Written by: Ursula Dubosarsky
Illustrated by: Andrew Joyner
Published by: FSG kids
August 2009
ISBN-10: 0374374287
ISBN-13: 978-0374374280
This book is the adventure of six little rabbits who get scared off by a terrible “PLOP” during their afternoon snack by the lake. They try to escape through the forest, warning the other animals and triggering an alarming frenzy. They are not aware that they are heading towards Bear, who does not like being disturbed during his afternoon sunbath in his peaceful oasis. Fearless and courageous, Bear decided to challenge this horrible “PLOP”, annoyed by the fact that he might not be the most terrifying beast in the area. Guided back toward the terrible noise by the littlest rabbit, Bear quickly realised how frightened he was, and gets scared off as well. Luckily, the courageous little rabbit noticed that the terrible “PLOP” was just the sound of an apple falling into the water. The moral of this story: sometimes, some noises are not as scary as you might think, and the littlest rabbit was actually the most courageous one of all to realise there was no reason to be scared in the first place of “a silly old plop” (Dubosarsky,2009).
I believe this book would be great for children 3 to 5 years old because it introduces emotions and fears. It would be a good way to help children to understand and control the spontaneous reactions fears can sometimes trigger. It is a book full of actions and amusing rhyming, and it is dynamic and visually expressive with illustrations that are bright and colourful, which can easily catch children’s attention. In addition, the illustrator included some real images throughout the book, which add a little something special to it. I think the variety of characters in the book gives a great opportunity to make silly voices and a multitude of facial expressions.
I would provoke the children with the image (or it could be a painting) of the animals running scared on page 11-12 of the book. At the beginning of the week, I would put it on the wall and let them discuss what this means. After a while, I would say, “I wonder what they are escaping from. They seem very scared!”This book would be a great provocation for the children with less self-confidence, and would send a good message for those who get easily scared off by things and noises. Another way could be to listen to different sounds, and let them explain how they feel about each of the sounds, what it represents for them. If I have access to a projector, I would project various images of the book onto the wall and see what kind of discussions and reactions it triggers.
How I would present the book to the children:
1. Felt story – From fun coloured foam I have cut out every animal in the story (6 rabbits, fox, monkey, cat, pig, elephant, tiger, bat, leopard, goose, antelope, moose, bear), the apple tree, apple, the lake, the ‘PLOP’, even the rabbit’s snack. I would read the story and display what is happening on the board one thing at the time. When the children know the story by heart, I would let them put the animals on the board themselves.
2. Magnet story – I would either make all the pieces (same pieces as above) with foam or fimo. While I am reading the story, I would introduce the pieces on a metal board or on a cookie tray and act out all the actions. Afterwards, I would let the children play with the pieces and recreate the story in their own words.
3. Theatre display – On a long piece of paper, I would paint the story, and wrap it around two bottles in a theatre frame made out of a box. While reading the story to the children, the images will appear fluently in front of them.
4. Line story – With the line story, I would need the children’s participation. All I need is real photos of all the animals of the book and some drums. While reading the story, the children would come up and display their images on the line. All the other children would play the drums to recreate the noise of the animals running together.
5. Yoga – If I were using this way, I would leave room for the children to use their creativity, I would ask them to create poses that portray the animals in the book. Also, I would take photos of the children doing their poses and make yoga cards with them.
Whichever way I use to present my book, I would recreate a sound when the apple falls in the lake (either with a drum, by tapping the floor or by dropping something in water). While reading the book I would pause many times and wonder with the children. On page 11-12 of the book, I would ask them if they can see any animals I did not mention, I would let them look at the image for a while, and let them connect and discuss. For example, on page 13-14, the bear is drinking something – I would say, “I wonder what he is drinking!” Around the end of the book, on page 24, when the bear arrives at the lake waiting for “the PLOP”, I would say, “I wonder what’s going to happen! What do you think?” I would like the children to be aware of the characters’ facial expressions throughout the book, and discuss with them what kind of emotion\feeling this might be. What could trigger this feeling in your life? How would you deal with it?
After reading the book, there are many ways to extend the subject. I could let the children explore sounds with water, let them drop different objects in the water and document the sounds. Another way would be to listen to many different types of noises and create conversations around it (what would scare them in the night or when they are alone). Also, I could bring back the rhymes throughout the day; “We cannot stop! We must get away from the Terrible PLOP!” (Dubosarsky, 2009) Yoga could also become an extension after the book, by bringing back the animal poses for fun or simply for calming the tensions and the stress children can undergo. Documenting all the poses would be a great way for children to relate to the book in the future.
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