The Christmas Owl

Here are a few of the book’s features:

• Every page of the open book is placed in a two-page spread layout. This means you can linger on the expanded illustrations for more Book Talk.
• The art looms large, in exaggerated, sometimes off-kilter perspectives to reflect the imaginative aspect of the story.
• The text is brief. Each double-page spread has a sentence or two on one side about what would transpire if the one reflecting on this fantasy were a horse.
• The repetition and pattern of syntax are consistent, which enables children to form their own sentences using the text as a model.
• The illustrations provide for more language opportunities than the text.
• Children can readily relate to the book’s theme about the longed-for freedoms in childhood.  When children connect with the story, it holds their attention, and enjoyable learning can take place.

So, this is what I call a Powerhouse Picture Book.  But one caution. For strict grammarians, the title may give reason for pause. While the subjunctive mood usually would be written, If I were, for reasons I’m not yet sure, in this story it is written, If I was …

A quick online search reveals that the subjunctive mood is slowing vanishing. In informal contexts that express imagined or hypothetical situations, the sentence now takes on the same form as other tenses.

In the case of a children’s book, the regular structures I was, and you were, certainly make matters less complicated.  So, I guess I just have to let go of this one.

Now, before you begin your read-aloud, I’ll share a few tips:

Tip No. 1: The purpose of Book Talk is to engage with a child in the meaningful language of the story. This typically involves a questioning strategy to get things rolling. However, there are times when questions, or too many expected responses, may not be the best strategy. A child who stutters and is required to answer questions repeatedly is one example. A child who is reluctant to speak because of uncertainty about his or her performance in front of peers is another.  A child who is tired and just wants to listen and enjoy the story is yet another. So, I always advise being sensitive to these factors.

In these cases, don’t be afraid to ask a yes/no question. As well, consider that it’s ok to provide the answer to your own question. Modeling a response is not the same as giving away the answer on a final exam. The most important thing is that you create an enjoyable experience with the child, the story, and you.

Tip No. 2: As you read through this extensive treatment plan, consider first finding the skills you’re looking to target. Then scan the rest of the skill areas and learn other possibilities for Book Talk. Once you begin, you may think of more!

What’s for sure is that pausing at each double-page spread rendered by this multiple award-winning artist will provide you with many ways to support a child’s speech, language, and literacy with thoughtful Book Talk.

SO, LET’S GO!

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; graved and painted by Christopher Bing
New York: Handprint Books, 2001

Suggested Grade and Interest Level: 3 through 5 –  and beyond to adulthood

Reviews and Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Book; School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Publisher’s Weekly: “an impressive volume”; Booklist: “a remarkable visual interpretation of Longfellow’s classic poem”.

Topics for Thematic Units: American Poets; History, American Revolutionary War, U.S. Colonial era; Horses; Maps; Perspective-taking

Skills to Develop: Vocabulary: Attributes, Similes and metaphors, Associations, Prepositions; Grammar and syntax: Tenses, Complex sentence constructions; Literate discourse (i.e., language used to relate and discuss a story): Storytelling, Cause-and-effect relationships, Drawing inferences, Answering Why questions, Discussion; Pragmatics (i.e., social language); Articulation, (especially R)

 

Summary:  On April 18, 1775, Boston merchant John Larkin loaned his “brown beauty” of a horse to fellow patriot Paul Revere, a silversmith by trade. Revere’s task was to ride the “steed” at top speed to warn patriots in the countryside of the oncoming British troops. But where would the redcoats set boots on the ground? The patriots must know their tactical course if Revere was to forge ahead of them with a warning. Would ships in the harbor ferry them across Charles River? Or would the regiment come by land, marching along the mouth of the river? Either course meant a different starting point.

To find out, Revere’s friend, Robert Newman, climbed into the bell tower of Old North Church that night. From his aerial view he watched for the way of the regiment, sent a signal to Revere on the opposite side of the river, and ushered in one of the most exciting moments in American history.

A period map of the planned British route, the “Secret Expedition” is shown on the first pages. Revere’s warning (given to two other riders not mentioned in the poem) gave patriots the advantage they needed and led to their victory in ensuing battles.

Thus began the American Revolutionary War. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized the night over 100 years afterthe event in his narrative poem. The Harvard scholar memorialized many American legends through his verse. In this one, the narrator is an innkeeper who recalls the legendary night.

While Longfellow took a few liberties in recording this story, history has judged him on the merits of his brilliant poetic effects.

The events of the night coalesce through depictions of characters, scenes, objects, and wax-sealed documents that fold out from the pages. Bing’s uniquely drawn perspectives add meaning to the story.

Illustrations depict red-coated British soldiers, the Green Dragon Tavern, and items from the tavern (i.e., playing cards, leather pouches, and gold and silver coins). Most elegant are the tall ships in the harbor, moored on a shimmering bay, their intricate rigging silhouetted in the moonlight. Add to this the horse and rider racing across a wooden bridge, and you have memorably created the drama of this fantastic story.

 

Before the read-aloud: Given all the components to this book, consider planning book talk over several sessions, selecting one or two features at a time.

Pictures of recreated artifacts are a great place to start in laying the historical background. These setting components also teach students the first element of good storytelling.

As you show the cover and introduce the story, it might go something like this:

“This is one of the most exciting stories ever told about the forming of a nation. So crucial was this moment to the outcome of American independence that   Harvard scholar Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wanted to immortalize it in a narrative poem – nearly 100 years later. Its opening lines, “Listen my children and you shall hear……” (words to imply oral storytelling to younger generations, not necessarily all youngsters) are recognized almost everywhere.”

Build anticipation for one of the most famous rides ever to have taken place on horseback. Set the stage by helping your audience relate to the time period. It might go something like this:

“Imagine a rider on horseback in the middle of a moonlit night shouting out a message, waking up households to warn them of an impending military march through their town. There are no phones or internet to transmit urgent messages. There are no automobiles to drive at top speed so that a messenger could tell them to prepare. No drone satellites could track the British route. But – there are horses! One such horse, and a rider who had never ridden her, struck out fearlessly, and, as the poet says, the fate of a nation was riding that night.”

Turn to the inside cover.

• Discover the articles and writing implements of the day, spectacles, quill pen, wax, stamp, and seal that lay on top of the period documents. Explain how one’s handwritten communications necessitated this type of formality during the era.
• Point out the finished product, the official stamp affixed to the document on the opposite page.
• Pull out from the attached envelope a replica of the British general’s orders to his troops recorded in period writing.

 

Grammar and Syntax

On the next page, explore the British map of colonial Massachusetts, the intended route of the redcoats, and handwritten notations. Describe locations as you model tense structures and use prepositional phrases for complex sentence structures.

Prepositions may include:  across, through, after, along, around, beyond, beside, toward, and behind. Some examples:

• Show where the British ships were moored out in the Boston Harbor. Point out the tall masts and flags flying above the ships.
• Point out the locations of Boston and Charlestown situated on land, along the shore of the harbor.
• Explain how they were positioned across from each other on the Charles River. (The location of the church and spot where Paul Revere would pick up the horse he would ride through the countryside.)
• Follow the expected course of the British troops marching through the countryside to the destinations of Lexington and Concord.
• Show that Paul Revere needed to race ahead of the British to warn the villagers.
• On the route that travels toward Lexington, show the handwritten note with intentions to “arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams.”
• Point out that beyond Lexington, in Concord, the note on the map shows intentions to “seize and destroy all the artillery, ammunition provisions, tents, small arms, and all military stores” that belonged to the colonists.

 

Vocabulary

At the publication page, pause to work on vocabulary as you discuss the details in the image. Look at the closeup of the saddle, stirrups, and a tricorn hat, symbols that embody the time and theme of the story.

• How do those images help you know when the story took place?
• What do they indicate?
• What sense do they give you?
• From whose viewpoint do you think the story will be told?
• What other items go with a saddle and stirrups? (e.g., boots, reigns, bridle, bit, blanket, etc.)

 

Pause at the opposite page to read the book’s title, displayed between two lanterns ablaze in the night. Build anticipation by indicating that the lanterns will be the lynchpin of the story. Tell your audience to get ready to learn how a plan was devised using these two objects as a signal. They will find out what actions were set into motion by how they were placed in the belfry a church tower.

If parts of the story are familiar to your audience, this is a great time to encourage them to relate what they know about this event.

During the read-aloud: As you read the verse, emphasize the rhythm and rhyme. (See more about the poetry’s rhythm described as anapestic tetrameter below.) Each portion of the poem written on one page is reflected in images that surround the page, illuminating the meaning of the words.

Drawing inferences

Pause for questions that help children draw inferences in the story, such as –

 

•     Who might be telling the story?
•     When was this story told? The night of the event, or years later?
•     Who is the storyteller talking about when the verse reads, “He said to his friend, ‘If the British march by land or sea from the town tonight, hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch…’”?

 

Look for answers in the illustration and describe the story unfolding of the men inside the historic Green Dragon Tavern. Ask questions such as –

•     Which gentlemen do we see playing cards, the British or the colonists?
•     Where might the colonists have heard about what the British intended to do?
•     What led the patriots to conceive of a plan to notify the villagers ahead of the British troops’ arrival?
•     What would the villagers do as a result of being warned?

Perspective-taking                                                    

Talk about the use of perspectives in the story by asking,

•    From whose perspective do we see this scene?
•    From what perspective do we see this scene?
•    Why did the artist illustrate this event through a window, looking from the outside in?
•    How does this perspective help us understand how this night will unfold?

 

 More Vocabulary, Grammar and Syntax

 

Continue to work on tense structures as you encourage descriptions of the action taking place in the town.

The photographs of articles superimposed on engraved and painted images of street scenes add another layer to comprehending the story’s time and place. Tangibles are good conversation starters for the more concrete language learner.

Include vocabulary that is specific to the story. These images also provide good opportunities to target tense structures:

• playing cards,
• British coins (Massachusetts currency, poker money),
• leather pouch,
• church with tall steeple at the end of the alleyway, and
• masts of the British tall ships behind the church, moored in Boston Harbor

This is the first image we see of the church and its steeple. It shows its beauty and height, and helps in understanding the context of the story about a light in the belfry.  Reread the verse,

And I on the opposite shore will be

Ready to ride and spread the alarm.

Talk about how it was possible that the one- or two-lantern signal could be seen “on the opposite shore” of Charles River, where Revere is waiting on horseback.

 

As the poem continues, the next image of tall ships in the harbor adds meaning to the words

The Somerset, British man-of-war;

A phantom ship, with each mast and spar

Across the moon like a prison bar,

And a huge black hulk, that was magnified

By its own reflection in the tide.

 

Give definitions for uncommon words that provide more background for the story. Talk about how ships are given names and discuss the meanings of words such as –

         man-of-war, a British naval sailing ship (i.e., armed with canons),

         phantom ship (i.e., no crew on board),

         mast (i.e., long upright pole supporting the sails), and

         spar (i.e., rigging for the sails).

Use the words in target sentence structures and in the context of the beautifully rendered silhouettes of ships against the light of the moon.

 

Similes and Metaphors

Discuss the simile used to describe the silhouette of the rigging against the full moon, like of a prison bar. Ask questions such as –

• Why did the poet choose those words to describe the image?
• How did his words make you feel about the ship? Its purpose in the harbor?
• How did his words make you feel about the presence of the British?

 

The text on the next page describes the stealthy aspect of the night.

Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street

Wanders and watches, with eager ears,

Till in the silence around him he hears

The muster of men at the barrack door,

The sound of arms, the tramp of feet,

And the measured tread of the grenadiers,

Marching down to their boats on the shore.

 

Describe the scene of the patriot hiding behind the wall in the shadows, listening for clues, watching the direction of the marching British troops. Talk about the poet’s use of metaphor, as in –

•    What are eager ears?
•    What other metaphors could be used for ears?
•    Why was it important for Revere’s friend to note the direction of the soldiers “marching down to their boats on the shore?”

Even More Vocabulary

Define words in their context by first asking children their thoughts, encouraging them to make guesses. Then elaborate, as in –

•    What is a muster of men? (a group of men)
•    What is a measured tread? (stepping in formation to the same beat)
•    What are grenadiers? (a special regiment of soldiers that carry and throw grenades)

Note: The word grenadiers also refers to the strongest, most imposing men in the troops who were used to intimidate the enemy.

 

More Perspective-taking

Talk about perspective in the image by asking,

•     From whose perspective does the viewer see the grenadiers?
•     How would the perspective have been different if it had been the patriots in the tavern?
•     Was it likely that they would have been noticed by the men in the tavern? Why or why not?

More Drawing Inferences

Continue the pattern, reading the verse with the urgency depicted in its rhythm and drawing out details as shown through the illustrations. Ask thoughtful questions, especially when describing the friend who spied on the British, who then waits in the dark atop the bell tower to see them advance.

 

 “A line of black that bends and floats/On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats.”

•     What was the “line of black”?
•     What did that indicate about how the British were advancing?
•     What did that mean he had to do next?

Shape verbal responses by scaffolding with language to make meaning clearer.

 

Also discuss the artist’s use of shadows throughout his illustrations. How do the shadows help to heighten the meaning to the events in this story?

After the read-aloud:  Continue to help children infer meaning from the words of the verse, which can be challenging for various learners. Lead them into finding clues in the context of the situation.

 

Associations

Connecting the places, people, and things in the story also helps to infer meaning from the story.  Ask questions such as –

• A red coat, musket, and black boots all belong to _______.
• What other items did the “redcoats” have?
• Why were British soldiers called redcoats?
• Why were they in Boston?
• How did they get there?

In this story, a lot went on in the Green Dragon Tavern.

• Who went to the tavern?
• Name some things that happened there.
• What kinds of conversations do you think people had in the tavern?
• What items could be seen in the tavern by looking in the window from the outside?
• What kinds of items were needed to play their game of cards?

In this story, there were ships in the harbor in Boston.

• What kinds of ships were in the harbor?
• What other things were seen in the city of Boston at that time?
• Where did this story take place?
• What other cities were part of the story?
• Where were all these cities and towns located on the map?

and so on.

 

Discussions

Hold a Discussion on a topic related to the story that is of interest to your audience. During the ongoing discussion, shape tense structures and target language literacy skills such as expressing cause-and-effect relationships, drawing inferences, and the social aspects of contributing to the conversation and listening to others’ points of view.  Here are a few suggestions:

 

The Horse: Longfellow’s poem is the story of Paul Revere’s ride – on a magnificent horse. We can shine a light on this incredible animal as a reminder that there would be no excitement – or good outcome – without her. She is part of our visual image of Paul Revere and what transpired that night.

There are enough historical facts about her that can lead to interesting book talk and create more ways to connect your audience to the story. Records indicate the mare (not a he, as the poem states) was a steed, an old word meaning a fast horse used for riding rather than pulling. While it is doubtful she had a name, since horses weren’t given names during the colonial period, her owner, John Larkin, described her as a “brown beauty.” In some material written about her today, she is nonetheless given the name, Brown Beauty. Today, she is honored with an impressive bronze statue in the square of Paul Revere Mall in Boston, Massachusetts.

What also makes for interesting conversation is that the horse was loaned to Paul Revere, who presumably had never ridden her.

Pause for a moment to imagine it: a colonist who has never ridden the chosen horse, agrees to pick her up across a wide river patrolled by a British ship at night. After he is rowed stealthily across the water in the dark with the help of two other men, evading discovery by the HMS Somerset, he secretly receives the horse from another patriot at the agreed location. Then he watches and waits for a clear signal given by his friend who, with two lanterns, had climbed into a church steeple where large bells were housed – off in the distance, miles away. Once he is sure of his friend’s message, he jumps onto the horse and races off into the countryside – in the dark – for 10 miles – at top speed – delivering an urgent message – one he must keep shouting out in the darkness to wake up the people in the town.

He must convince the villagers of the impending danger and rouse them to take up arms – quickly before the British troops arrive. Paul Revere must have been an excellent rider. But also consider what a remarkable horse to have raced across difficult ground never before trod on at the direction of his unfamiliar rider.

Her breed was Narragansett, a colonial-era horse now extinct. The breed was fairly tall (15.1 hands, or about 5 feet), with a 4-beat gait. This is significant to the poem. The pace and rhythm of this horse is smooth, much different from the 2-beat trot of a carriage horse bred for labor, which is described as “jarring.” In a 4-beat gait, the horse’s front and back legs on one side come up at the same time, and land at slightly different times. One of Bing’s illustrations shows precisely this.

Longfellow’s poem is written in rhythm suggestive of the horse’s gait. It is called anapestic tetrameter, for the most part sounding like this:

    da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM, da-da-DUM.

Now, with this new information on the horse and rider, go back to the illustration of Paul Revere with “Brown Beauty” in the foreground, the steeple with two tiny lights in the distance, and the surveilling HMS Somerset in the bay between them.  Describe the scene. Connect your audience with the horse, watchful ship, and distant signal for a better understanding of the intense moment, as Paul Revere confirms from the belfry of Old North Church what must determine his ride.

And lo! as he looks, on the belfy’s height

A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!

He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,

But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight

A second lamp in the belfy burns.

 

The Green Dragon Tavern was indeed the name of the meeting place of the Sons of Liberty. It played a major role in their efforts to resist British rule. It is considered historical fact that this is where the patriots secretly learned that “redcoats” were planning to seize their munitions and capture patriots at Lexington and Concord. They wanted to know more about the British plans. So, they met in the basement of the Green Dragon Tavern, developed strategies of resistance, held debates, and organized an eavesdropping operation.

In fact, they met there so often that the Green Dragon Tavern came to be called the “Headquarters of the American Revolution.” The Boston Tea Party also was planned within those walls. Today, while it has been relocated, it still remains close to its original location. It is known as the oldest pub of the Revolutionary period and one of the ten oldest in the world!

Ask questions about what happened in the tavern, such as –

•     Once they heard the British plans to seize their ammunitions and capture patriots, how do you think they felt about it?
•     Would they all have thought the same way about what to do about it?
•     Might the patriots have had different solutions to the problem?
•     How might they have come up with one plan and gotten everyone to agree?
•     What ways might they have spied on the redcoats to learn more about their plan?

 

The Belfry.  Pause at the illustration inside of the belfry.  It was here that the placement of lanterns in the image-evoking scene of a secret signal (“one, if by land, and two, if by sea”) identified the tactical course of the British.

Talk about the meaning of belfry (part of the timber work or structure of a church steeple that holds and/or encloses a bell).  Ask thoughtful question such as,

• Why would pigeons have been in the belfry?
• Was this a place that anyone visited regularly?
• How would Robert Newman, Revere’s friend, have gotten up into the belfry?
• Do you think this was easy carrying two lanterns?
• What must it have been like to be in that belfry at dark?

 

The artist’s research included retracing the steps of Longfellow as he climbed into the steeple of Old North Church in order to gain the perspective of the poet. Talk about the poet himself and why he did that before writing this poem.

The artist’s perspective on the belfry from above, looking down on patriot Robert Newman, lends meaning to the verse that reads,

“…startled the pigeons from their perch,”

pulling the viewer into the event through a sense of stealth and urgency to the night.

Ask questions to build skills in tense structures, literate language skills of cause-and-effect relationships, inferencing, as well as creating interesting discussions. Some suggestions –

•     Why were the feathers flying about in the scene?
•     What was Robert Newman looking up at in this scene?
•     How do you think he got two lanterns up in that small space?
•     What are some things he had to be careful of?

 

Paul Revere’s Waiting Place.  Point out the location of Charlestown on the map at the back of the book. Point out the location of the HMS Somerset, Discuss how Revere arrived at his waiting place under dangerous conditions, and what it must have felt like to wait with the horse until he was sure of the signal. The text by Christopher Bing on the last pages gives us more details.

 

All ferries and other vessels transporting citizens across the river that night had been seized by the British ship, HMS Somerset. Paul Revere made it across and escaped being seen, heard, and captured by officers on that ship. Two of his friends, considered expert boatmen, snuck him quietly across without detection. To do this, they covered the oars with soft clothing, so the oars didn’t make noise as they struck the water. Had their rowboat been detected and captured as other vessels were, the famous event may never have taken place.

 

•     What qualities did Paul Revere’s friends have that would make them want to carry out this risky plan?
•     Why do you think they would risk their lives for this plan? What was the greater goal?
•     How did Paul Revere already know the intent of the British to march on land that night?
•     Why was the appearance of a second lamp so important? Do you think there was a better plan?
•     How carefully did they have to plan this event?
•     What attributes do you think these men had to come up with ideas and offer to help?
•     What attributes do you think Paul Revere had that would have helped him execute this plan?
•     What effect would they have on Revere, both in waiting to make sure he accurately got its message and in starting out his ride?

 

Then re-read the poem as it emphasizes the outset of his ride.  Ask listeners to imagine listening to the accentuated, sudden sounds of the speeding horse and what this meant as you read,

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,

A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,

And beneath, from the pebbles,

In passing, a spark

Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet:

That was all! And yet,

through the gloom and the light,

The fate of a nation was riding that night;

And the spark struck out

by that steed, in his flight,

Kindled the land into flame with its heat.

 

Speech Production

To work on articulation skills, consider all the opportunities to work on R phoneme varieties in the context of talking about the story. While individuals working to generalize new production of any particular phoneme can use book talk to practice this, the frequency of R phoneme allophone varieties in this story make it ideal to zero in on those targets, no matter what level you are working on.

Here are possible target words just from the first few pages:

• Prevocalic R, initial: Revere, remembers, reflection, read, ride, rose
• Vocalic R unstressed: lantern, muster, remembers
• Vocalic R stressed: hear, year, horse, shore, north, march, farm
• Consonant blends: friend, British, children, April, belfry, street

 

 

Note: Another excellent interpretation of Longfellow’s poem is the picture book titled Paul Revere’s Ride, illustrated by Ted Rand, published by Dutton Children’s Books, 1996. It is a very worthwhile book, equally notable in its awards and reviews. It also highlights the horse and rider in shadowy midnight images. In this book, the horse stops at the water trough, which she surely would have needed to do having raced that distance, and Revere is shown interacting with the colonists outside their homes.

Both books include maps showing the route of the other riders that night, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott. Both provide a page of text at the back giving other details, such as Robert Newman’s climb up to the belfry to signal Revere and others about the route of the British. The book is also suitable for older children.

 

Additional Note: See a book treatment of Christopher Bing’s Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888, a Caldecott Honor book (with marvelous illustrations to accompany the famous ode to the baseball game) in the Catalogs of Books Are for Talking, Too! (4th Ed.). Find it on Amazon at:

https://a.co/d/efcKFw6

 

Additional Note:  Short educational videos about Paul Revere’s Ride are available on YouTube. These videos can build interest in the story for the more visual, concrete learners. See one such re-enactment at:

 https://youtu.be/Q1El-guPeEo

 

More information on Paul Revere’s midnight ride, the famous horse, and the book’s illustrator, award-winning Christopher Bing, can be found on the following links:

https://www.paulreverehouse.org

 

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/archives/great-horses-in-history-brown-beauty-49363

https://www.christopherbing.com/art-work/books-illustrations/midnight-ride-of-paul-revere

The Snowman
by Raymond Briggs
New York: Random House, Inc., 1978

Suggested Grade and Interest Level: Pre-3

Topics to Explore: Friendship; Snow; Winter season

Skills to Target: Vocabulary (Beginning Concepts: Time, Color, Size, and Shape; and Prepositions); Morphosyntactic structures (Noun-verb agreement; Singular and plural nouns; Possessive forms of Nouns and pronouns; Present and Past tenses); Language literacy (Sequencing events, Cause-effect relationships, Drawing inferences, Storytelling, and Discussion); Social Pragmatics; and Articulation (carryover for any identified phoneme production).

Synopsis: A classic of the first proportion, this wordless story is illustrated with the softness of colored pencil drawings. A boy wakes up one magical winter morning to see snow outside his window. He bounds out of bed and goes outside. Follow the boy as he creates the snowman, goes to bed that night, and  dreams it comes to life. See how each shows the other the manners, objects, customs, and places of their world. See their fantastic journey unfold while you share in the joy of creating the narrative together.

Methods: Before the read-aloud: Talk about and describe the snowman on the book’s cover. Talk about how you make a snowman. What steps are involved? Help the child describe the sequence,

• rolling snow into a ball, then
• putting one ball on top of another, then
• putting eyes and a nose on his head, and then a scarf and hat to keep him warm.

Use the book’s cover to point out the parts of the snowman.

Encourage the child to relate his or her experiences with snowmen.

• When did the child see one? Build one?
• Where was the snowman?
• Who built it?
• What did they use for its eyes, nose, etc. (i.e., stones, twigs, scarves, carrots, etc.).

 

During the shared reading, begin by helping the child focus on each frame, one at a time, to support the sequence the events. Point to the frame and begin the story segment with your own words. Then ask the child to share in telling the story and scaffold (support) the child’s utterances according to the skills you want to target and specified goals.

To work on Beginning Concepts:

Time: Talk about how time goes by as the boy builds his snowman. When he gets up to see the snow it is morning. When the snowman is built, and he goes inside and brushes his teeth it is evening.

• How much time did it take to build a snowman?
• Did it take a long time or a short time?
• What makes you think so?

 

Color: Point out the colors to show that it is, for instance, warm inside the house, hot by the fire, cold in the snow, and so on. Name the colors as you talk about the story’s meaning.

Size and Shape: Include in your descriptions the size and shape of the snow the boy shapes. For example, the first ball in his hands is small. As he rolls it, we see it get big and round. Later, when he carries it to the top of the mound, it has grown bigger between his hands. If possible, relate the story to an experience the child has had playing in the snow.

To work on Prepositions, pause to discuss the movement of the action taking place, or the position of the subjects. Include prepositional phrases where possible. Some suggestions:

• The boy looks through the window (at the snowman).
• The boy runs out of the house.
• The boy puts the snowball on top of the mound.
• The snowman walks toward the boy.
• They walk inside the house.
• They kneel in front of the fire.
• The boy follows behind the snowman.
• They fly up in the sky.
• They fly over the city.
• They land safely down in the snow.
• The snowman’s arm goes around the boy.
• The boy sleeps under the covers.

 

To work on Categories, pause to name items that belong to a certain set that are featured on a page. For example, on the first page of illustrations, the boy wakes up to see a snowy day. After describing the action sequence, pause to name all the winter clothing needed to wear outside (e.g., shirt, pants, boots, hat, and mittens). Are there any more that would fit into this category but not shown in the story? What are they all called? (Winter clothes)

In another example, when the boy and snowman make dinner together, name all the kitchen items shown (e.g., paper towels, canisters, jars, dishes, ice cube tray, soap, etc.).  Then ask what else might have been on the kitchen counter at the boy’s house. (E.g., silverware, glasses, carton of milk, sponge, wastebasket, etc.)

To Expand Utterances: For young children developing two-and-three-word utterances, focus on the action in the frame. State what’s happening simply. If the child does not attempt to verbalize, model a simpler construction. Saying words in a slight rhythm, like a song, can be helpful. If the child does not at first respond, continue to the next frame.

• Where possible, draw similarities to the boy’s and child’s experiences. For example,
• Adult: The boy rolls the snow [into a ball].
• Adult [models]: Roll the snow.

 

Tip: Make hand gestures for the child to imitate as you say the words. Some examples:

• Adult: He rolls the snow in a ball.
• Adult [models with gestures]: Rolls the snow.
• Adult {models with gestures]: Rolls a ball

• Adult: The boy ties a napkin on the snowman.
• Adult [models with gestures with the child]: Ties the napkin.

• Adult: The snowman shakes hands with the boy.
• Adult [models and imitates with child]: Shake hands.

 

You can also support the child’s utterances by scaffolding with meaningful words, to help expand the utterance.  Some examples:

• Child: boots
• Adult [responds]: That’s right. The boy puts on his boots [to go outside in the snow].
• Adult [models]: Put on boots.
• Child: Put on boots.

• Child: inside
• Adult: That’s right! The snowman comes inside the house.
• Child: inside house
• Model: Yes! He comes inside the warm house.

• Child: Snowman walk
• Adult: Yes. The snowman walks to the boy.
• Child: Walk to boy
• Adult: Yes! The snowman walks over to the boy.

 

To develop Morphosyntactic structures (i.e., word order, sentence structure, grammar, and sentence complexity)

Noun + Verb Agreement: When illustrations show both the boy and snowman performing the same activities, describe the action of one, then the other, then both. Like this:

• Point to the boy and describe the action.
• Point to the snowman and describe the action.
• Point to encompass both and use they to describe the action, as in

• He [the boy] walks upstairs.
• He [the snowman] walks upstairs .
• They walk upstairs.

• He [the boy] hits the balloons.
• He [the snowman] hits the balloons.
• They hit the balloons.

 

Present Tense Structures.  You can easily begin modeling present tense structures as you describe each frame of the story. Reinforce a child’s emerging use of tense structures by encouraging a description of. This can be stated in simple present tense or present progressive tense, such as those with the auxiliary (helping) verb, like is.

The Snowman is an ideal picture book to interpret the feelings and emotions of the characters. The snowman’s expressions of interest, curiosity, mystery (to him), and even awe, can prompt some interesting sentences.

So, after describing the character’s action, create a follow-up sentence describing the character’s response.

Note: this is also a good strategy for teaching storytelling skills.

For example, when the snowman sees the lamp with the light turned on, he looks both curious and delighted. You can model sentences such as:

• The snowman sees the lamp.
• The snowman wonders about it.
• The snowman likes the lamp.

Model in both simple present and present progressive tense (-ing), as in

• See it glow.
• The lamp glows.
• The lamp is glowing.
• The snowman is wondering how it glows.

• The boy turns off the lamp.
• The snowman looks sad.
• The snowman is turning the lamp on.
• Now the snowman is looking happy again.

You can repeat this method for the frames showing action and response, as in

• discovering running water in the sink
• getting ice cubes from the tray
• trying out the boy’s skateboard

• flying into the sky
• waking up the next morning
• seeing the melted snowman

 

Plural forms of nouns. Look for multiple items in the story such as

• Snowflakes
• Toothbrushes
• Snow tracks
• Ice cubes
• Balloons
• Dish and dishes
• Lights
• Trees
• Buildings

 

Possessive forms of nouns. Look for items that belong to the character and model a sentence, as in

• The boy’s toys _____ (skateboard, punching bag, balloons, etc.).
• The snowman’s _______ (hat, scarf, eyes, nose, and so on).
• The dad’s ______ (tie, hat, suspenders, pants (and so on).

 

Negation sentences. Look for actions to express what the snowman doesn’t like, such as

• He doesn’t like the fire in the fireplace,
• He doesn’t like the heat on the stove, and
• He doesn’t like getting hit by the punching bag.

Or what the boy can’t do or doesn’t think is such a good idea, such as

• He can’t go to sleep,
• He shouldn’t pull the roll of paper towels off the roll, and
• It’s not a good idea to make noise going up the stairs.

 

Create Compound Sentences with the characters and their actions, as in

• The snowman tries out the skateboard, but he falls off.
• The snowman waves goodbye, and the boy walks inside the house.
• The boy goes to bed, yet he can’t sleep.

 

Create Complex Sentences by connecting two simple sentences with a who, that, or which, such as

• The boy showed his skateboard to the snowman, who wanted to try it out.
• The boy showed the snowman the fireplace, which wasn’t a good idea.
• The boy showed the snowman the car that was in the garage.

 

Language Literacy (sometimes referred to as Text Structures)

To work on expressing a Sequence of Events, an important skill for narrative abilities, use connecting words while linking each frame. Model and scaffold with words first, then, next, and finally to connect the story parts.

For example, when the boy runs out the door to play in the newly fallen snow, describe the action in one frame, then use a connecting word to begin the next frame, as in

• First, he rolled the snow in a ball with his hands.
• Then he rolled the ball in the snow to make it bigger
• Next, he got a shovel and shoveled more snow onto the ball.
• Finally, he came inside to have breakfast with Mom.

 

To work on expressing Cause and Effect Relationships, explain what caused the actions to occur in the story. What was the event or that caused the next action? What was the connection?  Scaffold with words such as so and because and caused. For example,

• The boy got out of bed because he couldn’t sleep.
• The boy got a tangerine so he could make a nose for the snowman.
• The hot fire caused the snowman to lean backward.

To stimulate the sentence structure, consider asking a question that enables an explanation. Support using the words of the question in the response, as in

•  Question: Why is the snowman on the floor?
•  Answer: The snowman is on the floor because he fell off the skateboard.

• Question: Why did the boy motion to the door?
• Answer: He motioned to the door so that snowman would enter.

• Question: What made holes in the snow as the snowman walked over to the boy?
• Answer: The snowman’s footsteps caused tracks to be made in the snow.

 

To work on Drawing Inferences, a good place to start is when the snowman enters the boy’s house. Having worked on cause-effect relationships in the previous section, as well as interpreting the character’s feelings and reactions, the child will have had practice in developing this skill.

Note: Part of the endearing quality of this story is seeing how each character introduces the other to his world. The snowman is introduced to items in the boy’s world that are foreign to a snowman. So, understanding each other’s backgrounds is essential to the story.

For example, look at the frame that shows the boy motioning toward the fireplace. His arm is outstretched and the warm colors behind him indicate the source emanating heat.

• What do you think the boy is saying to the snowman?
• What does he want to show him?
• Look at the snowman leaning backward.
• He dropped his hat, and he’s using his arm as a shield.
• What do you think the snowman is thinking right now?
• What might he be feeling?
• Why would he feel scared and think he should move away?
• What might he be saying to the boy?

In another example, see the frame that shows the boy motioning toward the chair at the end of the dinner table. He ties the napkin around the snowman’s neck. Then he puts a plate and silverware in front of him. Look at the snowman’s expression. His head is down as if studying the plate. You might first make comments such as,

• Look at how the snowman is looking at the plate.

Then ask,

• What might he be thinking?

If the child cannot interpret the meaning, ask yes/no or leading questions about a snowman’s experiences. Using background information comes into play. For example,

• Do you think he’s ever seen a plate before? Or used a plate?
• I wonder what he thinks the plate is for.

Drawing inferences about what has occurred between the frames is also important. For example, when the boy is first building his snowman, we see him in the next frame back inside the house with his mother. In the following frame, the boy is running outside again with a scarf and a hat in his hands. You might say,

• Look at the boy with his mother pointing outside the window.
• Now look at the next picture when he goes back outside.
• What do you think the boy is saying to his mother?
• What makes you think so?

 

After the shared read-aloud, review selected pages and ask for the favorite parts. As you review the action and character responses of a favorite segment, reinforce specific skills you want to enhance, such as past tense structures, sequencing story parts and creating cause-effect statements. Once the story is told, it’s also a great time to go back over certain segments to build pragmatic language skills.

To work on Pragmatic, Social Language,

As you review the pages, share in stating the dialog that would likely accompany the story. Ask the child to keep in mind the kind of language that is good to use between friends, as the relationship between the boy and snowman is forming.

Social language in the story can involve the following:

• Speech acts, such as greeting, labeling, requesting, and answering,
• Turn-taking, with built-in expectation that the other will respond,
• Topic initiation and switching, and
• Message repair

For example, in the frame where the snowman walks over to the boy and they shake hands, take turns stating how each might have greeted the other. Make the conversation come alive as you give them names and state their greetings.

As the boy signals before the door with his finger to his lips, ask the child to supply the dialog. Why would he want to be quiet? Then take the part of the snowman in his response.

When the boy shows the snowman the light in the kitchen and turns it on, ask:

• What does he say?
• Why would he say he’s turning on the light?
• Does he expect the snowman to respond?
• What does the snowman say when he responds?

Each time the boy shows the snowman something new, ask:

• How might he initiate the conversation?
• Would he use a segue?
• What words would he use to signal he’s changing the subject?
• Would he expect the snowman to respond?
• How might the snowman respond?
• How might the boy respond?

 

To work on holding Discussions, consider the topic of dreams. Ask thoughtful questions such as,

• If you made a snowman you made and it came to life, what kinds of adventures would you have?
• Why are dreams of fantasy and adventure a good thing to have?
• How does expressing our creativity make us feel?

Also talk about one of the book’s theme of friendship.

What are some ways the boy showed kindness to the snowman?

In what ways did he encourage friendship? (Sharing toys, showing how to perform learned activities, sharing a meal, and so forth.)

To work on generalizing Articulation skills:

If you’re also using the book as an opportunity to generalize a newly acquired speech sound  (or more than one phoneme, or another speech production skill), share the story and ask the child to identify in the illustration the word that has the target sound(s). Then discuss the illustration using the word in a description that talks about the story. Remember to encourage production at the level in which the child has acquired.

 __________

Note: Another version of this book is available by the title, The Snowman Storybook with words by Raymond Briggs, published in 1990.  Other styles of The Snowman include a popup and board book.

Additional Note: Look for the animated version of The Snowman made for Chanel 4 that features a Christmas on YouTube. Some links:

https://youtu.be/5A3THighARU?feature=shared

https://youtu.be/VbC8sOqSRKY?feature=shared

For the BBC’s article on the 100 greatest children’s books:

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230522-the-100-greatest-childrens-books-of-all-time

Special Note: Find literally hundreds of picture books ideally suited for building the skills addressed here in Book Talk in the Skills Index of Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition). Then find them cross-referenced in three age-related catalogs along with methods for targeting the specific skills you want to address.

PLUS:  You can find even more books on this topic in Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition). Look in the Topic Explorations section under: Seasons, Winter. Then see books cross-referenced in the catalogs with methods for building communication and early literacy skills.

Buy it on Amazon

Wordy Birdy

by Tammi Sauer

New York: Random House Children’s Books, 2018

Suggested Grade and Interest Level: Pre through 1st

Topics to Explore: Animals; Birds; Friendship; Humor; Manners and etiquette; Sounds and listening

Skills to Target: Concepts of Print; Phonological Awareness; Vocabulary (Attributes, Prepositions); Grammar and Syntax (Question, Negation, and Tense structures, Suffixes, Reflexive Pronouns); Literate Language (Predicting and Sequencing events, Problem solving); and Pragmatic Language.

Synopsis: Wordy Birdy is a colorful character, in more ways than one. She has incredible plumage, and as the title suggests, uses lots of words. She has so much to say that she doesn’t listen to anyone else! Rabbit’s, Squirrel’s, and Raccoon’s expressions are priceless and clearly show their exasperation – ideal elements for Book Talk. Despite their frustrations, they come to her rescue after she doesn’t heed their warnings about something ominous in the forest. Only after a big scare does Wordy Birdy learn that listening pays off. She thanks her friends by having them to her treehouse for cake and lemonade. Now they all happily hold a conversation.

Before the read-aloud, read the title and show the book’s cover of a bird pictured sideways with her long head feathers standing straight out her head. Rotate the book to show the bird right-side up. As you read the title, run your finger beneath the words to show the direction in which they are read.

Then ask children to take a closer look at the cover. What is in the background?  See if they can identify that words are faded into the background color as you work to develop Concepts of Print. Point them out and read a few, such as

            I’m upside down.

            Oh, and I look really good…

            …..enjoy this book…

 Make predictions about what kind of character Wordy Birdy is likely to be.

During the read-aloud, continue to teach Concepts of Print. Point out the dialogue balloons on the inside cover. This is a great place to explain that Wordy Birdy, as well as Rabbit, Squirrel, and Raccoon, have things to say. Show that their talk is written down so we can read what they say.

Point to indicate the character as it is speaking. This can help children follow along with the story, since there is a changing sequence of narrative and dialogue throughout the story on which to keep focused.

As you enter the first page, continue to work on Concepts of Print.  Show the differences in the text. In the part that tells the story, the text is in smaller letters.  In the part that shows what they say (their talk), the text is in bigger letters. In this way, you help increase the focus as children understand the way in which this story is designed to be told.

Experimenting with different character voices other than the one you use to read the narrative can also help with print concepts and story comprehension.

Combine work on Tense Structures with Reflexive Pronouns. As the story begins, Wordy  Birdy steps outside her house onto the branch of a tree. She greets the beautiful colors of the sunrise and says,

            “Hello. Oh! Hello, gorgeous.”

Pause to ask who Birdy is saying Hello to. Encourage or model the word, herself, in giving the explanation, such as —

            She is looking at herself.

Reinforce the learning with other sentences about Wordy Birdy using present tense with the target word, such as —

            She talks to herself.

            She is talking to herself.

            She likes to hear herself talk.

Then introduce the word reflection, and model a sentence for repetition, such as —

            She sees a reflection of herself.

Grammar and Syntax

Target Present Tense Verbs by verbalizing the actions of Wordy Birdy.  Model sentences for repetition or shape child responses to produce target structures like,

            She stands on one leg [like an acrobat].

            She looks in the mirror.

            She spreads out her wings.

            She tumbles upside down.

            She walks off tree branches.

            She carries fruit in her wings.

and so on.

Then demonstrate how Suffixes can be added to the verbs to make Present Progressive and Past Tense Sentence Structures.

For example,

            Demonstrate: She looks in the mirror.

            Identify: If you add [the suffix] -ing to look, what word do you get? (Looking)

            Identify: Which part did we add?  (-ing)

            Ask: How would the sentence change? (She is looking in the mirror)

            Feedback:  That’s right! “She looks in the mirror,” changes to “She is looking in the mirror.”

Next, target Regular Past Tense Structures with suffix –ed to make, She looked. Follow the same pattern.  Demonstrate, identify, and give feedback comparing the two verb forms in each sentence. Some examples:

            walk, walked

            ask, asked

            stop, stopped

            listen, listened

            tumble, tumbled

and so on.

Then, target Irregular Past Tense Structures by explaining that there are exceptions to the “Suffix rule”. Follow the same pattern. Demonstrate, identify, and give feedback comparing the two forms (or correct and incorrect forms) such as —

            fly, flew

            stand, stood

            spread, spread

            leave, left

and so on.

To work on Prepositions, add to the simple present tense sentence words that tell the movement of the action taking place. Use the sentences provided above. Some suggestions:

            She struts across the branch of the tree. 

            She walks through the forest.

            Rabbit points toward the sign. 

            She rests her elbows on the table.

and so on.

To work on Negation Structure, pause at the page that shows Wordy Birdy upside down with the text that reads —

“Sometimes she talks about what she doesn’t like.”

Then read inside the speech bubble to learn what it is she doesn’t like.

“I don’t like tall grass or turtlenecks or long lines or tuna salad

or losing my balloons…”

Present the start of a sentence for the child to close – or fill in – with the last word(s), as in —

            Wordy (Birdy) does not like _______. (tuna salad, etc.)

Then repeat the sentence.

            Wordy (Birdy) does not like tuna salad.

Then encourage the child to say the whole sentence along with you.

Finally, ask the question, “What doesn’t she like?” Start the answer for the child to complete with the negative structure, as in,

            “She ________________ (doesn’t like tuna salad).”

Now ask the child to take the part of Wordy Birdy and tell what she does not like. For example,

            Adult: Wordy Birdy, what don’t you like?

            Child: I don’t like long lines!

Work on Question structures, by pausing at the next page that reads,

                        “Sometimes she just asks questions.”

Then read the text inside the speech bubble to hear the kinds of questions she asks, such as —-

                        “Why do zebras have stripes?

                        Is Bigfoot real?

                        Are we there yet?”

Notice each question Wordy Birdy begins uses a different “question” word. Select one and begin modeling other questions Wordy Birdy might ask. For example, take the Why question and use the illustration as a visual stimulus, as in —

            Why is Birdy upside down?

            Why is Birdy smiling?

            Why is Birdy talking so much?

Now use another word to initiate the question and play Question-Answer. For example,

            Is Birdy right side up? (No, she’s right side up.)

            is Birdy a quiet bird? (No, she’s a talkative bird.)

            Is Birdy a happy bird? (Yes, she’s a happy bird.)

Ask the child to ask you the question so that you can respond. Model the structure if necessary.

Note: If question structures are a target objective, consider using this format on more of the pages in a playful way.

Vocabulary

To work on Attributes, ask children whether their predictions about Wordy Birdy from the cover illustration were correct. A bird with these stand-out characteristics can make naming Attributes and Adjectives a lot of fun.

For instance, Wordy Birdy not only has lots to say while her yellow beak stays open all the time, but her plumage is extraordinary. Take turns naming all the colors of the feathers in her wings, body, tail, and headpiece. Some suggestions for other attributes (at certain times in the story) include —

            colorful

            talkative

            scattered

            energetic

            careless

            happy

            fun

            kind

            thoughtful (later on)

and other descriptions you and the children have.

 

After the read-aloud, ask why Wordy Birdy didn’t listen to her friends. Encourage children to express the meaning of the story. Also ask,

            What lesson did Wordy Birdy learn about speaking and listening to others?

            Once she learned to listen, was she able to communicate with her friends?

            What happened because of that?

Language Literacy

(Sometimes called Literate Discourse or Text Structures)

Sequence story events by going back over the pages leading up to the encounter with the bear. Encourage children to relate the events, connecting them with words such as first, then, next, and finally. It might go something like this:

            First, Wordy Birdy stepped outside her tree house.

            Then she started talking.

            Then she looked at herself in the mirror and kept on talking.

            Next, her friends say she never stops talking.

            Then Wordy Birdy took a walk through the forest.

            And then she still didn’t listen when her friends tried to warn her.

            Then her friends had to pull her away from the bear.

            Finally, Wordy Birdy learns it’s better to listen and let her friends talk, too!

To work on Problem Solving, ask children to state the problem in the story.  Then connect it with the solution. Encourage expression of the events with words such as because, since, and so. Paraphrasing for repetition may be necessary. It might go something like this:

            Q: What was the problem in the story?

            A: The problem was that Wordy Birdy talked too much.

            Q: What made Wordy Birdy’s incessant talking a problem?

            A: Since she didn’t listen to anybody, she didn’t converse with them.

            Q: What happened because of her problem?

            A: Her friends weren’t happy.

            A: They were frustrated with Wordy Birdy because she wouldn’t listen.

            Q: What else?

            A: She almost got eaten by a bear because she wasn’t listening.

            A: What was the solution?

            A: She was going to run into a big bear so her friends warned her.

            Q: How did her friends help solve the problem?

            A: They made a lot of noise to scare the bear so Wordy Birdy could get away.

            Q: When Wordy Birdy realized her friends helped her, what did she do?

            A: She thanked them because they helped her.

            Q: What else did she do?

            A: She had her friends over for cake and lemonade so she could thank them.

 Now identify the problem and connect it to the solution using so and because.

            Q: How did Wordy Birdy solve her problem of always talking?

            A: She listens to her friends since it’s important for them to talk, too!

Pragmatic Language Skills

To work on Greetings, go back over the story from the beginning and talk about how Wordy Birdy greeted the day using the word Hello. Then ask,

Did Wordy Birdy greet her friends in the same way when she saw them?

Or did she just keep walking and talking to herself on the tree branch?

Was this expected or unexpected in terms of how her friends experienced it?

Would it be good for Wordy Birdy to engage with her friends?

How could she engage with Rabbit, Squirrel, and Raccoon in her own way that would be considered expected behavior?

Then ask, “If she had greeted her friends, do you think she would she have been a better listener? Why do you think so?”

            Why is it a good idea to greet someone when you first see them?

            How does it make the other person feel when you say Hello or Hi?

            How does it make you feel when they say Hi back?

To work on Staying on Topic and Turn-Taking:

Drawing attention to everything Wordy Birdy says in one speech balloon is a good way to teach about talking to a topic. Go back over one of the pages and read her dialog again. Did she change topics? Ask the child to count how many separate topics she talked about. Her dialogue balloon says,

            “This one time I totally went swimming with a narwhal.

            Do you think there’s an award for Bird of the Year?

            My third cousin Barb is a penguin. Really!

            FACT! People used to think the world was flat and you could fall right off the end.”

Ask how it might sound to the other characters when she changes topics.

Would you be able to easily engage with her? Encourage children’s responses about how they might react if they heard Wordy Birdy talk for real.

Talk about the purpose of the talk. Ask,

When she stated a fact, was she informing them of something? Or just talking to hear herself talk?

How did things change when Rabbit, Raccoon, and Squirrel came for cake and lemonade with Wordy Birdy?

Look at Wordy Birdy’s “body language” on the last page. What is different about her now? Do you think she likes engaging with her friends?

Hold a Discussion on listening. What does it mean to listen? Are there different kinds of listening?  The book says Wordy Birdy “never listens to anybody.”

The text asks,

“Does Wordy Birdy ever listen?”

Ask,

Why didn’t Wordy Birdy listen?

Could Wordy hear sounds in her environment?

Could she have listened to someone talk?

Play a game of listening to environmental sounds. Then ask,

            What can you hear when you stop to listen to sounds?

            Now what does it mean when we talk about listening to another?

            Do we listen just to the sounds they make? Or the words they say?

            What is the difference?

Phonological Awareness

Play Phonological Awareness (PA) games at the beginning levels of rhyming and syllable awareness with selected words in the story. While the full spectrum of awareness levels is not within the scope of this book treatment, opportunities to play sound games with the title and compound words in the text make this book ideal for work at these levels.

You’ll find PA activities covered in depth with activities for the entire spectrum PA using select picture books in Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition).

 

Note: PA levels are hierarchical, so some children may easily participate in these activities, others may continue to work at higher levels, and some may need to begin work further down the hierarchy to achieve success with the tasks.  The activities that follow can be fun word play:

Rhyming Awareness Level:

Do-They-Rhyme?  Children identify whether word pairs rhyme. You can use the rhyming pairs that follow, and intersperse more non-rhyming words if needed:

            Wordy – Birdy (yes)

            Wordy – Talky ( no )

            tree – me (yes)

            tree – leaf (no)

            leaf – beef (yes)

            not – dot ( Yes)

            run – ton (yes)

            listen – glisten (yes)

            rabbit – raccoon (no)

            rabbit – habit ( yes)

            darker – marker (yes)

Which-One-Rhymes? Children select a rhyming word from a word string that matches the target word. Use the words provided in Do-They-Rhyme?  Give initial phoneme or cluster cues if needed. For example, say

                        Wordy.

                        Which word rhymes with Wordy?

                        talky, silly, birdie?

                        That’s right! Birdie rhymes with Wordy.

                        Tree.

                        Which word rhymes with tree?

                        leaf, free, bird

                        That’s right! Free rhymes with tree.

and so on.

            Make-A-Rhyme. Present  following words for the child to rhyme.  Accept any nonsense word.

            Wordy, _______ (Birdy)

            Talk, _______ (walk, sock, lock, etc.)

            Talking, ______(walking, rocking, stocking, etc.)

            Tree, _______ (me, see, knee, etc.)

            Bear, ______ (hair, wear, flare, etc)

            cake, ______ (take, make, wake, etc.)

            Sky, _______ (tie, my, buy, etc.)

            Feather, ______ (weather, heather, leather, etc.)

Syllable Awareness Level:

            What’s-the-Word?  Children synthesize syllables into words. Present the syllables with a clear pause between them. Two- and three- syllable words from the story include:

            Word-y

            Bird-y

            sun  –  rise

            sun  –  set

            nar  –  whal

            some  –  times

            hoo  –  ray

            ra  –  bbit

            ra – co  on

            ba – loon

            pen  –   guin

            pine – cone

            cir – cle

            li – brar- y

            tur – tle- neck

            u – ni – corn

            straw – berr- y

            to- ma – toes

            tri – an – gle

            Find-the-Little-Words. Children analyze the word to hear each element of a compound or two- or three- syllable word to create a new, smaller word.  Note that It often helps to give an example of the identified word’s meaning.

            sunrise (sun, rise)

            sunset (sun, set)

            narwhal (wall)

            sometimes (some, times)

            library (lie)

            turtleneck (turtle, neck)

            unicorn (you, corn)

            Bigfoot (big, foot)

            hooray (who, ray)

            unbearable (bear)

            penguin (pen)

            pinecone (pine, cone)

            trespassing (pass, passing)

            strawberry (straw, berry)

            tomatoes (may, toes)

            circle (sir)

            triangle (angle)

            rabbit (bit)

            Leave-It-Out.  Children say a compound word, then leave out the beginning or final part to create a smaller word. For example, say

            Sunrise. Say sunrise, but don’t say sun. (rise)

            Say sunrise but don’t say rise. (sun)

 Continue with the rest of the word list:

Sunset

Sometimes

Pinecone

Bigfoot

Strawberry

Turtleneck

Triangle

            Add-It-On. Children add  two syllables or two little words together to make a compound or bigger word. For example,

            Say sun.

            Now say sun and add rise. 

            What new word can you make?

            That’s right. Sun. Rise. Sunrise. 

Continue with the list provided in Leave-It-Out.

            Turn-It-Around. Children reverse the parts of the compound or two-syllable word that they have previously synthesized and analyzed. For example, say:

            Put the word rise at the beginning of sun.

            What made-up word do you have?  (risesun)

            What was it before you turned it around? (sunrise)

Continue with the list provided in Find-the-Little-Words and Leave-It-Out.

___________________________________________________________

NOTICE: All rights reserved. The material herein is copyrighted under Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition), 2023 by the publisher and presented by the author for educational purposes only.  Duplication of this material for commercial use is prohibited.

Special Note: Find literally hundreds of quality picture books ideally suited for building the 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 them cross-referenced in three age-related Catalogs along with methods for targeting the specific skills you want to address.

Plus!  You can find even more books on these topics in Books Are for Talking, Too (Fourth Edition).  Look in the Topic Exploration index under the topics listed here, such as Friendship; Manners and etiquette; Sounds and listening, and lots more. Then see books cross-referenced in the Catalogs with methods for building literacy and communication skills – for a lifetime of success!

Books Are For Talking, Too!

~ Now in its 4th Edition ~

Find it on Amazon

http://a.co/d/efcKFw6

Cozy in Love

by Jan Brett

New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2022

Suggested Grade and Interest Level: Pre through 2nd

Topics to Explore: Animals (musk ox, puffin, beluga whale); Friendship; Kindness and empathy; Winter season; Geography, Ice regions.

Skills to Target:  Vocabulary (attributes, adjectives, synonyms, prepositions); Grammar and syntax (i.e., present, past, and future tenses, regular and irregular plural forms of nouns); Language literacy (sometimes called Text Structures): Predicting, Sequencing events, Cause-effect relationships, Problem-solving, Drawing inferences, Answering Why-questions); Articulation (especially K, F, and L), and more.

Synopsis: Cozy, the musk ox, who has just been in a duel of strength to win the heart of lovely Lofti, lays low in the snow after his defeat. When his friend, Puffin, swoops by with an urgent message, he soon forgets his troubles and rushes to try and save Bella. The young beluga whale didn’t heed her mother’s warning to leave Teardrop Inlet. The freezing ice has now trapped her inside the inlet, with no way out. Cozy devises a way to help her out of the icy barricade with his strength and big heart. He not only saves Bella but wins the heart of Lofti in a far better way to reveal one’s true self.

Before the read-aloud, set the stage for the story about to unfold by talking about the setting. For those who aren’t familiar with arctic environments, there is a lot to understand. For example,

• Talk about the region of Alaska, the U.S.’s 49th state, and the wildlife there, especially the animals that will appear in the story (puffins, whales, fish, and mammals with lots of fur to keep them warm). If the child is familiar with the predecessor book, Cozy, recall that Cozy is so wooly and kindhearted that he keeps many other Arctic animals warm, nestled underneath his coat.

• Show where Alaska is situated, on the Bearing Sea (named so in the story). Describe how ice forms along the edge of the sea, on land, as well as in the water, just as it is shown on the cover. Talk about what a glacier is and explain how they can contain large pieces of soil and vegetation, called tundra, and rock. They can move and slide across the land as well as on water due to factors of their weight, temperature, and gravity.

• Read the title and author of the story and talk about the two musk oxen in relation to one another on the cover. Describe them, pointing out their long, wooly hair and curved horns. Their heads are so close together. Ask questions such as

• How do you think they are feeling toward each other?
• What do their expressions tell you about how they are feeling?

Point out the other characters, the whale, and puffins, and suggest that they may have something to do with the story. Build anticipation with words such as, “Let’s find out!”

During the read-aloud, encourage Predictions and story explanations based especially on the added details of Jan Brett’s signature border illustrations.

For example, on the first page, the text and main illustration tell the story of two musk oxen in a traditional battle of horns to win a sweetheart. Inside the border we can see there is more to the story.

• A group of oxen with their shaggy coats stand together, presumably watching the challenge.
• A puffin flies overhead in front of an ice cliff with three fish in its mouth.
• Around the border are fragments of the sea, such as coral, seaweed, starfish, and heart-shaped rocks.

Invite the child to tell more about what is happening in this scene based on the pictures along the borders.

Pointing out these features is a great way to involve young children in the story. It also sets the stage for more to come involving the characters in the story.

On turning the page, the border pictures again add to the story with the puffins standing at the water’s edge looking on, and other with fish in its mouth.

Ask Prediction questions, such as, “What do you think the puffins are looking at?”

In this way, you are teaching the child what thoughtful readers do when reading a story, even though they may not have all the pieces together yet. You are also teaching the child to look for clues as the story presents them.

To build Vocabulary, synonyms, and word-networking skills, look for opportunities to pause for better understanding. (It’s good to be ready with the answers!) Words include:

• Massive (huge)
• Flukes (parts of a whale’s tail)
• Perches (resting places)
• Heave (to lift and throw with one’s might)
• Boulders (massive rocks)
• Glacier (a large body of ice that moves slowly on the surface of the land)
• Tussocks (icy, grassy plateaus or flat surfaces in the ice)
• Pod (a school, or group of animals clustered together)
• Horn boss (the large hard base across the head of the musk ox from which the horns project)
• Qiviut (the wool of the musk ox’s undercoat)
• Muzzle (the projecting part of the animal’s face, including the nose and mouth)

To work on Attributes, use the strong features of the animals as well as their characters as you think of words to describe them. For example, Cozy is:

• Massive
• Hairy
• Furry
• Soft
• Strong
• Gentle
• Loving
• Kind

The puffins are:

• Colorful
• Good swimmers
• Hungry
• Concerned
• Caring
• Helpful

Bella is:

• Humorous
• Joyful
• Fun loving
• Distractible

To work on Adjectives, use the words you brainstormed as attributes and create sentences to describe the characters.

To work on Prepositions, talk about the story in terms of the movement of the action that takes place. Books about animals on the shore and in the water make ideal material for targeting prepositions. Include prepositional phrases if appropriate for the developmental level of the child. Some suggestions:

• The musk ox run acrossthe snow.
• Cozy lays downin the snow.
• The puffin flies overCozy’s head.
• Bella plays with seaweed on topof her head.
• Bella and her mother swim underthe ocean.
• They swim over the seashells.
• Cozy stands abovethe inlet.
• Cozy looks downat the inlet.
• The boulder splashed intothe water.
• Bella dances inthe sea.

To work on Grammar and Syntax, use your conversation about the story to structure present, past and future tenses.

• Cozy is lying in the snow.
• The puffin droppedthe fish.
• The mama whale toldBella not to stay long.
• The ice will

And so on.

The illustrations offer further opportunities to structure Regular and Irregular Forms of Nouns. Discuss how some forms of plurals end in different suffixes, and some end with no suffix at all, like fish.  Some examples from the story, like:

• one puffin, two puffins
• one whale, two whales
• one ox, two oxen
• one fish, two fish

Then use the words in sentences about what’s happening in the story to further the context.

To continue supporting the development of Language Literacy skills, help the child explain the Cause-and-Effect relationships that occur throughout the story. Ask thoughtful questions that require explanation of the occurrence.

For example, when the puffin flew over Cozy, the big musk ox didn’t hear it. Then a fish landed on his nose. Ask,

• What made that happen?” (The puffin dropped it.  The puffin had to plea for help!  He had to use his beak to speak!)

Encourage use of the words because and so that in giving full descriptions.

• The puffin dropped the fish on Cozy so thathe would look up at him.
• The puffin dropped the fish becausehe wanted Cozy to wake up.

In another example, the story says the puffins laughed “when [Bella] paraded by with seaweed on her head.”  Point out the border illustrations that show the puffins enjoying the sight and Bella loving to play.

• What made the puffins laugh?
• How did Bella get seaweed on her head?
• Why did the puffins “topple off their perches”?

Help children Draw Inferences in expressing the meaning of the text. Often the more concrete language learners face challenges in making those second steps in processing that are necessary to understand the text. Pictures can be helpful, along with a guided set of explanations.

For example, when Cozy sees a chunk of glacial ice break off and splash into the inlet, the text says she

“….thought the wave might be big enough to help push Bella to freedom.”

Ask thoughtful questions in logical order to help create the meaning. Be ready to give the answers yourself. Questions might go something like this:

• What made the big wave? (Big chunk of ice dropped into the sea)
• What would happen in the water if a big chunk of ice splashed into the sea? (It would push the displaced water to make the level of the rest of the water higher)
• If it caused the water around it to increase, how could Bella get out of the inlet? (The higher water would cover the ice trapping her in and she could swim over it).
• What does it mean to “push Bella to freedom”? (Once she is out of the inlet she is no longer trapped. She is free to swim away and be with her family on the other side)

Other places to pause and infer meaning from the story occur at the text, such as

“Puffin landed on one of the nearby boulders carried down by the glacier.”

Ask questions such as

• How did the boulder move?
• Where was the boulder?
• Can you imagine how big the glacier was that carried the boulder across the land?

 

After the read-aloud, discuss the story to continue enhancing Language Literacy skills.

To work on Sequencing events, go back over the story by doing a “picture walk.” Sequence the story events shown in the illustrations using connecting words such as first, next, then, and finally.

To express Cause-Effect Relationships, structure sentences about what happened in terms of what caused it to happen. Using a repetitive structure makes the learning easier. For example,

• When the puffin dropped a fish on Cozy’s nose, it caused _______ (him to look up).
• When Bella didn’t get out of the inlet, it caused _______ (her to be trapped by ice).
• When Cozy pushed big chunks of ice into the inlet, it caused _________ (a big wave).
• When the sea made a big wave, it caused _____________ (water to rise higher).

Work on Problem-Solution strategies that help build storytelling skills. For example, ask

• What was the problem in the story?
• How did Cozy try to solve the problem?
• Did all her first attempts work?
• What did she do then?
• How did the animals feel after Cozy helped Bella escape the ice that enclosed her?

To work on Answering Why Questions, ask questions to which answers may be found in the illustrations.

For example, as Cozy pushes the rock off the cliff, point to Bella encircled by the ice that is trapping her and ask,

• Why can’t Bella escape over the ice?
• Why does Cozy think pushing rocks off the cliff will save Bella?
• Why did Cozy keep pushing so many boulders into the inlet?

And when you conclude the story ask,

• Do you feel good about how the story ends? Why is that?

 

To work on Articulation skills, consider all the opportunities to work on words with K, F, and L phonemes.

K words:  Cozy, musk, ox, sparkle, catching, heartbreaking, aching, coat, caring, Alaskan, cold, qiviut, and squeaked.

F words: Lofti, fall, freeze, freezes, freezing, froze, puffin, frantic, starfish, safe, freedom, friend, and soft.

L words:  love, lovely, Lofti, bellowed, Bella, inlet, whale, leaped, bells, playing, splashed, flukes, beluga, laughter, waterfall, level, boulders, and rolling.

                           – – – –

Learn more about Jan Brett with a visit to her website. See what other places her love of writing for children has taken her to for inspiration.

https://www.janbrett.com/biography.htm

Find more picture books by Jan Brett and book treatments such as these, including her first published book as author/illustrator, Fritz and the Beautiful Horses, in Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition). 

Available now on Amazon

https://a.co/d/efcKFw6

 

I love reading aloud a repetitive text because it makes for immediately memorable language. On each page, the child hears the same rhythmic beats to the sounds that make up the words, accompanied by different illustrations. They are ideal books for teaching early language learners how to combine more words in their utterances, advance in their syntactic structures, and learn new vocabulary.

Another great feature of a child’s book is when one or two words stand out on the cover, differentiated from the rest. Pointing this out with a few simple techniques is a great way to develop print awareness at story time, a foundational skill essential for building early literacy skills.

A simple, repetitive text that builds to introduce more words can create opportunities for phonological awareness (PA) games. Familiar words in the text are often more recognizable to children than words with no immediate context. If the words are suitable for the developmental level of thechild, create lists of them to play in gamesthat teach the awareness of speech sounds, or phonemes., another foundational skill for reading success.

Of course, the theme of this clever book, that of different perspectives on the same subject, will be the main catalyst for Book Talk. It’s a fun read that kids never seem to tire of. And what better way is there to learn?

I can’t think of a time when it isn’t important to address the needs of the whole child. Our sensitivities to their issues, especially children with special needs, are paramount in laying a foundation for learning that is solid and secure. Whether you are a caregiver or educator, this book is a wonderful place to start in opening up about feelings through the reinforcement of the author’s message. It is also an especially good book to use in helping children draw connections between the story’s events and their own personal experiences.

The ideal feature of this book is the minimaltext. Words accompanied by pictures that illustrate the meaning of the story are ideal for book talk. As children talk about what they see unfolding in the pictures, the adult can scaffold a child’s spoken language in ways that build stronger communication skills. With just a few techniques to accompany a carefully selected picture book, the adult can build speech, language, and literate discourse skills while enriching the meaning of the story. And in this story, there are opportunities to do even more.

From time to time I am asked, “How can I present a picture book to my older school-age children withoutgetting “that look”– or outright objection- that this is too childish.My answer: Youjust need the right book.When you know the elements of a good picture book, you’ll find the right ones to capture theinterest of your audience – and get thatbook talk going.And there are plenty!

The problemis not that older kids don’t like books with pictures. Today’s reading material has pictures galore.Consider magazines at supermarket checkout stands, orpicture books found in the adult genre ofcoffee table books (likerecent best seller, The Space Shuttle, the story of NASA’s shuttle program in magnificent photographs). At the heart of older children’s disinterestis that the picturesappear juvenile, intended for younger audiences, and withoutintrigue. Older kids need illustrations they can connect with, ones that draw attention to aspects of a storythat haven’t been considered. Those are the features that become talking points, amplify the words on the page, and create the kind of book talk that makes the experience come alive.

One such book is The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, a magnificent depictionof Longfellow’s poem immortalizing the famous American’s ride on horseback from Boston to Lexington (and Concord, being his intended destination) to warn colonists of the British troops’ advancement.The well-knownPaul Revere’s Ride is the text, set on the pages asanold document printed on parchment.Christopher Bing’s illustrations of pen and ink on scratchboard, the engraving style of the period, create intrigue and tell a story by themselves,giving a heightened sense of this historical moment. And there’s nothing juvenile about them.