and puts his head in his hands.
• Next, he turns around and looks in the store window.
• Finally, he comes out of the store with the photos in hand.

To work on adjectives and nonverbal communication, support children in interpreting the expression on the boy’s face as he views the photos from the camera.

Start a sentence, then brainstorm words to complete it. For example –

         He looks ________.

• fascinated
• amazed
• shocked
• perplexed
• stunned
• astonished

Compare and contrast, Vocabulary, Stating functions, Giving explanations

On a page turn, see the fantastic image of a school of orange fish, one of which is a mechanical version, with its various machinery exposed.

To work on compare and contrast, support children in giving a description of the unusual fish and comparing it to the others. Ask questions such a s-

• How is this fish like the others?
• How is this mechanical fish different from the other fish?
• What is the same about all the fish?
• What makes this mechanical fish able to swim?

To work on vocabulary, stating functions, and giving explanations, name the unusual parts of the mechanical fish and its function. Then ask what each part does. For example, ask –

• What is its function?
•          A turnkey winds up the mechanism inside the fish.
•          Gears operate the fish.
•          Propellers make the fish go.
•          Rudders help balance the fish.

and so on.

Plural forms of nouns, regular and irregular

Use the images in the next four page turns to work on plural forms of nouns such as –

• fish/fish
• octopus/octopuses (correct plural noun)
• shell/shells
• seahorse/seahorses
• starfish/starfish
• whale/whales

Descriptions, Syntax constructions, Prepositions, Drawing inferences

On a page turn, see the images from another perspective, that of the boy as he holds the photos in hand.

On the opposite page, the other photo is revealed – a frog-like octopus reading a book in an underwater living room among friends and family.

Allow time for children to absorb all that is going on in the image. There is a lot to discover. Ask for descriptions of their favorite part of the scene.

•  What’s funny about the photo?
• What is unusual in the photo (developed from the camera’s roll of film)?

To work on syntax constructions with prepositions, support children in expressing humorous details, such as –

•          The octopus creature lifts a tentacle up on a footstool.
•          A group of fish are lined up on the couch (like sardines) (ready to be sat on).
•          A fish is upside down under a lampshade (because it is under water).
•          A little fish looks at another fish inside a fishbowl (when they are both under water).

To work on drawing inferences, point out the upside down trailer in the upper corner labeled Moving and Storage. Pose questions about how the trailer got there and the consequences it had on the scene. For example –

•          Why might the door of the trailer be open?
•          How did the living room furniture, like lamps, armchairs and couch, get there?
•          What might have happened when the octopuses found it?

Answering Why questions, Syntax constructions (including negation)

On the next two page turns, find more unusual, fantastical photographs from the camera. Support children’s descriptions by focusing on one aspect or event at a time.

To work on answering why questions with negative syntax structures, ask –

    Why is it unusual for…

•          …a fish to ride in the basket of a hot air balloon? (e.g., Fish don’t live out of water.)
•          …a hot air balloon to be a blown up fish (a pufferfish) with fins for wings? (e.g., Fish can’t fly.)
•          …a sea turtle to swim with a village of cone-shaped shells on its back? (e.g., Turtles don’t carry shells on their backs.)
•          …a spacecraft with space aliens to land on the ocean floor? (e.g., A spaceship probably wouldn’t land underwater.)
•          …giant starfish with forests on their backs to walk on the ocean floor? (e.g., Starfish don’t grow that big; Forests can’t grow under water.)

 

Verbal Expression, Nonverbal communication, Adjectives, Vocabulary, Drawing inferences

On a page turn, see another photo from the film roll. To support verbal expression, scaffold descriptions that express why the photo is unusual, such as –

•          The photo shows a girl from one country holding a photo of a boy from another country who is holding a photo of a boy in another country.

Build anticipation for problem-solving by asking how this could happen. For example, ask –

•          How could the camera have taken a picture of one child from one land holding a picture of another child from somewhere else in the world who is holding another photo of another child?

On the opposite page, see the boy bewildered by the photographs.

To work on nonverbal communication, ask children to describe the boy’s actions and expressions and what they indicate about his thoughts and feelings. Support constructions such as –

     He _______

•          …holds the photo at arms’ length.
•          …scratches his head.
•          …holds it close to his eyes.
•          …looks at the photo with his magnifying glass.

To work on the use of adjectives, ask children to complete the sentence with a word about how he’s feeling, as in  –

• confused
• inquisitive
• bewildered
• mystified
• baffled
• puzzled

To work on vocabulary, describe the word magnify. Talk about the microscope with a lens that magnifies the photo. and that he is able to see even more in the photo with the magnifying glass and microscope.

To work on drawing inferences, ask what is making the boy so intent on the photo with his microscope. Then ask what this says, or infers, about what he is thinking and feeling. Scaffold responses such as –

•          He can’t figure it out.
•          He wants to see more details.
•          He is surprised (baffled, mystified, etc.) at what more he sees.

Drawing inferences, Problem solving

On a page turn, see another photo of another girl in the same scenario, holding another photo.

Work on drawing inferences by talking about the magnification process and what it’s revealing, then asking questions such as-

•          What has made the boy so intent on looking deeper into the photo?
•          What could the microscope do for him?
•          What could be learned from using the microscope?

To work on problem solving, point out the boy who now holds his head in his hands, gazing at the equipment he brought with him to the beach?

•          What is the boy’s problem?
•          How does he solve the problem of (not being able to see, understanding) what intrigues him?
•          What does a microscope do?
•          What is his solution to understanding what is in the photos?

 

Perspective-taking, Problem solving

On a page turn, look carefully at each photo inside the circle with a number and x next to it.

To work on perspective-taking, ask from what and whose perspective they are seen. For example  –

•          Why are the photos in a circular shape inside a black background?
•          On the previous page, what is the instrument the boy is looking through?
•          Who is seeing these images inside the black background? (the boy)
•          How is the boy seeing these photos? (through a microscope)

To work on problem-solving, discuss a microscope and its purpose of enlarging. Then discuss the microscope’s effect on the photos. Consider asking yes/no questions such as –

         Could it be that __________

•          …the more he increased the number, the more he magnified the lens?
•          …the more he magnified the lens, the more he magnified the picture?
•          …the more he magnified the picture, the better he could see another picture inside it?
•          …the more pictures he saw, the farther back in time the pictures were taken?
•          …higher the number beside the photo, the more he magnified the picture?
•          …the more he magnified the picture, the more he saw pictures taken farther back in time?

Point out that each person in the photos looks different. Ask for explanations of the problem the boy solved with the microscope.

•          What is different about them? (They are from different time periods).
•          Why isn’t the boy in the last photo, the largest, holding a photo? (Before that time, there were no cameras, so there would have been no photographs.)

 

Advanced Syntax construction, Problem solving

On a page turn, see the boy on the beach with the towel around his shoulders. The day is coming to an end. His parents and other beachgoers are packing up. He remains perplexed, contemplating, thinking about, his discovery.

Encourage complex syntax constructions by supporting children’s descriptions the two events happening at the same time. Consider sentence starters if needed. Some examples –

•          The boy stays on the beach as            (the beachgoers pack up and leave).
•          At the end of the day, the beachgoers leave but       (the boy stays with the camera).
•          The boy’s parents go home, but the boy             (wants to stay at the beach).

To work on stating the problem and solution, we can appreciate that the concept of a photo within a photo within a photo showing people in different places in the world during different eras can be challenging, even for most children.

Start with a smaller concept and build on it, such as a picture description, as in –

• The boy stays on the beach because he wants to keep looking at the photo.

 So, then ask –

• Q: What is the problem?
  A: He is puzzled by the photo.

Next, ask what is puzzling for him. Support language that describes what he is trying to solve. For example,

• Q: What is he trying to figure out?
  A: He is trying to understand why he sees more photos inside the photo when he magnifies it.

Next, ask what he did to try to solve his problem. Support children’s responses, as in –

• Q: What does he do to solve the problem?
  A: He looks at the photo under his microscope. He magnifies the photos

Next, ask how he solved his problem. Support responses in a few parts, such as –

• Q: What did he finally realize? What did he figure out by magnifying the photo?
  A: The boy figured out that over the years, different children in different places found the camera.
  They got a photo out of the camera and took a picture of themselves holding the photo that they found.

Perspective-taking

On the opposite page, see the boy figure out how to take a picture of himself with the camera holding the first photo of the girl from the film roll. Then see the scene from different perspectives. Study the illustrations for meaning.

Ask from what or whose perspective the images are seen. Point out details and support responses such as –

• The first image is from the perspective of a viewer beside the boy.
• The second image is from the boy’s perspective (as he pushes the camera button with the handle of his shovel).
• The third image is from the perspective of a viewer in front of the boy, with the ocean behind.
•  The fourth image is from the same perspective, in front of the boy, but very close to the camera’s lens. (See the camera’s eye on the opposite page for a comparison.)

 

Perspective-taking, Drawing inferences, Predictions

On a page turn, see the image of the boy holding the photograph from the perspective of the camera’s lens. It IS the photograph, and the camera captured it of the boy with a big wave crashing behind him, washing the other photos out to sea.

On the opposite page, still from the perspective of the sea, see the photos floating away and the boy watching as he stands on the shore. With a faraway look in his eye, he tosses the camera out to sea, waving goodbye. Support children’s explanations with inferences based on events that led up to the present.

• What might the boy have been thinking as he threw the camera into the sea?
• Did he think the camera would sink to the bottom of the ocean and never be found?
• Why don’t you think so?
• Did he think the camera would float away to capture another adventure? Why do you think so?
• If someone found the camera in the future, what would they find on the roll of film?

 

Vocabulary, Grammar & Syntax, Literate Language, Predicting

On the next few page turns, continue book talk about what the camera captures on its fantastical adventures in the same way as with the previous pages.

Support descriptions with scaffolding, such as modeling a sentence, providing a sentence starter, and expanding an utterance to incorporate the target objectives.

At the story’s end, see a girl in another part of the world kneeling on the beach, reaching for a half-buried camera in the sand. Ask children to predict what might happen next.

Other skills to address throughout the shared book reading:

Articulation

To work on correct production of a phoneme or particular phonemes at the level of carryover to spontaneous speech, use the images to encourage descriptions during book talk.

Book talk can be heavily loaded with sibilant sounds S (i.e., sea, microscope, splash, seaweed, octopus, spaceship, inspect, etc.), CH (i.e., multiple uses of pictures), and SH (i.e., ocean, fish, shore, shovel, etc.).

 Fluency

Wordless picture books provide wonderful opportunities to work on communication goals for children who stutter.

To work on fluency techniques, structure participation in book talk by demonstrating and supporting fluency techniques such as easy start, light contacts, pausing, and speaking on a steady breath stream.

To work on adjusting attitudes and increase verbal participation in life, hold a discussion on avoidance. Use the illustrations of the boy in conversation with other beachgoers and the lifeguard.

Discuss how events might have been different if the boy had avoided inquiring about the camera due to fears about stuttering. Some suggestions include –

• Why was it important to speak with the beachgoers, no matter how he spoke?
• Why was it important to ask the lifeguard about it, no matter how he spoke?
• If the boy had not spoken with others about the camera, what might have been the result? (E.g., He wouldn’t know if it belonged to another beachgoer, he might not be comfortable taking it in his possession, etc.)

To work on techniques combined with avoidance issues, use the same methods for fluency techniques at the page where the boy goes into the camera store. Ask the child to supply the dialog. Notice he was asking for the film to be developed as well as for another roll of film to purchase.

Additionally, talk about how the clerk is not directly looking at him while he is talking because she is on the phone. Discuss the real-life dynamics of interaction with others.

• Are there times when we need to speak to another while they are busy doing something else?
• Is this realistic? Understandable?

Ask how the story would have been different had the boy avoided interacting with the clerk since she wasn’t giving the expected eye contact or focusing directly at him. .

After the read-aloud, revisit the book’s pages and continue book talk to build any of the following skills:

 

Vocabulary, Associations, Homonyms, Synonyms

To work on vocabulary and  associations, review the meaning of flotsam. Talk about the word frequently associated with flotsam, which is jetsam.

The literal meaning of flotsam is debris in the water that was not deliberately thrown overboard.

Jetsam, on the other hand, is debris that was deliberately thrown overboard. It was usually tossed to the sea to lighten a ship’s load.

Ask children what the proper word would be for the camera when it was found by the boy.  Some examples –

• Do you think that the camera, when it was found by the boy, was deliberately thrown in the water?
• Or did it accidentally end up in the ocean?
• Is it correctly called flotsam?
• Do you think the camera the boy threw out to sea at the end of the story could be called flotsam?
• Why not?
• Why should it now be called jetsam?

To work on homonyms, talk about another meaning for the two words used together.

Flotsam and jetsam can be spoken in a nonliteral way. Used this way it means odds and ends.

When people talk about the flotsam, or flotsam and jetsam of life, they mean the miscellaneous, or unimportant things.

To work on synonyms, talk about other words used for flotsam, such as

• debris
• litter
• garbage
• waste
• trash
• junk

Executive Functions

The neural networking of executive functions is mostly driven by language. It can be helpful for children to verbalize strategies characters put in place that lead to the story’s outcome. Strengthening these skills can also enhance many literate discourse skills.

To work on planning and organization, talk about what the boy would want to bring with him as he planned for a day of discovery at the seashore. While we don’t see him in preparation, we can assume he had plenty on his list. Ask questions such as –

• If the boy wanted to study ocean crabs, what would he need to gather up for a day at the beach?
• How did good planning affect his ability to learn about the camera when it washed ashore? (E.g., He already had what he needed, like a magnifying glass, microscope, a bucket to set the camera on, etc.).
• What did he pack and how was it later used ?
  1. A magnifying glass to look closer at the photos and discover there was more there for the eye to see
  2. A microscope to look even closer. It allowed him to see the photos went back in time.
  3. A pail to place the camera on to take a photo
  4. A long to press the button on the camera
  5. A towel to wrap up in when he was wet or cold.
• How might planning ahead and organizing for an event help you with an unforeseen event?

Discussion

There are many avenues for holding discussions about this imaginative story. Given the amount of material to choose from, consider asking viewers for their favorite page. Focus on the underwater creatures the camera captured in never-before-seen activities. Discuss why the image is fascinating and holds so much interest.

• Is that you might have to look a little further to figure out what’s going on?
• Is it that the wildly imagined image might make sense?
• Is It funny because _______?

Then think of other sea creatures, such as a whale, shark, or sunfish. Imagine what that creature might do under the water that has never before been revealed!

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Note:  See other book treatments by the three-time Caldecott award-winning author/illustrator, David Wiesner, in the catalogs of Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition).

Browse through three, age-related catalogs to find literally hundreds of quality picture book entries, easily attainable through school and local libraries. Find your favorites and discover other excellent choices ideal for the specified skills. Get treatment plans that provide you with methods, prompts, word lists, activities, and loads of ideas, whether for one child, or multiple learners.

Use the Skills index to look under the Skills headings for suggested picture books ideal for supporting those skills. Then see book titles cross-referenced to three age-related catalogs. You’ll also find picture books that cover this book’s topics and a whole lot more in the Topic Explorations Index of Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition).

~ All in one resource!  ~

Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition)

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Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/efcKFw6

Extended Activities:  See a YouTube video “read along” of Flotsam by the Canadian production company, Whimsical Productions, at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1v9-UT93R4