predictable pattern books

Galdone, P. (1986). Three Little Kittens.

New York, NY: Clarion Books.

ISBN: 13: 978-0-89919-796-8

       This book talks about three little kittens who do everything together, they are very close to each other, collaborate, and share the jobs, such as finding and washing their mittens. They respect their mom, try and do their best to make her happy.

       I would use this book because the rhyming is done very well, easy to understand, for 3-5 year old children, and also because it's about cats, and usually children love cats, maybe some of them own it at home as a pet. The illustrations on the book are interesting, colourful, children usually like to use and see many different colours, these also show different emotions of the kittens and their mom's very well. The background of the illustrations is made appropriately in each page (as kitchen, dining room, living room, the garden), I like them because they are very detailed and explain very well the environment where they are, children may enjoy them, because they might relate it to their own house, imagining themselves with their pets at home.

       I would build background knowledge by talking about the emotions that the kittens (cats) feel when they are sad, happy, angry, surprised, etc..., then ask them to make different sounds, "meowing" relatedly. I will ask children to "meow" while reading the book for the second time, in this way they can participate in reading the book, and feel part of it. I would stop and wonder about the pages where they find their mittens and tell their mom, and also when their mittens get dirty. I would discuss about their feelings (happiness, sadness, and also the mom's anger), why the mittens get dirty, what they should have done instead.

3 ways to present the book:

A. Puppet: making the puppets of the little kittens and their mom, and also create the background, put some of the items of their environment (for example the kitchen). You can either create the puppet yourself or use the old stuffy toys, the materials can be bought at craft store, fabric store.

B. Audience participation: I will ask children to participate in reading the book, be one character of the story and talk for it, even by changing their voices. Children usually like to be involved in the stories and talk for it, in this way they feel part of it, proud and important.

C. Felt board story: cut out the kittens and their mom on the felt, also create the background (ex. kitchen, garden, living room) in this way children see better where the story is happening. Felt can be bought at dollar store, thrift store, Dress & Sew, craft store.

Extensions:

A. talk to children about helping each other and the importance of the collaboration to make things done, as the kitten did in the story: finding mittens and also washing them when they were dirty.

B. Talk about their relationship, how they cared and loved each other.

C. Hide some coloured mittens in the classroom, and let the children find them.