Carle, E. (1999). The very clumsy click beetle. N.Y. Philomel Books.
ISBN # 0-399-23201-X
This book is about a clumsy little click beetle that went for a walk in the day. When it became night the beetle went to sleep in a tree only to fall out onto its back. It could not get back onto its feet. An older click beetle saw it and told the little click beetle it would show the little beetle how to flip back onto its feet. The little beetle tried once and did not succeed. Different animals pass by and encourage the beetle to keep practicing. Then something the little beetle had never seen before scared it and the beetle clicked and flipped and successfully landed on its feet!
I think this is a good book for children ages 3-5 because it is an encouraging story about when something is hard to do to not give up and to keep on practicing till you get better. I also like it because of the encouraging words the other animals give to the click beetle to help it keep on practicing.
I’ve always been drawn to Eric Carles books because of the clear and simple illustrations. Medium used for the illustrations is brush with either goache or tempera paints. The pictures are then cut out to form the illustrations.
The mood of the illustrations evokes curiosity and encourages a child to identify with needing help when they don’t know how to do something. The children will enjoy anticipating whether the little beetle will make it back onto its feet. I was drawn to this book because of the simple but colourful illustrations and a story that inspires determination not to give up on something new or difficult.
I would provoke interest in the story by singing a song I composed to bring the children together. I would then ask the children if they have ever tried something once and didn’t succeed? What happened? How did you feel? What did you do then? How were you able to get better at it? That will open a good sense of what the story is about and how the beetle goes through with its difficulty. I would also use a little toy beetle, lying on its back on the floor next to a piece of paper with “HELP” written on it. I would then ask one of the children in the group to tell us how we could help this beetle. Then I would sing the song again and begin to read the story.
https://webmail.shaw.ca:443/attach/03_Song_of_Encouragement.m4a?sid=&mbox=Trash&uid=27584&number=4&filename=03%20Song%20of%20Encouragement.m4a
Encouragement song: Melody produced by Mt. Currie Native Russell Wallace, words by Melissa Dixon:
Better luck next time, keep trying
Don’t worry worry; you’ll get there
You need a little practice, try once more
(X4) Last verse end with: try once more, try once more, try once more.
4 Ways to Tell the Story:
1) Felt story- I would need are a black felt board and each character piece (little click beetle, wise click beetle, worm, grass, rocks, moon, tree, turtle, snail, mouse, and boy).
2) Music story- I would need a musical instrument for each character. For the little click beetle and the wise click beetle I would use the small and big copper chimes. For the worm I would use the ‘ring for service’ bell, for the turtle I would use the sandpaper blocks. For the snail I would use the wooden stick with many bells on it. For the mouse I would use the mouse squeak toy and for the boy I would use my native drum.
3) Magnetic story- I need a cookie sheet painted black for my background, plastic toys for each character and magnets to glue onto the toys.
4) Free play story- I need a basket to put my objects in, a toy as each character, green scarf for the ground.
I would wonder with the children about the wise old click beetle telling the little click beetle that it would teach it how to click and flip in the morning. I would wonder ‘How the little click beetle might feel having to sleep on its back all night?’ When the little click beetle tries clicking and flipping for the first time I would wonder with the children as to whether the beetle will make it or not. When the little boy enters the story I would cover the boy’s shoes and wonder with the children ‘ What it is that the little beetle has never seen before?’.
3 possible extensions:
- A nature walk to look around and see what kind of characters from the book we could find during our walk.
- An Insect book to explore other kinds of beetles and bugs and what sounds they make.
- Art project: to cut click beetles out of construction paper and sticky tac them to a clothes pin, so they actually click and flip. Some children could paint scenery for the click beetles.
- Return to the song I used in the presentation of the story and encourage the children to participate by singing encouraging words of their own.
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