Critical Issues Books (2)

Billy’s Big-boy bed

Tildes, P.L. (2002). Billy’s big-boy bed. Watertown: Chariesbridge Publishing.


ISBN:1-57091-475-3



This story is taking about a little boy whose parents are planning to change a big bed for him because he has outgrown the old bed. Billy is a little boy, but he grows fast and all of his things need to be changed to big size. However, he likes his old crib very much since he always sleeps and plays on it with teddy bears. The day Billy gets new big boy bed, Billy is not sure if he will sleep on it. So he went back to old one with his favorite bear, Fuzz. However, since he dreamed of Fuzz and he saw it was in his new bed, he decides to move on to new bed.

This is a good book for children 3-5 years old since children have great physical development in this period, but they are not realizing that they need to move on to satisfy their new needs. Children tend to stick with familiar things because it gives them security and sense of belongings. When they read this book, they feel more comfortable to deal with something new and unfamiliar

This book uses bright colors, clear and big size of pictures; children will be attracted by these pictures. the pictures show clear about the boy’s face, so when children see these pictures, they can learning different mood from the boy’s facing expression, and postures.Some sentences hint to children that they are already grown up, so they need to use the property things of their ages. For example “’I am a big boy’ insisted Billy.” When parents read this sentence to children, the action should be very firm to show to children that they grown up, so they need do things as big kids.



Presentation ways:
1) Magnet board: I can use a cookie can pretend a stage, and using little pieces of magnet to stick on the other objects (father, mother, Billy, the seal man, two workers, bears, a crib, and a big boy bed).

2) Felt board: I can use a big felt board as a stage. I need to cut other objects (father, mother, Billy, the seal man, two workers, bears, a crib, and a big boy bed) by felt too.

3) Storytelling with music: because this story has various emotions of children, so I can play music which can use different melody to show boy’s emotion to match the slops of the book. It could be clearer for children to understand the feeling of accepting new things.

Extension:

1) Real objects: If kindergartens have, I want to talk this story on a big boy bed, and put a crib beside the bed, a doll (a boy), and I also need some teddy bears.

2) Activities: children can act show depends this story. The roles are: mother, father, and Billy, also they need teddy bears, and a big and a small mat which can pretend big boy bed, and the crib.

3) Discussion: Asking children questions, for example: do you have any similar experiences? Have you change anything which you cannot use since you grow up?