Books for Boys

 

 Cyrus, K. (2008). Tadpole Rex. New York: Harcourt.

 ISBN: 978-0-15-205990-3

In a deep, dark swamp long ago, a polliwog was born – his name was Rex. This little tadpole was stuck living in a large dinosaur’s footprint filled with water and mud, but Rex knew one day he would grow and unleash his inner tyrannosaur.  After dodging many hungry dinosaurs and eating until his heart was content, patience led Rex to grow until finally, he had arms and legs. Rex came out of hiding and let out his inner tyrannosaur, jumping and bouncing, giving his best ribbet roars. As time went by the dinosaurs were swept away, but frogs alike Rex survived, each with their own inner tyrannosaur.

I would choose this book for three to five-year olds because it is quite simple but has a consistent rhyming scheme along with well chosen onomatopoeias throughout the book. There are a lot of questions that can be asked while reading this book such as, “how many dinosaurs do you know?” or “what are frogs like?” both of these questions lead to interest and a broadening of their knowledge.

The illustrations are originally drawn in scratchboard and then digitally coloured. The details within this book are enjoyable and realistic, almost as if you could experience what mud felt like or how rough skinned the dinosaurs were just through the pictures. I enjoyed these illustrations, as I believe children would, because they are colourful and sometimes a little frightening, especially with how large the insects are drawn or how sharp the teeth are of some of the dinosaurs.

A great way of provoking interest and building background on the book before presenting it would be to introduce the children to dinosaurs or different types of frogs and tell them how long ago they lived. If they were learning about different types of animals within the animal kingdom, I would bring in a frog to have as a ‘class pet’ on the day they learn about amphibians to provoke interest at the start of the day. Also, one of the pictures in the book of Rex the frog could be photocopied and placed on the board for the children to see and ask questions about which would lead to reading the book.

At the end of page 14 in the book when Rex is growing in size, it gives a sense of anticipation and suspense which is when I would stop and ask the children what they think would happen to Rex, would he grow to be a dinosaur? On page 18, right before Rex is about to ‘roar’, I would ask the children to roar in a way that they think Rex would roar because it would be humorous afterwards when I flip the page and simply say, ‘ribbet’.

            Three ways to present Tadpole Rex:

-Small toy dinosaurs that were presented in the book could be brought in and shown while reading the book. For example, when Rex grows into a frog he leaps about and dinosaurs such as duckbills, alamosauruses, and triceratops are introduced and as they are introduced they can be brought out and shown howlarge they are in relation to the size of the frog (also as a toy).

- A felt story could be provided during the reading of this story - pieces are not available so they would have to be made. The different stages of the tadpole’s growth should be presented in felt, and as the story is read each stage of the tadpole should be placed on the board to show the transition.

-In order to keep the children interactive with the story, I would have them join in with sound effects while reading. For example, on page 3, the story reads,“Stomp! went the dinosaur. Squish! went the goop. Up came the bubbles – Bloop.Bloop. Bloop.” As I read the onomatopoeias, I would invite the children to join me as I stomp my feet, squish my hands together, and have a glass of water nearby to blow bubbles in.

                 Three possible extensions:

-The children could be brought outside to explore a pond or lake to see if they can find any frogs or tadpoles and while outside they could stomp around in the mud like the dinosaurs.

-Discussion about dinosaurs (how they lived long ago, and how many types of ‘basic’ dinosaurs there were) could be brought up and if the story was presented using the dinosaur toys, other types of dinosaurs not mentioned in the book could be brought out for them to see and play with.

-The children could draw frogs or dinosaurs and be asked which dinosaur they would want to be so they could paint a dinosaur footprint the same size as their own feet,pretending that the footprint was their own.

Low, W. (2009). Machines go to work. New York: Henry Holt and

         Company.

 
ISBN: 987-0-8050-8759-8 

Big, medium, and large machines alike, I wonder how they work and what they do? This book illustrates backhoes digging, firefighters saving kittens, and freight trains clickety-clacking just to say a few. Children have the chance to interact with the book through the use of onomatopoeia and by answering the questions posed by the author about the possible scenarios that the machines might be at work in. Included are fold-out pages that introduce children to machines such as backhoes, fire trucks, news helicopters, cement mixers, tow trucks, pickup trucks, tugboats, container ships, and freight trains. At the very end of the book, children are able to explore each machine as well as a breakdown of each part of the machines, and how they are used day to day.

I would use this book for three to five-year olds because it’s interactive for the children through the author’s questions. The fold-outs of each page are well worn and a great technique to catch the attention of the readers. Also, the paintings and choice of colours for each page are vibrant, eye-catching, and quite detailed. The illustrations are made through Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Corel Painter. Children would enjoy the pictures because the paintings are colourful and the brush, or strokes, used give each image texture.

I would provoke interest in the children toward the book by introducing toy machines that are in the book during play time. In a play area setting inside, a road play mat could be set up (a mat with roads in a small town or neighbourhood with railroad tracks) for the children to play with fire trucks, helicopters, and freight trains. If there were a play area setting outside, construction toys could be used in dirt or sand. After play time I would have the machines set up inside in the same order they appear in the book and while reading I would introduce the machines one by one.

On each fold-out page, there is a question posed by the author, these are great areas of the book to stop and wonder with the children to keep them interactive and interested in the book. For example, on the fold-out page of page four, we are to ask the children if the “backhoe is digging up the flowers”. After asking the question to the children, ask them what they think before flipping open the page to reveal the answer. Also, within the last fold-out pages, it shows all of the machines in a “Where’s Waldo?” affect and the children could be asked to find all of the machines in the book.

            Three ways to present Machines go to work:

                   

-The first way to present this book would be to have the children guess what each machine is doing before giving the answer, allowing the children to be constantly interacting with the book.

- A second way to present this book is to have a recording of the sound effects used in the book for each machine, and while the book is being read each sound can be played according to the machine being displayed.

-Another way to present this book would be through the usage of the toy machines that the children were able to play with during their play time. As each machine is being introduced, I would bring out that toy and make the sound effects for it as a demonstration.

              Three possible extensions:

-Each child could pick their favourite machine in the book and draw or paint their own. To make it easier for the children, an outline of the machine could be given to them to colour in.

-A great sing-along book that could be read after Machines go to work is a book with a music CD called ‘We all go travelling by’ by Sheena Roberts. This book is a good musical extension that sings about different types of transportation, each with their own colour, size, and example of how they sound.

-If circle or reading time is before their play time, it would be a good opportunity for the children to play indoors or outdoors with the toy machines, such as how they were used as a provocation. The road play mat could be used indoors and the construction machine toys could be outside in a sand box or dirt.

 

Wheeler, L. (2008). Boogie knights. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

ISBN: 978-0-689-87639-4

In a castle, late at night, rascals hold a Madcap Monster Ball. Werewolves, zombies, mummies, and witches are just a few of the guests that join in to the jiving and singing while one by one the seven knights awaken and eventually join the party. At dawn the party ends and the seven knights along with the prince go back to sleep and dream of the next year’s ball.

Boogie Knights is a book full of new vocabulary and introduces a number of spooky characters, making a great read for children around the time of Halloween. Also, the book is interactive in a sense that the children are able to practice counting how many knights are left sleeping before being awoken by the party.

The illustrations are playful and become increasingly colourful as the story continues. I was attracted to the pictures because they are drawn in pencil and show a number of different types of characters that could be found in a spooky castle. The illustrations were made using charcoal, pierre noire pencil, and Photoshop.

A provocation I would use for this book would be to have a picture of the seven knights lined up at the front of the class, and each time the children have a break or leave the room and come back I would remove one knight. Another way of provoking interest to the book would be to create a list of the types of characters found in the castle and asking the children where they think these characters could be found.

I would assume that this book has a lot of new vocabulary that children may not know which gives a chance to really dissect the book. Again, having it be read around Halloween would be ideal because the theme of Halloween would make it appropriate to take each day to introduce a new character and by the end of the week when the story is read the children will not be overwhelmed. While reading the book, every time it says ‘while upstairs, unawares ...’ I would ask the children how many knights were still sleeping because it gives them a chance to practice their memory and counting.

            Three ways to present Boogie Knights:

-I would use finger puppets, each cut out and made to look like the seven knights. At the beginning of the story I would show the seven puppets on each finger and slowly, as the knights joined in with the party, I would remove the puppets and after asking the children how many knights were left sleeping I would show them on my fingers to help them count.

-A felt story would be an effective way to help the children count and keep up with the book. Pieces for this book are not sold so they would have to be pre-made. Each of the seven knights would be cut out and used as the main theme (counting) and other characters such as the witches and monsters could be optional to make. As the story continues and the knights are awoken to join the party they could be removed from the felt board or moved to a lower area of the board where the Madcap Monster Ball is being held.

-Another fun way to present the book would be to use a shoebox (placed on its side to expose the opening of the box) as the knight’s chamber and have drawn out figures on popsicle sticks that can be stood up in holes cut into the side of the shoebox. Another shoe box could be used as the living room where the party is being held. As the story is being read, the knights from their ‘chamber’ would be moved into the ‘living room’ to join the party.

                      Three possible extensions:

-As a counting activity for an extension, a book called ‘10 Trick-or-Treaters’, by Janet Schulman, could be read and would continue with the Halloween theme. Alike Boogie Knights, ‘10 Trick-or-Treaters’ is filled with spooky characters which would lead to the next extension.

-After learning about all the types of creatures that can be found in a castle, the children could be asked to draw or paint their favourite spooky character and give it a name.

-Another counting extension could be presented in the form of a song or rhyme, ‘Five Little Pumpkins’ in particular. The rhyme is as follows:

                        Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
                        The first one said, “Oh, my it's getting late!”                  The second one said,

                         "There are witches in the air.”
                        The third one said, "But we don't care.”
                        The fourth one said, "Let's run, let's run!”
                        The fifth one said, "Isn't Halloween fun?”

                        Then Woooooo went the wind,
                        And OUT went the lights.

                        And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.