Book Talk

Hope is the Thing with Feathers
by Emly Dickinson, illustrated by Tim Hopgood
London: Paw Prints Publishing, 2024.

Suggested Grade and Interest Level: Pre-K through 4* (and beyond for many learners)

Other editions: Paperback, eBook, and Kindle

Topics to Explore: Birds, Emotions and feelings, Famous people, Poetry, Self-esteem; Weather

Skills to Build:
Semantics: Vocabulary, Synonyms, Homonyms, Homophones, Metaphors, Prepositions
Morphological markers (suffixes)
Grammar and syntax:  Noun + Verb agreement, Plural forms of nouns, Present progressive tense structures, Irregular past tense structures, Negative structures, Advanced syntactic structures
Language literacy (a.k.a. Language discourse): Relating personal experiences, Sequencing events, Drawing inferences, Giving explanations, Answering Why questions, Discussion
Articulation: S, Z, and Th phonemes
Fluency
Voice

Synopsis: The classic poem by one of the world’s most beloved poets is beautifully illustrated with a story that children can relate to. In this pictorial adaptation, the audience follows a bird as it flies across the world and then home again, singing its song no matter what manner of storm it encounters. As the poem is read aloud, children connect its meaning to the illustrations, and in the process, learn about metaphors. It begins with a girl appearing wistful, looking out her window with head in hands. She is listening to the song. The bird takes off, flies through a storm, over a foreign land where people encounter hardships, still singing as it crosses the sea, and comes back to the branch  This time the girl regards the bird with contentment and a smile. Children can attach meaning to metaphors, as “the thing with feathers” provides comfort to all it encounters, even in the most difficult times.

Strategies: If your audience is younger and/or more characteristic of concrete language learners, consider a read-aloud by first pausing for Book Talk solely about the illustrations. Follow the bird flying through a storm while still singing, no matter what the conditions, and returning to the girl’s window. Support children in telling the story as you read the verse. Then go back to re-read the poem after its meaning can more easily be applied, using the suggested methods listed under Metaphors. 

Methods:
Before the read-aloud, share that you want to read a story that is a poem written by the one of the most famous poets of all time, Emily Dickinson. Point out the bird on the cover and build anticipation with an invitation to follow the bird throughout the story to see where it will go and what it will see. Then model, scaffold, and expand on child responses to work on –

Vocabulary, Relating personal experiences

Talk about the word hope. Hold a discussion about difficult times and unforeseen events, such as natural disasters or hardships that people often experience. Talk about the importance of hope for those affected by adversity. They can have hope and be encouraged that they will recover, rebuild, be OK, get well, and that things will work out.

Ask children to think about a time that they had hope that things would turn out OK. Ask them to share the event as you support them with scaffolding and feedback.

Also share that the poem was written long ago, when other words were common but aren’t so familiar to us today. Show that the book has a list of those words in the back material to help us understand their meanings.

Metaphors

 To work on metaphors, talk about how a word can be used in place of another more common word to show how they are alike.  Explain that a metaphor compares one thing to another. Give examples, such as –

• Blanket of snow (e.g., A blanket covers the bed just like snow covers the ground.)
• Heart of gold (e.g., Gold is a precious metal just like a heart is a precious part of you.)
• Life is a journey (e.g., A journey takes you to places along the road, just as life takes you to experiential places; it may not always be a smooth road, and there are challenges as well as rewards along the way.)

Show the title page and explain that in this story, the author uses the thing with feathers (i.e., a bird) to compare it to the word hope.

Point to Hope in the title and then the bird flying beneath the title for a visual representation.

 

During the read-aloud, scaffold targeted speech and language objectives using the illustrations to point out details that support the story’s meaning.

Present tense constructions, Drawing inferences, Metaphors

On the first page turn, see the girl with her head in her hands, looking out from her window. The poem begins –

Hope is the thing with feathers.

Point out the musical notes in the air and talk about what they represent. Draw inferences about how the girl appears to be feeling.

• Might she be worried?
• How do you think she feels about the bird?
• What might the words of the story imply about how she is feeling?

Support present tense constructions about what the girl sees, hears, and feels, such as –

• She sees _________ (e.g., bird perched on a branch).
• She hears ________ (e.g., a bird singing; the sounds of a bird singing).
• She feels _________ (e.g., worried about something, sad about something, etc.).

 To continue Book Talk about metaphors, again explain that the poet uses “the thing with feathers” – a bird – to compare it to the word hope.

Vocabulary, Giving explanations, Metaphors

On a page turn, see the closeup of the bird on the branch and the musical notes, implying that the bird is still singing. The poem reads –

That perches in the soul.

To work on vocabulary, talk about the word perch as a resting place, meaning settled in, as the bird perches in a tree in the illustration.

To work on giving explanations, ask for thoughts on the word soul. Talk about how soul is used to mean the whole person, including the spirit within your being. Ask questions that require explanations and support verbal expression, such as –

• How can hope perch in the soul?
• What is it like when hope perches in your soul?
• How do you feel when hope perches in your soul?

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, review that the metaphor of the “thing with feathers” is hope, and that we can have hope within our hearts.

Plural forms of nouns, N + Verb agreement, Prepositions,
Advanced sentence constructions, Metaphors

On a page turn, see the bird has taken off and the rain has come. People are outside with their umbrellas and look up to the bird, still singing. The poem reads –

And sings the tune without the words –

As children express what’s happening in the illustration, support the following skills:

Work on plural forms of nouns and N + V agreement , by asking children for descriptions of an individual and then the group of individuals shown in the illustration. For example –

•  The girl holds her umbrella.
•  They all hold (their) umbrellas.
•  The boy looks up at the bird.
•  The boy, his mom, and dad (they) look up at the bird.
•  The girl hears the bird singing.
•  They all hear the bird singing.
•  The girl wears a rain jacket.
•  The children wear rain jackets.

Work on prepositions with phrases that show where  –

• The bird flies _____
  …through the sky
  …in the rain.
  …over the umbrellas.
• The bird sits ______
  …on top of the umbrella.
• The girl walks _______
  …under the umbrella.

Work on advanced sentence constructions by supporting language that expresses what’s happening while something else happens at the same time. For example –

• The bird flies in the wind as it keeps singing.
• The boy points to the bird while the bird keeps singing.
• The girl holds her umbrella as the bird lands on it.
• The girl holds her umbrella and looks up at the bird.
• The bird lands on the umbrella and looks down at the girl.
• The bird flies through the sky while singing its song.

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, talk about how hope is still there for us, even though there seems to be no reason to be hopeful. It’s there even though there may be no words to explain why we are hopeful. Even though it is raining, and people pull out their umbrellas, “the thing with feathers” is still there, singing its song. The people look up at it and acknowledge it. There is optimism even when it’s a dreary day, when you’re feeling a little down.

Prepositions, Negative and Advanced syntactic structures, Metaphors

On a page turn, see the bird fly even higher, further away. It looks over its wings to see the city below, the homes, cars, and people with umbrellas.  The poem reads –

And never stops – at all –

As children express what’s happening in the illustration, support the following skills:

To work on prepositions and prepositional phrases, describe where the bird is looking and how it is looking. For example –

•   The bird flies over the city.
•   The bird flies up into the clouds.
•   The bird looks back over its wings.
•   The bird looks down at the city.

To work on negative syntactic structures by using the words of the poem, never stops, in expressing what the bird doesn’t do, as in –

•   The bird doesn’t stop.
•   The bird never stops.
•   The bird never stops singing.
•   The bird never fears the rain.

To work on advanced syntactic structures, use the verse of the poem for book talk about what’s happening below in the city as the bird keeps flying. Examples include –

• It’s raining in the city but the bird flies on.
• The bird looks back at the town while it still sings its song.
• It keeps on raining in the city as the day grows darker.

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, talk about how the bird is now out of view of the people in the city, the rain comes down in sheets, and its song becomes softer (not as many musical notes). Despite all of this, the bird doesn’t give up singing. “The thing with feathers” doesn’t stop when times change.

Vocabulary, Syntax structures, Metaphors

On a page turn, the bird now flies into a darkened sky. There is no city below, only a strong current of air and lightening in the distance, yet it still sings its song. The poem states –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –

To work on vocabulary words, describe the illustration and talk about the meaning of the word gale, a strong wind.

Use it in a variety of syntax constructions, as in –

•  The boat goes out to sea despite the strong gale.
•   A gale was blowing but the bird kept on singing.

Connect it to other words of the story as you talk such as  –

• Wind
• Lightning
• Storm
• Storm clouds
• Soar (The bird soars through the storm.)

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, describe “the thing with feathers” that still sings in the dark of a storm. Even in a gale, the strongest of winds, it sings a sweet song. Hope is there despite the hard times.

Vocabulary, Synonyms, Homonyms, Homophones,
Metaphors

On a page turn, see the storm worsen. The scene is dark, and the little bird is withstanding conditions, but looks sad and sorrowful. Yet it still sings. The poem reads –

And sore must be the storm –

To work on vocabulary, talk about the intended meaning of sore in the verse. The poet is saying that because of such a strong gale, it must be a very harsh storm.

To work on synonyms, brainstorm words that have similar meanings to sore, such as –

•  harsh
•  difficult
•  terrible
•  awful

Then use the synonyms in sentences, providing a carrier phrase for the child to fill in the words, such as –

• The storm is ________(harsh).
• The storm is ________(awful).
• The storm __________(hard).
• The storm is ________(terrible).

To work on homonyms, ask what other word sounds like sore, but has a different meaning. For example –

•  What is another meaning for the word sore? (e.g., something that hurts, etc.)

To work on homophones, ask for a word that sounds like sore but means something else.  For example –

•   If the little bird can fly high, it can soar.
•   It can soar through the air.

In this case, the word is spelled differently, so it’s called a homophone.

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, talk about the storm getting worse, harsher. Yet still “the thing with feathers” is there with its song. If the little bird feels embarrassed or self-conscious, it still sings, no matter what. There is still hope. Hope is insurmountable.

Vocabulary, Syntax structures, Metaphors

On a page turn, see the little bird fly over the mountains, rivers and cities as the dark clouds start to lift and a partial sun appears in the sky. The poem reads –

That could abash the little Bird

Continue to talk about the little bird singing in the sky, no matter what the conditions  Nothing will stop it from flying high and singing.

To work on vocabulary, talk about the word abash.  Go to the back pages where the unusual words are listed to see what meaning the book gives to the word. Talk about embarrassment as another meaning for abashed. Then create sentences within the context of the illustration, such as –

•    Even though the little bird was abashed to hear its voice so weak, it still kept on singing.

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, talk about “the thing with feathers” as another word for hope, and that hope is still there, even when you feel embarrassed.  Hope can make you feel it will be OK.

Noun + Verb agreement, Present tense, Metaphors

On a page turn, see the bird’s path as it moves across the earth, now flying over another part of the world.  The poem continues –

That kept so many warm –

To work on Noun + Verb agreement and present tense constructions, talk about the children running outside now that the sun begins to brighten in the sky. Discuss how they seem amazed at the sight of the bird.

•   The children run across the bridge.
•   The child runs across the bridge.
•   The child runs out of the house.
•   The children run out of their house.

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, talk about how “the thing with feathers” and how it “kept so many warm”  Talk about how hope comforts people across the whole wide world.

Vocabulary, Synonyms, Morphological units,
Syntax construction, Answering Why questions, Metaphors

On a page turn, see the bird fly above the workers as they shovel snow and clean up debris from the storm. See the people look up at the bird that still sings its beautiful song.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –

To work on vocabulary and synonyms, discuss the word chill. Name synonyms such as –

•          cold
•          chilly
•          nippy
•          bleak

To work on morphological endings, attach the suffix –est to the word chill to make chillest. Demonstrate with the identified synonyms, as in –

•          coldest
•          iciest
•          bleakest
•          nippiest

To work on vocabulary in the context of the story while developing syntax structures, support the child by scaffolding sentences such as –

•    They are cleaning up in the chilliest weather.
•    They are working on one of the coldest days.
•    Even on the bleakest day, the bird still sings a song.
•    Even in places that are the coldest, the bird still sings.

To work on answering why questions, discuss the action taking place in the illustration and ask questions that require explanations using words because and so that.  For example –

•    Why are they all wearing hats on their heads? (They’re wearing hats because it is cold.)
•    Why is the woman looking up in the sky? (She’s looking up so she can to see the bird.  She’s looking up so she can see what is making the beautiful song.)
•    Why is the child have a snow shovel? (She has a snow shovel so she can pick up the fallen branches.)

To continue Book Talk on metaphors, talk about how “the thing with feathers” the metaphor hope is there, even in the coldest, “chillest”,  most difficult situations, even in faraway places, where people come together to deal with life’s “storms”, or difficult times.

Syntax construction, Morphological markers,
Synonyms, Metaphors,

On a page turn, see the bird continuing on its journey, flying over the village, past the fishing boats and out to sea, still singing.  The poem continues –

And on the strangest Sea –

To work on syntax constructions, encourage children to talk about what’s happening in the scene using full sentences such as –

•    The boy with the dog waves goodbye.
•    The people clean up the beach.
•    Fishing boats are moored in the bay.

To work on morphological endings, show how adding the suffix –est to the word strange makes strangest.

Demonstrate with other synonyms, as in –

• odd -est
• crazi -est
• weird -est
• funny -est

Then brainstorm other words with suffix -est  that can be used within the context of the story, such as –

•   The strangest thing about the sea was its waves.
•    The sea had the strangest colors.
•    The boy had the cutest dog.
•    The man with the shovel worked the fastest.

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, talk about “the strangest Sea” offering a comparison such as the oddest things in life, where things are uncertain and bewildering. Then draw the parallel to how “the thing with feathers” is always there when we find ourselves in strange conditions that leave us feeling bewildered, wondering how it happened and why.

Irregular past tense constructions, Vocabulary, Morphological markers

On a page turn, see the bird soaring past the sea and arriving above the familiar land of cars, tall buildings and trees under the warmth of sunshine – while still singing. The poem reads –

Yet – never- in Extremity,

To work on irregular past tense constructions, ask children to describe the path the little bird took. After leaving its former place over a faraway land, it arrives back to a place where its journey began. Some irregular past tense constructions to support may include –

•    The bird left the far-away land.
•    The bird flew over the ocean.
•    The bird sang its song across the sea.

To work on vocabulary, look up the word extremity listed in the back matter of the book. Share its meaning within the context of the poem. The book defines the word as a time of hardship.

Repeat the verse and exchange extremity for the words “in bad times”.

Work on morphological markers by talking about its root word, extreme, meaning drastic, unusual, or to a great or high degree of something. Show that by adding the suffix  -ity the word becomes extremity, or an extreme state

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, reread the verse, then reword with the meaning of extremity, as in –

•   Not even in the harshest, most difficult times –

and turn to the next page to finish the meaning of the verse.

Syntax constructions, Drawing inferences, Metaphors

On the last page of the poem, the bird arrives back where the story began, on the tree  branch outside the girl’s window.  Notice the girl’s expression has changed. She now looks at the little bird with a smile on her face, in awe and wonder. The poem’s last line of verse reads –

It asked a crumb – of me.

To work on drawing inferences, talk about how the scene with the girl in the window has changed from the first page where she is shown.

•    Has the girl changed?
•    In what way?
•    What makes you think so?
•    What has changed her?

To work on syntax constructions, scaffold sentence constructions about the girl in the scene. Constructions might include present, past, and future tenses, as well as complex constructions such as –

•   The bird has traveled around the world and still he is singing.

To continue Book Talk about metaphors, discuss that the poem’s meaning that even in the harshest, most difficult times, hope doesn’t ask for anything in return.  It’s just there, singing its song to comfort you.

Also talk about the word crumb. Ask questions about the metaphor, such as –

•    What do little birds eat?
•    How big is a crumb?
•    What does the bird represent? (Hope)
•    What did the poet mean when she wrote that “the thing with feathers” doesn’t ask for a crumb in return? (E.g., Hope does not require anything in order for you to believe in it, even in hard times.)

After the read-aloud, take a look at the back material.

Read the page about the poet, Emily Dickinson. Ask children to express their thoughts about her, such as –

•   What do you think is remarkable about her?
•   What do you think is extraordinary about her poetry?
•   What do you find most interesting about her?

 Sequencing Events

Now go back through the book to review the places the little bird flew over while still singing its song. Start with the first event and sequence what happens in the story using the words first, then, and then, and finally to connect the events and indicate a time sequence in the story.

Metaphors

If your strategy was to wait until the end of the story to begin work on metaphors, after the listener/s gathered meaning from linking words and illustrations, then return now to the beginning page. Discuss how “the thing with feathers”  is used as a comparison to hope, and how storms are used to compare them to the rough times people often go through. Refer to the Metaphors headings for suggested methods.

Articulation of S, Z, and Th

Use the bird’s song, represented by musical notes pictured in every scene, to practice S and Z phoneme at the child’s ability level.

Words with the S phoneme include: sing, sings, singing, stops, song, soul, sweetest, sore, city, must, storm, so, chillest, strangest, sea, extremity, and asked.
Words the Z phoneme in the poem and illustrations include: feathers, sings, perches, umbrellas, words, shovels, music, and musical.

To work on Th voiced phoneme, use the target word feathers, in the title of the book, and then repeatedly at each page during book talk.

If working on carryover of the Th phoneme, review what took place in the story as you support the use of the word then, to link the story parts.

Also use the word though to structure Book Talk about the story’s message, that hope endures even though times are tough, and life presents hardships.

Fluency

This particular poem is considered a lyric poem in ballad meter. This means it has a consistent and predictable rhythm, very good for talking about and building cadence for fluency. When exaggerating the beat as you read each line on a page, it has the effect of steady, predictable pacing.

The lines alternate between iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. This means it alternates between a six-syllable verse and an eight-syllable line.

Rhythm and rate: Demonstrate the rhythm as you tap it out with a pencil or a finger. Have the child repeat the verse on a selected page, then skip a page to read that verse with the same number of beats.  For example, the beats are the same in the following two lines –

That perches in the soul

And never stops – at all –

You can add other techniques when delivering the lines, such as easy onsets and light contacts.

Steady Breath Stream: The initial phoneme H in the word Hope is ideal for demonstrating how to initiate speech on a steady breath stream.  Practice with the title, progressing from the word Hope to saying the entire title on one easy breath stream.

Pausing: The poem is also ideal to teach the natural pause – as pausing is often easier to do in a line of poetic verse. Consider all the ways to pause in the following lines, one 8-syllable line and the other 6-syllables:

I’ve heard it in the chillest land.

That kept so many warm.

Underscore that pausing is natural in poetry, as well as in discourse, to encourage use of more pausing in ongoing speech.

Then move from the easy beat of the verse to giving short picture descriptions using the same natural pausing to build fluency. Include other techniques in the picture descriptions, such as easy starts and light contacts.

Becoming an Effective Communicator: Practicing techniques such as these are important for fluency training, however, fluency is typically not the only goal in stuttering therapy. Learning to be an effective communicator and having self-acceptance of one’s speech, regardless of stuttering, are usually the ultimate goals for these children.

By talking about the story’s depiction of life’s difficult times, we can acknowledge that stuttering has its challenges, and those who stutter may indeed go through rough patches. Despite the stuttering, holding on to a positive belief in yourself, a belief that you can communicate despite the dysfluencies, is like “the thing with feathers” in the poem. Hope is similar to positive thought. It is always there, and it asks nothing of you.

Voice

To work on voice quality, talk about the beautiful sounds that birds make with their songs. Demonstrate production of a musical note as shown in every illustration with steady airflow.  Have the child practice humming, then imitate the sound of the bird at optimum pitch and loudness levels. This can be done throughout the story at every page as the child discovers the bird and the musical notes representing its song.

Continue picture descriptions with optimum pitch and loudness in whatever way the child chooses to describe the scene. Go back to humming the musical notes pictured to get back on track with optimum pitch and loudness levels.

Discussion

As with any good book with a message, Book Talk can center around a children’s perception of the meaning and what is important to them. Open a discussion with a question such as –

•    What do you think the story is saying?
•    Why do you think the bird was able to keep on singing in the storm?
•    How did the girl in the window change from the first picture to the last picture.

Also talk about how hope can be translated to positive thoughts. It’s easy to ‘get down’ and think negatively about something when times get tough.  But when things get stormy, keeping positive thoughts is a lot like “the thing with feathers”.

For children who are more concrete language learners, questions might take the form of first talking about an illustration.

Also consider holding a discussion about those who, sadly, experience the destruction of natural disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes, or perhaps the devastation of war. Go back to the pages showing people cleaning up the debris after a storm. Ask thoughtful questions about how “the thing with feathers” helps them in dealing with the arduous tasks of cleanup and rebuilding. Ask thoughtful questions such as –

• How might these people feel after experiencing the storm?
• What may have happened in the storm?
• What is above them singing a song in the breeze?
• How do it think it makes them feel then?
• What can the people do for themselves and each other when they experience difficult situations?
• Where can they go to find “the thing with feathers”?

 

Extended Activity: Consider the suggested activity found on the last page of the book. Ask children what they would create in a drawing to represent hope.

Or take another concept such as kindness, or love, and create a metaphor for the word.

•    What thing could you draw to compare the word kindness (or another positive, meaningful concept)?
•    What would it look like and what would it do?
•    How would you illustrate it?

The book invites you to share these images on Instagram: @pawprintspublishing

© SoundingYourBest.com. All rights reserved.
___________ # # ____________

See more book treatments like this for picture books of poetry genre in Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition).

You’ll find books ideal for targeting all the skills addressed here and many others in the extensive Skills Index.

Then see the book titles cross-referenced in three age-related Catalogs and discover literally hundreds of book treatments that provide you with methods, prompts, word lists, activities, and loads of ideas!

You’ll find lists of other picture books (easily obtainable in school and public libraries) that cover these topics and a whole lot more in the Topic Explorations Index.

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

Additional Resources:
Books:
See another charmingly illustrated book for young children by the same title, Hope is the Thing with Feathers (Petite Poems), illustrated by Tatyana Feeney, available on Amazon at https://a.co/d/7dKrI6a

The poem can also be found in Hope is the Thing with Feathers: The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. While not illustrated, it is available on Kindle and suitable for older children.

For an online printed poem and summary of the poet, visit Emily Dickinson, “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers” (1891) – Shenandoah

Videos:
See an exquisite one-minute reading of the poem by renowned actress Helena Bonham Carter on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANcQYuUOknc

Another excellent short, animated video of a reading a by British narrator is found at: https://youtu.be/GNlAZ0XVi2Y?feature=shared

Also, Hope is the Thing, a different titled book and story about hope, written by Johanna Bell and illustrated by Erica Wagner, is read by a singer/songwriter at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDPEvo60r1E

Knight Owl
by Christopher Denise
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2022.

Suggested Age and Interest Level: Pre-K through 3 (and beyond depending on the audience)

Awards: Caldecott Honor; ALSC Notable Children’s Book; New York Times Bestseller; Indie Next List Pick; Best Book of the Year: Kirkus Reviews, NPR; Best Children’s Book of the Year: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Washington Post; Best Kids’ Book of the Year: Good Housekeeping

Editions: Hardback, Paperback, Board Book, and eBook

Languages:  English, Chinese, Korean

Topics to Explore: Castles, Dragons, Owls, Friendship, Goal attainment, Long Ago and Far Away, Perspective-taking, Self-esteem

Skills to Build:
Concepts of print
Semantics: Vocabulary, Homonyms, Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms, Metaphors, Adjectives, Prepositions, Associations
Morphological units
Grammar and syntax: Two-and-three-word utterances; Pronouns, Plural forms of nouns, Present progressive tense structures, Past tense structures, future tense, Conditional tense, Negative structures, Advanced syntactic structures
Language literacy (a.k.a. Language discourse): Predicting events, Problem solving, Drawing inferences, Verbal expression, Compare and contrast
Social Pragmatics: Making friends, Finding commonality, Topic initiation, Turn-taking,
Articulation: Phonemes W, S, Sh, Ch, and J
Fluency
Voice
Executive Functions: Initiation, Planning and Sequencing steps, and Flexibility

Synopsis: Little Owl yearns to be a brave and fearless knight. Everything he does is focused on knights. He reads about them, plays with wooden knights, even dreams about knights slaying dragons. Then he learns that real knights are going missing from his medieval town, so he applies to Knight School and is accepted. But training isn’t easy. Swords and shields are heavy, and training is a lot of work. After he graduates “with honor” his assignment is guarding the castle walls on Knight Night Watch. Then….Whooosh! He’s put to the test when he encounters an enormous dragon. Little Knight Owl not only shows his bravery, but with some clever thinking (which includes a pizza and good diplomacy) he turns the fearsome dragon into his friend. Then see what bravery and good social communication help to achieve in the form of new friends and peace in this medieval town.

Methods:

Before the read-aloud, present the book’s cover, read the title and author, and ask children to describe what they see. Scaffold utterances and fill in information about the medieval days of great castles and dragons.

Vocabulary, Present tense constructions

Discuss some of the vocabulary of the era to give more meaning to the story. For example, ask –

• What is a knight? (e.g., a horseback warrior, a warrior of the old days; soldier on horseback, rides on horseback, defends his country; wears armor, appointed by the king, and so on)
• What kind of person is a knight?  (e.g., brave, clever, behaves in a noble way, chivalrous, and so on)
• What does a knight do? (e.g., fights in battles, rides horses that are also in armor)
• Where do knights live? (e.g., in or near castles)

Introduce the main character and encourage descriptions. For example, ask –

• What kind of creature is in knight’s armor?
• How would you describe this owl?

Descriptions can also include his dress and what he holds, such as –

• Lance – very long wooden shaft with a pointed blade at the end, could be up to 12 feet. In today’s time called a spear.
• Helmet – metal protection for the head and face.
• Armor – weighed as much as 55 lbs., the average weight of 7-year old
• Shield – had family’s coat of arms

Then use the words in sentences to describe the scene. For example –

• Little Owl is dressed in armor.
• Owl wears a (warrior’s) helmet.
• Little Owl holds a lance (with his wing).

Homonyms, Vocabulary

Point out the homonyms knight and night both illustrated on the cover. Ask –

• What word sounds the same as knight but means something else?

Scaffold language at the child’s ability level using vocabulary within the context of the story. For example –

• What could you say about the knight on the book’s cover?
• What could you say about the night (time of day) on cover?

Include more talk about the setting to include words such as –

• Castle (fortified building, to protect it from invasion)
• Turret (a circular tower at the top of the castle)
• Battlements (architecture at the top of a castle built with low walls between head-height walls to serve as looking-out places)
• Ramparts (walls that surround a castle)

Then point out the creature flying overheard, the dragon barely seen in the night sky, foreshadowing events to come.

Concepts of Print

To help younger children develop print awareness, read the title as you run your finger under the words in the direction in which they are read. Explain that it is talk written down. Ask children to be on the lookout for those words again on an upcoming page.

More Vocabulary

Turn to the inside cover. Show the pattern in Old English design, called a family’s –

• heraldry.

Talk about symbols, objects used to stand for something else. Show the dragon and talk about how its use in heraldry means it represents –

• power
• strength
• courage, and
• ability to overcome challenges.

There is also the knight’s helmet, a symbol for his

• power,
• strength,
• valor, and
• might.

Ask children to identify the dragon and the helmet. Ask what they think each represents. What might each of these objects stand for?

Interesting Fact: While not shown in the story, owls are actually pictured on family heraldry.  They represent vigilance and wit.

 

During the read-aloud, scaffold targeted structures using the illustrations to point out details that support the story’s meaning.

Concepts of Print

On the inside title page, see Owl inside his home in the tree. See if children spot the words of the title as they appeared on the cover. Ask them what they say.

Describe Owl reading his book on knights. Point out the poster on the wall with the word, Knighthood, printed at the top. Share that they will see another poster in the story, tacked on walls showing the same word, Knighthood. Ask children to be on the lookout for it as you turn each page to see if they can tell you what it says.

Vocabulary, Two- and three-word utterances

On the inside title page, see Owl in his home in the tree. It’s a visual feast for describing all things Knighthood.  First talk about the setting.

• Does it take place in today’s time or long ago?
• Where do owls live? Sleep? Read?

Then talk about the little owl’s fascination with knights. Point out some of the paraphernalia he has collected. Include the following vocabulary to describe the scene:

• Posters
• Books
• Book on knights
• Armored knights
• Toy dragon
• Shield
• Wooden toys
• Wooden horse
• Drawings
• Sword
• Lance (Spear)

Ask children what they know about Owl. For example –

•           Is he big or little?
•          What does he like to do?  (read)
•          How does Owl know so much about knights?  (He reads.)
•          What is he interested in? (Knights.)

Scaffold early utterances using words, such as –

• Owl likes _________ (e.g., books, knights, posters, etc.).
• Owl reads ________ (e.g., about knights)
• Owl plays with _________ (e.g., dragons, swords, etc.)

Concepts of print:

Ask children to tell you what he is doing and to describe the book he is reading and what it’s about.

Verbal Expression

On a page turn, the text reads  –

Since the day he hatched,

Owl had one wish.

Clearly little Owl, dressed in his makeshift armor made from pots and pans and kitchen utensils, wishes to be a warrior.

To support verbal expression and story comprehension, ask questions that will draw  such as –

•  What is he pretending with the spoon in his hand?
•  What is belted across his chest?

Present tense constructions, Drawing inferences

To work on present tense structures, enjoy describing the unique happenings inside owl’s family home. Mama prepares a delicious platter of little mice for supper. Papa peers over his newspaper to observe Little Owl in his costume.

A closer look at papa owl’s paper, The Olden Times, reveals articles “Record Number of Knights Have Gone Missing” printed on the front page and “Report of Dragon Sightings” on the back page.   Infer what may be going on.

Verbs with which to craft sentences with various tense structures include –

• holding a tray of mice
• preparing a meal
• reading his newspaper
• sitting in his chair
• acting out being a knight
• playing his game of knights
• looking over his newspaper

Pronouns, Prepositions

Support pronoun (personal and possessive) usage with phrases include –

• She is preparing a tray of mice.
• She is looking at her little owl.
• He (little owl) is looking at his mama.
• He (Papa) is reading his newspaper.
• They are getting ready for their dinner.

Work on prepositions as you describe little owl’s makeshift costume, including prepositional phases such as –

•          …pan on his head for a helmet
•          …baking sheet belted across his waist for armor
•          …wooden spoon in his hand for a sword

Drawing inferences, Predicting events

Work on inferencing about what owl’s wish might be. Then ask for predictions about what might happen in the story.

Scaffold early utterances by setting up the beginning of a sentence, as in –

• Owl wants to be _________ (e.g., a knight).
• Owl is going to __________(e.g., be a knight)
• His wish is ______ (e.g., to be a knight).

Verbal expression, More vocabulary, Adjectives

On the next page turn, see the fearsome knights on their horses, both covered in armor. They loom large in the forest passing by the tiny Owl. Ask thoughtful questions about the scene, such a –

• What do you think Owl likes about them?
• What kind a person is a knight? (Strong, brave, powerful, etc.)

Marvel over the exceptional illustration of medieval knights in their plate armor. The artist gives us the details, inspiring a sense of awe in the craftsmanship and the imposing figures it creates.

Provide added background information about the setting of the story. Talk about armor used for by knights and their horses long ago. Some highlights include –

• Armor was forged from steel.
• It was made by armoursmiths or armorers.
• They were talented craftsmen.
• Today they are called Blacksmiths.
• They cut the steel into patterns for each body part.
• They heated the metal in firepits until it was pliable enough to form the shapes.
• Plate Armor now considered an historical art form.

Describe the knights using words already discussed from the title page along with others, including –

• Protective gear
• Lance (Spear)
• Helmet
• Armor
• Sword
• Metal
• Castle
• Forest
• Horse
• Strong
• Brave

Point out the flag carried by a knight with the castle seen in the background.

Tense structures (including conditional tense), Prepositions

On a page turn, see owl in his bed before sleep with fantasies of knighthood illustrated within the outline of the hollow in the tree. The text reads –

• Every morning before he drifted off to sleep,
• he imagined himself as a real knight.
• He would be brave. He would be clever.
• And he would have many friends.

It’s a good page to absorb meaning with all sorts of Book Talk as it gives insight into the story. After the read-aloud the child can come back to the page and sequence the events of how little owl’s dreams of knighthood materialized.

To work on present tense structures and prepositional phrases, describe what’s taking place in Owl’s imagination as you scaffold sentences such as-

• Knights are standing at the top of the turret.
• The dragon breathes fire at the knight.
• The knight lifts his sword toward the dragon.
• The dragon gets captured inside a net.
• The dragon is carried off in the wooden catapult machine.
• The knights sit inside the tent.
• They eat pizza together and celebrate at the table.

To work on conditional tense, encourage repetition of the text as you ask, for example –

• Q: What would he be if he were a knight?
• A: He would be brave.
• Q: What else would he be?
• A: He would be clever.

Then scaffold sentences with would to express an imaginary scenario like that of the little owl’s. For example –

•   Q: What kind of knight would you be?
•   A: I would be _________ (e.g., brave, clever, mighty, etc.)

Expand to sentences that require responses in first person, such as –

•   Q: What would you do if you were a knight?
•   A: I would ________ (slay a dragon, have lots of friends, live in a castle, and so on).

Compare and contrast

To continue working on story meaning, ask why the owl would go to bed on the morning – before going to sleep. Once established that owls are nocturnal (i.e., active at night and sleep during the day), compare owls to other birds and creatures in nature. For example, ask –

•          How are an owl and an eagle alike? (E.g., Both are birds, both fly, etc.)
•          How are an owl and an eagle different? (E.g., Owls fly at night, eagles, sea gulls, and crows fly during the day.)
•          How are an owl and a bat alike? (E.g., they both fly at night)
•          How are an owl and a bat different? (E.g., An owl is a bird, and a bat is a mammal)
•          How are owls like other birds? (E.g., Eagles, sea gulls, and crows fly during the day.)
•          How are an owl’s sounds different demo other birds? (E.g., Owls make a “whoooo” sound; Crows say, “caw, caw”;  Eagles make screeching sounds

Concepts of print, Vocabulary

On the next three page turns, Owl turns his dream into reality. First, he sees a notice tacked to the palace wall and discovers that –

Knights began disappearing from the castle.

To work on concepts of print, show how the sign is similar to his poster on the first page of the story. Point out that the word Knighthood is written the same way on both signs.

To work on vocabulary, talk about the word disappearing. Ask, for example –

•          What was happening?
•          How could a knight disappear?

Note: see under Morphological units heading below to work on the word parts of disappearing.

Since we saw Owl reading his book at the beginning of the story, we can assume he can read the sign on the wall. Owl understands that the palace needs knights – because many had disappeared. The sign states –

 Live a life of honor and adventure.

Talk about the word honor, (i.e., to hold in high regard, a quality that gives one respect). Then help children use the word in a sentence. For example,

•          Owl was always truthful to his friends, so they said he had honor.

Verbal expression, Idioms

Next, see Owl enrolled in “Knight” School, working arduously toward his goal. Support language structures as children express how he had a “tough time with the sword,” and heavy shield.

Help children develop an understanding of words having a figurative meaning as when the story states –

And he had a habit of nodding off during the day.

Discuss the meaning of the idiom “nodding off” (i.e., someone falls asleep during an activity) and ask why it was hard for Owl to stay awake during the day.

Prepositions

On the next two page turns, see the little owl, now a real knight, assigned to his first job of guarding the castle at the battlements. Support language that describes him and what he does, including the use of prepositions, such as –

• …watching out over the castle
• …standing with lance in hand
• …looking out from the castle.
• …looking out underneath the stars.
• …guarding the castle at night.
• …standing on a ladder to see over the top of the wall

Vocabulary, Associations

Use vocabulary that describes the parts of the castle such as –

•          -Tower (could be a storehouse for precious things)
•          -Turret
•          -Rampart
•          -Courtyard (at ground level)

Note:  See definitions under previous section, Before the read-aloud.

Use vocabulary typically associated with castles such as –

•          Fortified
•          Defense (castles were defense posts against enemy intruders)
•          Defense features (e.g., a moat, a wide body of water difficult to cross)
•          Battlement
•          Tiny windows (difficult for attackers to get through them)
•          Towers made of stone (stronger material )
•          Machines such as a catapult (to fling rocks etc. into castles during warfare.

Use vocabulary to describe the features of a castle:

•          High height
•          Strong
•          Protected with a moat and small windows
•          Chivalry (i.e., rules for everyday life, including manners and how to treat others)

Use vocabulary to describe the function of a castle:

• Homes for kings, queens, princes, princesses, lords and ladies
• Housed part of an army that went to war
• Housed a squire (a lord’s attendant who trained to be a knight)
• Housed servants (people who helped them)

Synonyms, Antonyms, Adjectives, Perspective-taking

On the next two page turns, see Owl’s huge eyes widen further when he hears a strange “Whoosh” in the night.

Then see him from another perspective, from the ground looking up at the top battlements against the starry, night sky, adding more meaning to his presence in the story.

To work on synonyms, antonyms and adjectives, play with the frequently used words in the story, linking them with other words such as  –

• Little, tiny (owl)
• Big (castle, night sky)

 

• Dark (sky)
• Light or bright (stars)

 

• Tall (castle walls, spear)
• Short (little owl)

 

• Wide (owl’s eyes)
• Narrow (opening in the helmet or armo

• Quiet (no sound at night on top of castle walls)
• Loud (sudden “whoosh” or flapping sounds in the night)

• Brave
• Scared

Advanced syntactic structures, Adjectives, Synonyms

On a page turn, see an immense dragon’s face bearing down on little Owl, his lance extended. The story says he is afraid, while he says bravely-

I am an owl and I am a knight of the Night Watch

Use the pages to talk about both the dragon and Owl in complex sentences.  Some starters to complete –

• Owl is scared of the dragon, but _______ (he is brave).
• The dragon said he is hungry and _______ (little Owl is scared).
• Little Owl is now a knight so he _______ (puffs out his feathers to be brave).

Continue to use the next two pages to talk about the dragon, far bigger than the castle walls, peering down at little Owl. To work on synonyms and adjectives, ask –

• What’s another word to describe the dragon?

Suggestions include –

• Big
• Huge
• Enormous
• Scary
• Intimidating

Drawing Inferences, Problem solving

On the next few page turns, see the owl use his cleverness, like that of characters in trickster tales, to convince the dragon he’d like something else for a tasty treat. Ask questions that support understanding, such as –

•          Does Owl ask the dragon not to eat him?
•          Does he show he’s scared?
•          What does he say to convince the dragon not to eat him?

• What is Owl’s problem?
• How did he prevent the dragon from turning him into a “midnight snack”?
• Why didn’t Owl use his lance to defend himself against the dragon?
• What was Owl’s solution?
• Why was offering the dragon a “tastier snack” such as a pizza a great idea?
• What other ways did Owl solve the problem?
• How did he make the dragon a friend? (e.g., finding what they had in common)

More Drawing inferences, Vocabulary

On a page turn, see Owl now strolling the castle battlements, looking happy and carefree. The text reads –

The following week, not a single knight disappeared.

Or the week after that.

To work on inferencing, first ask children to recall how knights were going missing at the beginning of the story. Also recall the sign on the castle wall, recruiting for knight school.

Then ask questions to help children draw inferences about the meaning of the story. Some suggestions –

•          I wonder why no more knights went missing?
•          What might have been happening to the knights?

The text continues  –

And every night, Owl patrolled the walls.

It was dark and very, very quiet.

But Owl didn’t mind, because he was brave,

and he was clever…

To work on vocabulary, review the meaning of the words patrolled the walls. Explain that officials, just like our present day guards such as policeman, patrol as they walk around a certain area. They observe and watch an area closely to keep it safe.

Use the word in a sentence such as –

•          Owl patrolled the area around the castle walls.
•          When Owl stood at the battlements, he was patrolling the area.

Continue working on drawing inferences by asking questions such as –

• Why didn’t Owl mind any more that it was dark and quiet on Knight Night Watch?
• Why is Owl looking happy now?

Social Pragmatics

On the last page, see Owl, now surrounded by his friends, big knights in body armor, a fearsome dragon, and his little dragons. Talk about how this came to be.

To work on using language effectively in social contexts, including making friends, finding commonality, and topic initiation, and turn-taking, consider beginning a discussion with questions such as –

• How could a dreaded foe and little armored knight come together and talk around a fire pit?
• What did Owl do to help everyone come together and be friends?
• What are some of the ways he might have gotten everyone to participate in a conversation?

Answers may include –

• Talking about what you have in common (such as the types of pizza you like, how they all once hatched from eggs, how being able to fly is hard to explain, and so on)
• Initiating a topic, like what it’s like to fly around a castle at night
• Taking turns in the discussion, such as letting someone else talk after you and join and share their opinions. Noticing someone hasn’t gotten a chance to express, for example, their favorite pizza
• Inviting all into the conversation, by asking what kind of pizza they liked

Articulation

 The text is heavily loaded with sibilants S, SH, CH, and J. Work at the child’s acquired ability level encouraging Book Talk throughout the story.

Words in the story with phoneme S: sleep, disappearing, castle, school, surprise, accepted, excellent, student, himself since, sword, smallest, assigned , strange, sound, sounded, knights, snack, something tastier, pizza, instead, explain.

Additional words found in the illustrations: stars, poster, mice, horses, books, stool, enormous, squires, roasted.

Words in the story containing Sh: wish, shield, whoosh (repeating)

Additional words found in the illustrations: swish (dragon’s tail)

Words in the story containing Ch: hatched (repeating), watch (repeating)

Additional words from the illustrations:  chair, adventure

Words in the story containing J:  imagined, just, graduated, graduation, job, huge,

Additional words found in the illustrations: soldier

The text also provides excellent opportunities for working on lip rounding and the production of phoneme W.  Consider using the frequently appearing words Whoosh and Whoooo.

Other words containing W in the story: wish, owl, work, worked, watch (Knight Watch) would (be brave, clever, etc.) wings, and week.

After the read aloud, go back to revisit places in the story that provide for added meaning and work on additional communication objectives.

More homonyms

Much of the charming and humorous word play may go unrealized on a younger audience, or those children who need added language support. You can easily use Book Talk to create better understanding and build vocabulary and sentence structure at the same time.

Review the earlier heading for work on homonyms –

•    Night
•    Knight

Draw attention to night in terms of how it is related to the owl by asking questions such as –

•    When are owls awake?  (Note: also use the word nocturnal in describing owls’ habits)
•    When do they typically sleep?
•    What does little Owl in the story want to become?

In order to become a knight, Owl had to go to Knight school. Knight and night sound the same. Ask children to give a definition of each.

Then ask children about more word plays such as –

•    When the story reads, Knight Night Watch, what does that sound like?  (Night-night Watch)
•    When else do we say Night-Night?

Can you think of another meaning for the word watch?

Metaphors

Another way to use the words night owl is in a metaphor. Talk about the use of metaphors in stories and in conversation. Explain that is a word or phrase that compares two things to one another in order to give added meaning to the first word. So, if we say the librarian is a night owl, we compare a librarian to an owl because she stays up all night, reading her favorite books.

In another example, if the mailman is an early bird, the expression is also a metaphor for the person who likes to wake up early in the morning.

Morphological units

Disappearing knights certainly would raise concern inside the palace walls. This lengthy, multisyllabic word describes a serious dilemma. But is it understood sufficiently?

Revisit the illustration of the poster on the palace wall and the text that states –

Knights began disappearing from the castle.

Discuss the meaning of disappear. Give synonyms, such as –

• No longer seen anywhere
• Doesn’t show up for dinner
• Doesn’t ride their horses
• Suddenly gone.
• Vanished.

Break up the word into syllables –

•      Dis – a -ppear – ing

Break up the word into its meaning parts –

•    Dis- appear – ing

Define the root word, appear. For example –

•    When you walk into the classroom you appear in the room.

Add the prefix dis- to make

•    Dis – appear

Explain that dis– in front of a word means the opposite of.

• It means not appear, as in –
• The knight did not appear.
• The knight disappeared.
• They didn’t arrive.
• It wasn’t around.
• Where did they go?

Brainstorm words beginning with dis– to show it changes the root word to mean the opposite of.  For example –

• dis- like
• dis – believe
• dis – honest
• dis – appoint
• dis – connect
• dis – continue
• dis – agreement
• dis – organized

and so on.

Problem solving

Review the pages where papa owl’s newspaper tells of the events going on the medieval town, as in knights going missing and dragon sightings increasing.

Turn to the page with the sign posted on the palace wall announcing applications for Knight school. Draw more inferences. Then talk about the problem in the story.

•          What is going on in this medieval town?
•          What does it mean when the story says, “knights began disappearing from the castle”?
•          Why do they need to advertise for applications for knight training?
•          How will this solve the problem?

Fluency

To work on fluency techniques such as easy start and speaking on a steady breath stream, return to pages showing Owl at knight school. Review the kinds of things that were tough for Owl to learn, such as –

•          lifting the sword,
•          holding on to the shield, and
•          staying awake during the day.

Have the child take the part of the narrator and begin a sentence with good breath support at the initiation of the first word, He.

First repeat the text, modeling the technique at the initiation of the sentence-

He was an excellent student

Then retell the story that even though Owl was a good student, things we are tough. Point to the pictures as the child starts each with He, such as –

• ….He ______ (e.g., couldn’t lift the sword).
• ….He  ______ (e.g., couldn’t hold on to the shield).
• ….He _______ (e.g., couldn’t keep awake during the day).

Also turn to the page where the dragon appears. While this dragon is not shown breathing fire, we can guess that it knows how. Since dragons that breath fire have got breath support, we can assume they use it when speaking, too. Ask the child to repeat words of the text with easy start and plenty of breath, as in repeating –

“Whooo, me?” said a deep voice.

Then take the part of Owl in the next line that reads –

“Who you?” asked Owl.

While practicing techniques is important, fluency isn’t usually the end goal in therapy. Learning to be an effective communicator and having self-acceptance are the ultimate goals for these children.

By talking about Owl’s disadvantages on entering knight school, such as his size and difficulty with tasks, you can segue to the child’s own self-acceptance. We are not perfect human beings any more than Owl was perfectly suited to be a knight. He had great disadvantages in being able to perform the tasks of a knight. But not only did Owl graduate with honors, he was successful because he believed in himself and could communicate an important message.

Ask the child –

     In what way was Owl an effective communicator?

•          He didn’t avoid speaking to the scary dragon.
•          He talked the dragon into a pizza instead of himself as a snack.
•          He talked about things they had in common.

Disregarding any disfluencies in the message, ask the child if the communication was effective.

•          What makes you think so?
•          What were you able to communicate?
•          Did I understand what you were communicating?

Voice

To work on voice quality, talk about the beautiful sounds that owls make in the night. Demonstrate production of an owl’s whoooinitiating the sound with steady airflow.  Have the child imitate the sound at optimum pitch and loudness levels throughout the story at intervals when Owl would likely utter the sound.

Then, when the dragon enters the story, Owl hears the sounds of –

Whoosh!!

And calls out-

“Whooooo”

The pages are ideal for demonstration and production of vocal techniques such as optimum pitch and loudness levels..

Use the features of Owl’s surrounding environment to extend the utterance maintaining good vocal techniques in sentences such as –

• Whooosh in the night.
• Whoosh went the dragon.
• Whoosh, whoosh, went the big dragon’s wings.
• Whooo is there?
• Whooo is making the sound?
• Whoo is that in the night?

Continue in whatever way the child chooses to describe the scene.

Executive Functions

Owl wanted to be a knight. Not only did Owl become a knight against seemingly impossible odds, he became a heroic knight! How did he do that? It didn’t just happen. It wasn’t just given to him. It took planning and hard work.

Revisit the pages showing Owl dreaming, initiating, planning, and sequencing steps toward his goal.

• What were Owl’s first steps in realizing his goal to become a knight? (e.g., reading about knights, learning about knights by getting involved with all things knights, dreaming and imagining himself as brave like a knight, and so on.)

Owl did not just wish and hope one day he would become a knight. He took an opportunity that many owls wouldn’t have even considered!

• What made Owl think he could enroll in Knight School when he saw the sign on the palace wall? (e.g., he believed in himself, he was knowledgeable about knights from what he read in his books, he knew what it would take, and so on.)
• What would he have had to do in order to apply?
• What plans did he have to put in place? (e.g., fill out an application, write about why he wanted to become a knight, give an interview, and so on.)

Th story says –

Owl was an excellent student.

It also shows that knight school wasn’t easy for him, by any means.

• What are some of the things that Owl had to do that were hard for him? (e.g., learning to use a sword, lifting a big shield as he was small, and staying awake during the day when he was used to sleeping during the day – because he was an owl!)
• How did he persist in his goal? (e.g., “he worked and worked” at what he had to do, he kept at it, etc.)

To work on flexibility, talk about Owl’s realization of his responsibilities on his job and how they changed when he met his challenge.

•          How did he change his perception of guarding the castle with just a lance when he met the dragon?
•          How did he show flexible thinking when he used his negotiation skills?
•          How did he show flexibility when he talked to the dragon about their commonalities?

Ask children what is involved with making judgments and flexible thinking.  For example, you might ask –

•          How did Owl talk to the dragon in a way that made him a friend?
•          Did Owl change his perception of what needed to be done?
•          How might he have talked his way through needing to change direction?

The Knight Owl shows us that we can realize our goals with focus, hard work, and often flexibility. He also shows us that the rewards of doing that are great.

© SoundingYourBest.com. All rights reserved.
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Special Note:

You’ll find other popular picture books that cover this book’s topics, such as castles and dragons under the heading Long Ago and Far Away, and more books under Friendship, Perspective-taking, Self-esteem, and a whole lot more in the Topic Explorations Index of Books Are for Talking, Too! (4th Edition).

See listings for literally hundreds of popular books ideal for targeting skills like those addressed here, and lots more in the extensive Skills Index of Books Are for Talking, Too! (4th Edition). Then find the book titles cross-referenced in three age-related Catalogs and discover book treatments that provide you with methods, prompts, word lists, activities, and loads of ideas!

All in one resource!

Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition)

~ Engaging children in the language of stories since 1990 ~

Find  it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/efcKFw6

Additional resources:

Books:
Knights in Shining Armor by Gale Gibbos. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1998.
Castles and Knights by Rupert Matthews. London: DK Readers, 2016
Check out the equally delightful sequel, Knight Owl and Early Birdy.

Extended Activities:
National Geographic Kids Knights and Castles Sticker Activity Book available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/diYOGuC

Find paper activities connected to Knight Owl on the Teachers Pay Teachers website: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse?search=knight%20owl

Video:
Watch an excellent, very entertaining read-aloud of the book on Booktopia Storytime by a fantastic UK narrator at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5RBI9qasE

Love is My Favorite Thing
by Emma Chichester Clark
New York: The Penguin Group, 2015.

Suggested Grade and Interest Level: Pre-K through 3

Other editions: Paperback, E-book, and Kindle

Topics to Explore: Community, Dogs, Feelings and emotions, Family, Kindness and empathy, Perspective-taking

Skills to Build:
Concepts of print
Vocabulary: Adjectives, Synonyms, Prepositions, Categories
Morphological markers (Suffixes)
Grammar and syntax: Early utterances, Noun + verb agreement, Tense structures, Negative structures,  Complex sentence structures
Language literacy (a.k.a., Language discourse): Relating personal experiences, Predicting, Cause-and-effect relationships, Answering Why questions, Point of view, Compare and contrast, Discussion
Pragmatic language: Being a friend, Conversational skills
Articulation: F, L, and L-blend phonemes
Fluency
Voice
Phonological Awareness: Initial sound awareness level

Synopsis: A humorous page-turner about a lovable little dog named Plum who tells us about all her favorite things, like her bed, treats, stuffed bear, and all kinds of weather (except rain, that is). She also acknowledges that every now and then, like most dogs, she “just can’t help it” and her behavior gets her in a lot of trouble. But no matter what naughtiness Plummie is caught doing, or how many times she finds herself “in the doghouse”, her family still loves her. And that’s why Love is her most favorite thing!

Methods:

Before the read-aloud, indicate that you want to share a book about a very fortunate dog that has a good life and does a lot of talking about the things she loves. But like most dogs, no matter how well trained, sometimes she just can’t help misbehaving.

Predictions, Relating personal experiences

After your introduction and before showing the cover, ask –

• Can you guess what might be this dog’s favorite thing?

Encourage predictions. If children have experience with their own family dogs, encourage them to relate some of their dog’s favorite things, like toys, treats, and outings.

Scaffold utterances if needed by setting up the beginning of a sentence, as in –

• My dog’s favorite thing is __________.

Respond and build on the language of all predictions, then show the cover, saying that this dog says –

Love is My Favorite Thing

 Concepts of Print

To help younger children develop print awareness, run your finger under the words of the title in the direction in which they are read. Point out that the word Love is written in red, the same color as the hearts.

Share that the word will show up throughout the story many times. Ask children to be on the lookout for the word as you turn each page of the book.

Note: You may also wish to point out the words in the dialog balloons that appear on the page where Emma takes Plummie to the park. You can share that Emma’s words are written inside the bubble for us to read and know what she is saying.

 

During the read-aloud, encourage participation, beginning with the first page when the little dog tells the reader that her name is –

….Plum, but I love being called Plummie.

Adjectives

Point out the illustration of Plummie with her big, round, innocent eyes and invite talk that describes her. For example, ask –

• What might Plummie be like to play with? (i.e., fun, cute, lovable, frisky, etc.)
• How would you describe Plummie? (e.g., smart, good, happy, small, black, shaggy-haired, curious, alert, well-behaved, mischievous, etc.)

Then use the adjective in a sentence connecting it to the dog. For example,

• Plum is a _______ (shaggy-haired) dog.
• Plummie looks like a _____ (fun) dog (to play with).

 Grammar and syntax

On the next three page turns, see what Plummie has to say about the things she loves, all of which are illustrated and provide opportunities to support various language skills.

To work on early utterances, use of the repetitive words of the text, “I love….” to encourage repetition of a target structure.  For example, point to the illustration and say, “Plummie says…….”

• I love snow.
• I love treats.
• I love sticks.

and so on.

To work on noun-verb agreement, change the subject to Plummie and encourage children to tell what the dog loves as you point to the illustration. For example –

• (She) Plummie loves snow.
• (She) Plummie loves treats.
• (She) Plummie loves sticks.

Then change the subject from singular to plural to demonstrate the corresponding change in the verb, as in –

• Emma and Rupert love Plummie
• Sam loves Plummie
• Sam and Gracie love Plummie.
• Gracie loves Plummie.

To work on tense structures, model a strategy to use when describing the action in the illustration. Each little scene supports the text. As you read each thing that Plummie loves doing, ask –

• What is she doing?

to elicit responses such as –

• She is rolling over (in her bed)
• She is catching a frisbee
• She is playing (with Sam and Gracie).

To work on complex sentence structure, connect what she loves with the action taking place. For instance, ask –

• How can we tell she loves… (e.g., her bed, the snow, Sam and Gracie, etc.)?

and then scaffold responses such as –

• I think she loves her bed because she’s rolling around in it.
• I can tell she loves snow because she’s jumping into it.
• She loves Sam and Gracie because they play ball with her.

and so on.

Cause-and-effect relationships, More Grammar and syntax

On the next two page turns, see Plummie’s walk in the park go awry – for Emma that is.  Plummie dashes through the opening in the fence to chase after her friend, Rocket. They run directly into the pond, despite Emma’s strong command not to.

To work on cause-and-effect relationships, ask children what caused Plummie to run through the fence after Rocket, despite Emma’s stern warning. Scaffold sentences with connector words so and because to help construct target sentence formations. For example, ask – 

• What made Plummie run off into the pond?

to elicit responses such as –

• Plummie saw Rocket so she ran after her friend.
• Plummie likes water so she ran into the pond (with Rocket).
• Plummie ran into the pond because she saw Rocket do it.

Answering Why questions

Once children can construct sentences with cause-and-effect relationships, state your question another way, asking why Plummie ran off into the pond. Continue scaffolding the use of connector words because and so in shaping sentences.  For example, ask –

• Why did Plummie chase after Rocket?

to elicit responses such as –

• Plummie chased after Rocket so she could go play with him.
• Plummie chased after Rocket because she wanted to go into the pond.

or ask –

• Why did Plummie run into the pond?

to elicit responses such as –

• Plummie ran into the pond so she could play with Rocket.
• Plummie jumped in the pond because water is one of her favorite things.

or ask –

• Why didn’t Plummie listen to Emma?

to elicit responses such as –

• Plummie didn’t listen to Emma because she wanted to play in the pond.
• Plummie didn’t mind Emma because she just couldn’t help it.

More Cause-and-effect relationships, Complex sentence constructions

In the next episode, Plummie starts out wanting to show her appreciation to Sam and Gracie for their support and understanding. The text reads –

I ran to find them a present but . . .

. . . I only found a cushion.

When Gracie tried to take it . . .

Yes, you guessed it! A Tug-of war ensues. After all, that game is one of Plummie’s favorite things, and she “just can’t help it” when she sinks her teeth firmly into the cushion, tugging it away from Gracie.

The 2-page spread of the cushion’s feathers flying everywhere as Sam and Gracie tumble backward provides an opportunity for children to explain what is transpiring in their own words.

Encourage and scaffold constructions that express the cause-and-effect relationship in the scenario. For example, ask –

• What happened? Why did the pillow come apart all over the room?

to elicit responses such as –

• Plummie kept tugging on the cushion because she just couldn’t help it.
• Plummie wouldn’t let go of the cushion so it ripped open.

Or ask –

• What made the stuffing fly out all over the room?

for responses such as –

• All the feathers came out of the pillow because Plummie wouldn’t let go of it.
• The cushion ripped open, and the feathers flew all over the room.

Predicting

In the next episode, Plummie returns to the park with Emma. This time Plummie eyes a little girl’s ice cream cone. Emma warns Plummie the ice cream cone is not for her, but based on Plummie’s prior actions, kids can readily predict what’s coming.

After asking what might happen next and a page turn that validates children’s’ predictions, consider asking –

•  What made you think Plummie was going to run off with the girl’s ice cream cone?

Children will enjoy drawing connections between former episodes, when Plummie “just couldn’t help herself”, to the new scenario where expectations are no different.

Point of view, Perspective-taking

On the last two page turns, Plummie reassures Emma and Rupert that she will be on her best behavior from now on, saying –

I can do that,

I REALLY CAN TRY!

Then see her on the last page looking out the window from the top of the couch she’s climbed up on. See it cluttered with debris she knocked off the coffee table, along with her paw prints all over the couch.

By now, we know Plummie isn’t always the well-behaved dog she intends to be, but she knows one thing for sure. No matter how many mistakes she makes, no matter how many times she forgets, she will always be loved – no matter what!  And she LOVES that!

To work on point of view and perspective-taking (from a conceptual standpoint), ask questions such as –

• Who is telling the story in this book?
• How is this different than if Emma had told the story?
• What words in the text tell us that we are understanding her behavior, thoughts, and feelings from Plummie’s point of view?

Answers may include Plummie saying –

• I made a big mistake.
• Do you still love me?
• I can really try.

Ask questions that require perspective-taking from all characters’ point of view, such as –

• How do we feel about Plummie when we know her thoughts and feelings?
• How might we feel about her if we didn’t know the story from her point of view?
• When she says “I just couldn’t help it”, how does this help us understand how she feels about what she did?
• Can we also understand Emma’s frustration with Plummie?

Compare and contrast

Compare the story’s point of view to that of a conventional story. Ask questions and scaffold answers that compare how the story would be different depending on each storyteller’s point of view.  Suggestions include  –

• How would the story have been different if only Emma had told the story?
• Would we know how Plummie really feels?
• Would we know that she meant well, and that because she is a doggie, she just couldn’t help it?
• In what ways would each of their stories be alike, despite their point of view?

Discussion, Social Pragmatics, Perspective-taking

Because the main character in the story can speak, it’s an opportunity for us to reflect on the ways she chooses to communicate. Of course, we know that dogs don’t talk in real life and we can’t know what they are thinking. But if we know them well, we might think we have a pretty good idea.

To work on social pragmatics, consider the important role Plummie’s communication played in the story. Would we feel differently about her if she hadn’t told us that she tries to do her best? Do we understand her better when she says, “I just couldn’t help it” and “I do try to behave.”?

Talk about how being a friend can require all kinds of ways of communicating in conversation. It often requires seeing things from another’s point of view. Discuss why this is a good thing. Some prompts might include –

• Why is it important to be able to explain a situation from our own point of view?
• Why is it important to be able to understand a situation for another’s point of view?
• Why is it important to be able to say, “I’m sorry”?
• Why is it important to be able to say what we intend to do in the future?

 

After the read-aloud, revisit the pages of the story and continue Book Talk as you work to build one or more of the following skills:

Categories

To work on categorization skills within the context of the story, begin by restating that Plummie’s favorite thing is love. Because Plummie can readily tell us all her other favorite things, it’s easy to place them in a “Plummie’s Favorites” category.

First ask children to recall some of “Plummie’s Favorites”. Then revisit the illustrations and add more, such as –

• her bed
• her bear
• the sun

and so on.

After you have a good list, ask what category those things belong in. For example –

• They’re all called _________. (Plummie’s favorite things)

Once you have worked on the isolated skill of itemizing and listing, connect the words using more language about the story, creating phrases by asking what Plummie likes doing. For example –

One of Plummie’s favorite things is ….

• …lying in her bed.
• …rolling over in the sun.
• …carrying sticks.
• …playing with Sam and Gracie.
• …being with her family.
• …going to the park.
• …eating ice cream.

And finally, scaffold efforts to express “Plummie’s Favorites” in full sentences as they relate to the story, as this helps build the foundation for academic language systems. For example,

• Plummie also likes to play in the snow.
• Another one of Plummie’s favorite things is cuddling with her bear.
• Playing Tug-of-War is another one of Plummie’s favorite things.

To extend the activity, have children create a category titled “My Own Favorite Things”. Encourage them to name the favorite things in their own lives. You can further categorize favorite “things” to favorite toys, animals, places, food, and so on.

Vocabulary

When Plummie gets in trouble for her behavior, Sam and Gracie are right there feeling compassionate toward her. Ask children to identify a word that describes Sam and Gracie. For example, ask –

• How did Sam and Gracie feel when Plummie got in trouble?  (i.e., sad, worried, sorry for her, etc.)

Ask children to think of a word that describes Sam and Gracie. Some suggestions –

• kind
• caring
• understanding
• concerned
• sympathetic
• compassionate

Then model strategies for connecting the word to other words to create sentences within the context of the story.

Synonyms

As you talk about how Sam and Gracie respond to Plummie when she gets in trouble, ask –

• Did they understand she just couldn’t help it?
• What’s another word to use when you understand something from that person’s perspective (or point of view)?

Suggestions include –

• compassion
• empathy
• concern
• understanding

Scaffold language constructs that demonstrate the story’s meaning, such as –

• Sam and Gracie were understanding about Plummie’s behavior.
• Plummie appreciated their compassion, so she wanted to give them something for it.

More Discussion, Relating personal experiences

Hold a discussion about dogs as pets and unconditional love. Even after dogs are well trained, they still may have episodes of doing things they were trained not to do. If children have experience with their own family dogs, encourage them to relate an episode of their dog’s behavior that wasn’t so good, then tell how their pet is still loved in spite of it.

Add that while dogs are expected to make mistakes by virtue of being dogs, humans can just as easily make them, too. And just like Plummie, who is loved “unconditionally” in the story, so too are children. In fact, people of all ages make mistakes and need to know that they are loved in spite of them. When there is sincerity and acknowledgement on our part, just like Plummie showed, it’s easier to get back on track again.  And just like Plummie, we can always try to do better.

Articulation

To work on Phoneme L: Repetition of the words love and Plummie on nearly every page provide plenty of opportunities to work on production of phoneme L at the child’s current ability level.
Words with L in the story: love, really, family, all, listening, really, until, only, pulling, will, still, toddler, looked, absolutely, long, and always,
Words with L-blends: Plum, Plummie, play, girl, clever, and help.

To work on Phoneme F: The repetition of the word favorite in the text and the illustrations showing the fun things Plum likes to do also provide opportunities to work on phoneme F.
Words with F in the story: favorite, friend, family, feel, find, and flying.
Words in picture descriptions: fun, funny, fetch (play go fetch), flowers (in the park), fence, frown, feet, feathers, find, after (i.e., running after) food, sofa (footprints all over), and affection.

Fluency

As narrator of the story, many of Plummie’s sentences begin with the words –

I love …

Especially because it is stated in first person, the beginnings of these sentences are opportunities for practice of fluency techniques, such as easy start and phonation on steady breath stream. The frequency of the phrase I love… throughout the story and production of the liquid glide L make this a potentially easier way to experience fluency of speech. For example, prompt with –

     Q: Using the technique of ________(i.e., easy start), what does Plummie say when she tells us of her favorite things?

     A: I love __________.

Learning to be fluent takes work and practice.  However, fluency is usually not the end goal in therapy. Learning to be an effective communicator and having self-acceptance are just as important goals for these children. The message in any situation is that whether or not you stutter, you are still valuable and capable.

So, the foremost goals for the child who stutters are typically learning to be an effective communication and self-acceptance.

Talking about the unconditional love Plummie receives, no matter how impulsive she may be, is a great way to segue to a child’s self-acceptance in general. We are not perfect human beings any more than Plummie is a perfectly well-behaved dog. It would be unrealistic to expect Plummie to be perfect.  It is unrealistic to expect that we are perfect as well. Begin a discussion by asking a question such as  –

• Even though Plummie is a dog, she speaks to us in the story. In what ways is Plummie an effective communicator?

to elicit responses like –

• She can express what she’s thinking.
• She talks about what she loves.
• She doesn’t avoid saying what’s on her mind.

Practice naming the things Plummie loves. Disregarding any disfluencies in the message, ask the child if the communication was effective.

• What makes you think so?
• What were you able to communicate?
• Did I understand what you were communicating?
• Did I understand you also found it enjoyable that Plummie loves her ____ (e.g., bed, treats, family, friends, and so on?)

Voice

To work on voice issues, use Plummie’s sentences about her favorite things featured with the pictured action to work on techniques such as maintaining optimal vocal range, pitch, and loudness levels. 

For example, begin with a sentence starter such as –

| I love my 

The phoneme /m/, similar to a hum, can be a good initial sound to use when working on vocal techniques such as optimal vocal range and pitch. Ask the child to finish the sentence starter using the words of his or her choice, beginning with my ____ using good initial breath stream, such as –

• …my treats
  …my bed
  …my toys

Also practice techniques to target voice objectives with other frequently occurring words with initial phoneme /h/, such as home and house, in progressively longer utterances.

Phonological Awareness

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

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

If the child has already progressed to the advanced Phonemic Awareness levels, you may wish to work on your own activities for Phoneme Analysis and Phoneme Manipulation, to name a few. With the short amount of text, it’s easy to make a list of suitable words and 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 author/publisher.

Initial Sound Awareness Level – Alliteration

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, listen.
• Do the words love and listen start with same sound? (Yes)
• Yes, love and listen both start with the sound L.

            Intersperse non-alliterative words into the following sets to make odd pairs:

• love,  look
• look,  listen
• park,  pond
• pond,  picnic
• Plum,  play
• wind, weather
• bear, bed
• big, behave
• dog, darkness
• mistake, marched
• Sam, squirrel

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

say –

• Listen to the following words: park, pond, picnic.
• Do the words park, pond, and picnic start with the same sound? (Yes)
• Yes, park, pond, and picnic all start with the sound P.

and then say –

• Listen to the following words: friends, feathers, couch.
• Do the words friends, feathers, and couch start with the same sound? (No)
• No.  Friends and feathers start with the sound F. Couch starts with the sound K.

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

• pull, park, pond
• house, help, him
• feel, friends, feathers
• cushion, come, catch
• favorite, family, funny
• Gracie, grass, grab
• Rocket, real, Rupert,
• really, remember, realize
• no, naughty, night
• Plum, picnic, play
• tug, time, toddler

Play: 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?
• pool, Plummie, love (love)
• That’s right. Love is the odd one out.

Play: 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 picture of the park scene where they all run after Plummie,

say –

• I’m searching for something in this picture that starts with the B sound.
• Can you help me find a word that begins with B? (E.g., bag, bow, boy, bottle, blanket, etc.)

Or say –

• I’m searching for a word that starts with the same sound as Plummie.
• Can you help me find a word? (E.g., picnic, plate, purse, etc.)

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,

say –

• Listen to the following words: park, pond, picnic.
• What sound do they all start with?
• That’s right! Park, pond, and picnic 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! (4th 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.

_______ # #  ______

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 (4th 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 Dogs, Emotions, Families, Perspective-taking, and more in the Topic Explorations Index of Books Are for Talking, Too! (4th Edition). Then find the books featured in the Catalogs with loads of methods for supporting literacy and 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: Find paper activities connected to Love is my Favorite Thing on the Teachers Pay Teachers website: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/browse?search=love%20is%20my%20favorite%20thing

AlSO!  If you enjoyed Plummie, you’ll likely enjoy the Plumdog Blog! It’s a diary the author calls the “daily doings of Plum and her owner.”  Find it printed on a charming backdrop of wallpaper depicting Plum outside with the flowers and butterflies. Her sketches and paintings of Plum and her daily life are every bit as adorable as the book – and appeal to older children as well! Visit: http://emmachichesterclark.blogspot.com

More Notes:
See a good read-aloud of the book on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/BV4kfBmMjuk
Check out the book’s sequel, Plenty of Love to Go Around, and other books about Plum available on Amazon and at other booksellers.

Lost and Found
by Oliver Jeffers
New York: The Penguin Group, 2005.

Suggested Grade and Interest Level: Pre-K through 2

Other languages: Spanish (perdido y encontrado); French: (perdu retrouve); Catalan, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, Gaelic, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese

Awards: Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Gold Award, Blue Peter Book of the Year

Other media: Lost and Found, the animated film produced for TV, narrated by Jim Broadbent, Winner of BAFTA award (British Academy Films Award) along with over 40 international awards, available on Amazon Prime; book is also available in ebook and Kindle editions.

Topics to Explore: Birds, Penguins; Feelings; Friendship; Geography, South Pole; Imagination; Kindness and Empathy; Perspective-taking; Shadows and reflections

Skills to Build:
Concepts of print
Vocabulary: Synonyms, Antonyms, Adjectives, Similes, Prepositions
Beginning concepts: Sizes, colors, and shapes; Part-Whole relationships
Grammar and syntax: Early utterances, Noun-verb agreement, Present progressive and past tenses, Negative structures, Advanced syntactic structures
Language literacy (a.k.a. Language discourse): Predicting, Problem Solving, Sequencing events, Cause-and-effect relationships, Storytelling, Drawing inferences, Point of View, Verbal expression, Giving explanations, Discussion, Answering Why-questions
Social pragmatics: Being a friend, Conversational skills, Non-verbal communication
Executive functioning: Planning and organizing, Flexibility
Articulation – P, B, and L
Fluency

Summary: When a penguin shows up at a boy’s doorstep in a charming little seaside town, the bewildered boy must think of what to do. The sad looking penguin follows him everywhere, and the kindhearted boy believes it to be lost. But the Lost and Found Office doesn’t know what do to, and his feathered friends at the park and bathtub ducky don’t know either. Then he discovers by reading his big red book that penguins come from the South Pole. So, he makes his little rowboat seaworthy and rows the penguin across the high seas back to its faraway home. On their journey they experience each other’s companionship. Then, after the boy drops it off and rows away, he has second thoughts. Oh no! A mistake! The penguin wasn’t lost! It was lonely! He turns the boat around and just misses the penguin behind an iceberg, as it has already left the South Pole. All ends well as they eventually reunite, and their sweet embrace will warm your heart.

Methods: Before the read-aloud, as you introduce the book, show the cover with the boy and penguin inside an upside down umbrella floating on the icy waters of a polar region. Encourage children to share what they know about a happy topic – penguins!  Start a discussion with questions such as –

• What makes them interesting? (E.g., they’re black and white, flightless birds, waddle, seen in movies, on so on)
• Where do they come from?

Vocabulary, Beginning Concepts

To work on colors, shapes, and sizes, encourage picture descriptions of the cover image. The simple watercolor drawings in vibrant colors make labeling and describing the boy, penguin, water, and “boat” easy and fun.

To work on part-whole relationships, identify what the boy and penguin are riding in. The top part of the umbrella is upside down and submerged in the water, so recognizing the whole object may require some descriptions and naming of features (such as the handle). Some suggestions –

•   Is it right-side up or upside down?
•   What is that object in the center that the boy is holding?
•   When would you usually use this object?

Then set the stage for one of the story’s locations by sharing descriptions of the sea, the iceberg in the distance, and the shape of the stars in the sky.

Concepts of print

To work on print awareness, show the book’s title on the cover, running your finger beneath the words in the direction in which they are read. Ask children to read it with you. Encourage them to be on the lookout for the same words that will appear again in the story.

On a page turn, see the title page and ask children to read the title with you, as they’ve just read it on the cover. Build print awareness by saying that the words will appear again in the story and to be on the lookout for them.

Predicting events

Encourage predictions about how the boy and penguin might come to be connected in the story. Build anticipation as you read the title.

Continue to encourage predictions about what might happen in the story based on the cover. Draw connections between the cover images and the words of the title. For example, you might ask –

• What does the boy have in his hand?
• When does someone use a suitcase?
• What does a suitcase and Lost and Found tell us about what might happen in this story?

Vocabulary, Grammar and Syntax

On the title page, re-read the book’s title. Encourage picture descriptions as you support grammar and syntax constructions, from early utterances, to noun+verb agreement, to complex sentence formations.  Some suggestions –

•        Sun sets
•        Long shadows
•        Go for a walk
•        Boy and penguin walk
•        The boy and penguin go for a walk.
•        As the sun reflects on the water, the boy and penguin go for a walk.

Enhance vocabulary development while eliciting target structures by asking questions such as –

• What are the dark shapes called on the path in front of them? (Shadows)
• What is the shining shape on the water beneath the sun called? (Reflection)

Then encourage use of the word within the story’s context as you scaffold ways to connect the new word to other words about the story for contextualized learning. Some suggestions –

• The boy sees his shadow on the ground in front of him.
• The sun is low in the sky. It casts a long shadow in front of the boy.
• The little penguin’s shadow is next to the boy’s.
• The sun’s reflection shimmers on the water.

 

During the read-aloud, continue to involve children in the language of the story by modeling a response, shaping a target structure, or expanding an utterance to connect more words to their meaning.

Problem solving, More Vocabulary, Beginning concepts

On the first two page turns, as the penguin comes to the boy’s door, work on problem solving by asking children to state the problem in the story. For example, you might ask –

• What might the boy be thinking about the penguin that arrived on his doorstep?
• What does the penguin’s expression tell you about how it feels?
• What is the problem the boy wants to solve?

Continue to target vocabulary in talking about the shadows cast on the ground from the two figures.

• Are the shadows short or long?
• Are they longer than when you saw them on the first page?
• Do shadows change shape? Why do you think so?

Work on prepositions in front and behind by using the illustration accompanied by text that states –

The boy didn’t know where it had come from,
but it began to follow him everywhere.

Ask questions such as –

• Where is the penguin? (behind the boy)
• When someone follows someone or something, where are they? (behind, in back of)
• Where is the penguin in this picture?  (behind the boy)

Concepts of Print, Giving explanations

On the next page turn, see the boy trying to solve the penguin’s problem by taking it to the Lost and Found Office.

To continue work on print awareness , point to the writing on the desk that reads Lost and Found. While the font has changed from that of the title, the words remain the same. After reading them, prompt with questions such as –

• Where else have we seen those words?

To encourage verbal explanations about why the Lost and Found Office might not apply to a penguin being lost, consider asking questions such as –

• If the penguin were lost, would you try to find its home by going to the Lost and Found?
• Why not?
• What do you usually find at the Lost and Found?

Pragmatic language

To work on nonverbal communication skills, point out the boy’s expression and body language as he tries to explain to the man at the Lost and Found desk about the penguin at his side. Then read the man’s expression. Prompts might include –

• What does the boy’s outstretched hand indicate he might be saying?
• How would he likely ask a question of the man at the desk?
• What does the man’s expression tell us about his response?

More Vocabulary, Synonyms, Grammar and Syntax

On the next few page turns, see the boy still trying to solve the lost penguin’s problem without success. Target grammar and syntax constructions, including negative structures, by modeling a response, shaping a target structure, and/or expanding on an utterance. Some examples include –

• The birds didn’t know (where the penguin came from).
• His bathtub ducky didn’t know (where penguin came from).
• The people on the big ship couldn’t hear him.
• The boy couldn’t sleep.
• He didn’t know how to help (the penguin).

To work on vocabulary, talk about the boy’s efforts to help the sad little penguin, and his response when he can’t seem to solve the problem.

The story reads –

That night, the boy couldn’t sleep for disappointment. He wanted to help the penguin, but he isn’t sure how.

Ask questions such as –

• Why couldn’t the boy sleep that night? (E.g., He was feeling sad, frustrated, disappointed, worried)
• What are some ways to describe how he feels?

Then encourage use of the word disappointed as you scaffold ways to connect it to other words about the story for contextualized learning. Some suggestions –

• The boy was disappointed that he couldn’t help the penguin.
• The boy was disappointed that he couldn’t find a way to get the penguin back to its home.

To work on synonyms, brainstorm other words for disappointed. Some suggestions –

• discouraged
• dismayed
• sad
• let down
• worried
• bewildered

Cause and Effect Relationships

On the next few page turns, the boy decides to take the penguin back to the South Pole, where he believes it wants to return home. See him testing out his boat, packing his suitcase (including the umbrella), and preparing for their adventurous row.

Support children in expressing cause-and-effect relationships with words such as because and so in answers to questions such as –

  Q:  Why did the boy want to row his boat to the South Pole?
A:  He wanted to row the boat (to the South Pole) because ________

• …he read that penguins come from the South Pole.
• …he couldn’t get the big ship to take it there.
• …he thought it was where the penguin wanted to be.

   A: The boy wanted to row his boat to the South Pole so __________

• …he could return the penguin to its home.
• …the penguin wouldn’t feel sad anymore.

and so on.

More Grammar and syntax, Cause-and-effect relationships

On the next few page turns, see the boy and penguin on the high seas. The story says that –

There was lots of time for stories, and the penguin listened to every one, so the boy would always tell another.

To work on grammar and syntax, including complex sentence structures, talk about the boat going over the waves……

• ….while the boy tells stories.
• ….as the penguin listens to the boy’s stories.
• ….during a storm with thunder and lightning.

Express the story in a cause-and-effect relationship, such as –

• The penguin listened to all the boy’s stories, so ____________ (e.g., the boy kept on telling them).

Similes, Synonyms,  Adjectives

To work on similes, synonyms, and adjectives, use the text

 …waves were as big as mountains

to describe the wave pictured during the storm. Talk about how the word mountain is a good choice to describe how huge and tall the waves are. Encourage the use of the simile with adjectives and other words for big, such as –

•        ….as huge as a mountain
•        …as enormous as a mountain

More adjectives include gigantic, monstrous, colossal, and immense.

More Concepts of Print, Vocabulary

On the next page turn, the boy arrives at the South Pole where he helps the penguin out of the boat.

Welcome to the South Pole.

To work on vocabulary, continue to enhance the meanings of previously targeted words, shadows and reflections. Point them out and ask –

• What is the dark shape under the South Pole sign called? (shadow)
• What is the shape on the water beneath the boat called? (shadow)
• What is the light shape beneath the iceberg called? (reflection)

More Grammar and syntax 

Observe how the boy helping the penguin out of the boat as you encourage storytelling from the illustration. Scaffold language constructions as you target specified grammar and syntax objectives, from two- and three-word utterances to more complex formations. Some suggestions –

• Penguin gets out (of boat).
• The boy pushes the penguin (up onto the ice).
• The boy helps the penguin get out (of the boat).
• The umbrella comes out (of the boat).
• The penguin first puts the umbrella on the ice.
• Icebergs float (on the water).

Drawing inferences, Predicting, Point of view

The turning point in the narrative comes on the next three page turns. The text reads –

Then the boy said good-bye…

… and floated away.

As the boy leaves and waves goodbye, he notices the penguin, standing on the ice bank, holding the umbrella he packed for their trip,

…looking sadder than ever.

To draw inferences about meaning from the words of the story, support children in expressing their realization about what the penguin may have wanted all along. Ask questions such as –

• Why do you think the penguin is “looking sadder than ever”?
• Did it like being with the boy in the boat?
• What might it have wanted all along?

Here the story offers an opportunity to address the concept of perspective-taking, both from the standpoint of one’s senses (e.g., visual perspective), and from a conceptual standpoint (i.e., understanding another’s thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs). The illustration shows the boy leaving in his boat from the visual standpoint of the penguin, who is left alone on the shore of the South Pole. Ask questions that help children see the story from the penguin’s perspective, such as

• What does the penguin see?
• What does the boy see?
• When the penguin sees the boy rowing away and waving his hand, how might it be feeling?
• If you were the penguin, how would you feel about the boy rowing away and waving goodbye?

On a page turn, point out the boy thinking through his decision to drop the penguin off at the South Pole and then take off.  Now children see the story from the boy’s point of view. When he realizes this was a mistake, he also realizes that –

The penguin hadn’t been lost. It had just been lonely.

Ask questions about what his behaviors mean when we see the boy….

• scratching his head
• his hand on his chin
• opening his mouth and stretching out his hands

Scaffold answers to questions that enable children to express in their own words the boy’s realization and encourage predictions about what will happen next. Ask questions such as –

• What does the boy realize about his friend the penguin?
• What do you think he will do next?

On the next page turn, see the boy rowing back to the South Pole to get the penguin “as fast as he could”. But the penguin has already left in his “boat” (the upside down umbrella he’d offloaded first on arrival), and was on the other side of the iceberg. This is a great opportunity to work on the story’s point of view and perspective-taking, from both the visual and conceptual standpoints of the characters. Ask what’s happening with thoughtful questions such as  –

• What had the penguin decided to do?
• What made the penguin leave his spot on the South Pole?
• Does the boy know he left? Why not?
• Can they see each other? Why not? (The penguin is on the opposite side of the iceberg from the boy, the boy is on the opposite side of the iceberg from the penguin, the boy can’t see around the iceberg, and so on.)
• Why can’t the boy see the penguin, even in his telescope?

On the next page turn, the boy sadly sets off rowing his boat back home when he spots a tiny spec in the distance.

• Could it be his friend?

As you turn the page to see what the boy saw, encourage children to express in their own words the sight of the penguin inside the umbrella, rowing it in the water to meet the boy.

See the wonderful embrace on the adjacent page. Encourage children to describe in words what happened and what the boy finally realized.

• Why did the boy think all along that the penguin was lost?
• After he took dropped him off and waved goodbye, what did he realize?
• After he turned his boat around to find him, was penguin found?
• What else was found?

Also note the penguin navigating the waters, inside the upside down umbrella, with an oar in hand. Encourage children to identify and describe the “vehicle” as you target multiple speech and language objectives with this heartwarming scene.

At the last page turn, see the boy and his new pal, the penguin, escorted by a pod of whales on their way home in the tiny rowboat, talking together at last.

Articulation

To work on phoneme production throughout the story experience, look for multiple opportunities to work on plosives P and B and the liquid glide L as the words appear in the text and illustrations.

Words containing P in the text: penguin, Pole (South), pushed, pass, point, disappointed, ship, help, sleep
More words in the illustrations: pushed (the penguin out of boat)

Words containing B in the text: boy, birds, big, boat, book, rowboat, bad, good-bye, back
More words in the illustrations: iceberg, umbrella

Words containing L in the text: lost, lonely, looked, help, sleep, pole, small, lots, listen, always, tell, float, until, finally, delighted, suddenly, telling, realized, last, sadly, closer
More words in the illustrations: pictures: whale, umbrella, lightening, land

 

After the read aloud, when children have had time to absorb the story, go back over the pages to review the illustrations and continue working on speech, language, and literacy objectives.

Vocabulary, Synonyms and Antonyms, Grammar and syntax

Review the title, Lost and Found, and provide opportunities for children to express its meaning.

To work on synonyms and antonyms, ask children to put the words lost and found into sentences as you target vocabulary development as well as grammar and syntax constructions, from early utterances to more Complex sentence formations.  For example, ask –

• What’s the opposite of lost?
• What are some ways to use lost in a sentence about the story?

Some suggestions:

• The penguin was lost.
• The boy thought the penguin was lost.
•  The boy lost the penguin after he took it back to the South Pole.
• The penguin thought he had lost the boy after he was dropped off at the South Pole.
• What’s the opposite of found?

Then ask children for ways to use found in a sentence about the story. Some suggestions –

• The boy found the penguin.
• The penguin lost the boy
• The boy lost a friend, but then he found him again.
• The penguin lost the boy, but then he found him again.
• The boy and penguin found each other and became friends.

Pragmatic language

To work on conversational skills as they relate to social pragmatic language, point out that the penguin does not talk throughout the story. Giving it dialogue would remove the mystery surrounding its appearance and the quandary the boy finds himself in. The penguin can’t tell him his needs, nor does the boy expect it.

After the story, however, children can imagine what the penguin and boy might say to each other on their return trip, as the story says –

So the boy and his friend

went home together, talking of

wonderful things all the way.

Consider supporting children in creating a dialogue between these two friends.

• What might the penguin want to tell the boy?
• What might the boy want to know?
• How might the friends reminisce about what they had experienced together?
• What might they tell each other about what they want to do when they arrive home?
• What stories about their prior adventures might they tell each other?

To work on the social pragmatics of being friends, talk about what contributed to the penguin and boy becoming close friends. Consider starting a discussion by asking –

• What things did they do that helped create the bond of friendship?
• In what ways did they enjoy each other’s companionship?
• How did the boy’s wanting to help the penguin create good feelings toward each other?

 Some suggestions –

• The penguin participated in the boy’s plans.
• The penguin helped the boy pack for the trip.
• The penguin helped push the boat out to sea.
• The boy told stories in the boat “to help pass the time.”
• The penguin “listened to everyone.”
• The boy helped the penguin out of the boat.
• The penguin felt that the boy cared.

Discussion, Answering Why-questions

Once the child has a chance to absorb the story, discuss what the title, Lost and Found, has come to mean. Walk through the story’s events and ask questions such as –

• When the penguin arrived at the boy’s house, what did the boy think?
• Why did he think the penguin was lost?
• Why did the boy try to help the penguin find its home?
• When he left the penguin at the South Pole, what did the boy lose?
• When he went back to get the penguin, what did he find?
• When the boy dropped him off, did the penguin lose a friend?
• Did the penguin find the boy? What else did it find? (a friend)

Sequencing events

In reviewing the story, support children in identifying the boy’s attempts to solve the problem in sequential order, using connecting words first, next, then, after that, finally, and so on. For example,

• First he went to the Lost and Found Office.
• Next, he asked the birds in the park.
• Then he asked his bathtub ducky.
• Then he read his book about where penguins come from.
• After that, he tried to get a ship to take it back to the South Pole.
• Finally, he decided to take the penguin back home in his own rowboat.

Problem solving

 Support children in identifying the problem in the story and then discuss the boy’s attempts at solving it.

• What was the problem in the story?
• What did the boy do about the penguin showing up at his door? (e.g., took it to the Lost and Found Office, asked the birds in the park, asked his rubber ducky, etc.)
• How did he feel then? (e.g., discouraged)
• Did his first attempts at solving the problem work? Why not?
• Did the boy’s problem get resolved?
• How did it get resolved?
• How would the story have been different if the boy hadn’t realized the penguin was not lost, but lonely?
• What would you have done if you were the boy?
• When the boy realized the penguin was not lost, did that solve the problem?

Storytelling

This is an ideal book to work on story schema due to the depiction of the characters’ emotions and boy’s attempts to solve what he believes to be the penguin’s problem.

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

• Characters: Who is the story about?
• Setting: Where does the story take place?
• Initiating Event: What happened to start the story off?
• Internal Response: How did the boy feel about this?
• External Attempts: What did the boy do? How did he respond to the situation?
• Consequences: What happened as a result of his attempts?
• Internal Response: When he finally got the penguin to the South Pole, how did he feel?
• External Attempt: What did that motivate him to do then?
• Outcome: How did the boy and penguin each feel about this and how did their relationship change?

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

Executive Functioning

Because language drives the neural networking of executive functions, it can be helpful for children to verbalize strategies the characters put in place that lead to the story’s outcome. Working on strengthening these skills has the benefit of enhancing other literate discourse skills as well, including storytelling.

To work on planning, organization, initiation, and persistence, revisit the pages showing the boy’s attempts to help the penguin.

• What were the boy’s first steps in putting a plan in place to help the penguin?
• When none of those strategies worked, how did the boy persist in his goal? (e.g., went to his book for research that might lead to answers, etc.)
• When the boy decided to go to the South Pole, what plans did he put in place? (e.g., prepared the boat for sea, packed a suitcase, remembered an umbrella, and so on)

To work on flexibility, review the pages after he drops the penguin off at the South Pole and sets out to return home. The story reads –

There was no point telling stories now

because there was no one to listen

except the wind and the waves.

Instead, he just thought.

And the more he thought

…the more he realized he made a big mistake.

Talk about the boy’s realization and then re-thinking about what the penguin really wanted. How did he change his perception of the goal? Then ask children what is involved with flexible thinking.  For example  –

• Do you have to be able to change what you’re doing if your perception of the goal changes?
• How did the boy talk his way through realizing what the penguin really wanted?
• Did the boy then change his perception of what needed to be done?
• How might he have talked his way through needing to change direction?

Fluency

The minimal text and easily identifiable illustrations make this book a good resource for working on fluency techniques such as easy start, light contacts, and phonation on a steady breath stream. Throughout the story and afterward, consider having the child retell and sequence of events in a format that is familiar, enabling easier application of the target technique. For example,

• First the boy went to the Lost and Found.
• Then he went to the park to ask other birds.

In addition to fluency techniques, speech-language pathologists treat other aspects of this complex disorder to competently address components such as feelings, beliefs, behaviors, and rationales for change. The story of the penguin that does not speak provides interesting opportunities to work on avoidance, self-acceptance, openness, and self-disclosure as indicated for that unique child. Consider the following suggestions if they apply:

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 (in an appropriate setting) on avoidance. While we know that penguins and other animals don’t talk, we typically suspend our disbelief in stories where animals do plenty of talking. But in this story, we are asked to realize that penguins really don’t talk (at least not until it is implied at the end that this one can), and we appreciate the boy’s dilemma as he tries to help his unexpected visitor. Possible questions to start a discussion include –

• Why was it hard for the boy to understand the penguin’s problem?
• How would the story have been different if the penguin had said, “I’d like to play with you” when he arrived at the boy’s house?
• Would it have mattered how he said it?
• How is avoiding speaking similar to the penguin’s silence in the story?
• Do others get a sense of why you may feel sad, for instance, when you avoid speaking?
• What is the difference between avoiding speaking and being unable to speak?
• What kinds of things can avoidance lead to?
• Is speaking to someone important, even though you might stutter?

To work on openness, use the events of the story as the boy thinks through how he left the penguin at the South Pole as a segue to self-awareness and problem solving. Talk about how the boy finally realizes what the penguin wanted. Because of his self-awareness and ability to think about his actions and the penguin’s response, he didn’t lose a meaningful friendship. He found friendship!

To be comfortable with one’s stuttering (or any speech disorder) is to develop self-awareness about one’s actions and acknowledge openly the difficulties it can bring to speaking. Encourage a belief that evaluating one’s actions, as the boy did in the story, is beneficial in all aspects of life. Stress that the importance of communicating lies in what you have to say, not how you say it. By avoiding speaking, you can leave others perplexed, like the boy in Lost and Found. But just as the story ends on a happy note with both of them going

…home together, talking of wonderful things all they way

we are reminded that communicating with others is well worth it!

_____  # # _____

NOTE: Find literally hundreds of picture books – including others by Oliver Jeffers –  ideally suited for building the skills like the ones addressed here on Book Talk in the Skills Index of Books Are for Talking, Too! (Fourth Edition). See them cross-referenced to three age-related catalogs where you’ll find book entries that provide you with methods, prompts, word lists, activities, and loads of other ideas! These well-known, classic picture books are easily obtained through school and public libraries, and reasonably priced at online booksellers

PLUS!  For a thematic approach to literature, find other books that cover this book’s topics and many more in the Topic Explorations Index of Books Are for Talking, Too! (4th Edition). Then see book treatments for those books in the catalogs where you’ll find methods, like those here on Book Talk, for building oral communication and early literacy skills.

~ All in One Resource!  ~
Books Are For Talking, Too!  ~ Now in its 4th Edition
~ Engaging children in the language of stories since 1990 ~

Buy it on Amazon

Special Note:  Read about the 2024 news story of a penguin’s surprising arrival on a tourist beach in Australia, the interesting use of mirrors that helped him recover, and his wonderful release back into the ocean just 20 days later at:

https://apnews.com/article/australia-emperor-penguin-released-84319f95da162330da3265232c1fcfc1#:~:text=MELBOURNE%2C%20Australia%20(AP)%20—,tourist%20beach%2C%20officials%20said%20Friday.

Plus Activities! Here is a link for companion activities to Lost and Found. Very reasonably priced on Teachers Pay Teachers!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lost-and-Found-Oliver-Jeffers-Book-Companion-Activities-3809565