Rhyming books

1) Book title: Llama Llama Misses Mama 
2) APA Citation:


Dewdney, Anna (2009). Llama Llama Misses Mama. New York: Penguin Group.

3) ISBN #: 0-8050-6369-2

4) This book, “Llama Llama Misses Mama” by Anna Dewdney is part of a series in her Llama Llama book collection. It is a rhyming book with lots of expressive illustrations about a little Llama who is starting his first day of preschool. Llama Llama gets to meet his new teacher and make new friends at school, but he suddenly becomes upset when his mama leaves. It is a great book for teaching children about their first day of school or about a new chapter in their life. It also teaches children about concepts such as missing somebody they care about, the importance of friendships, what happens when they feel scared or shy, and also teacher-student relationships. This book is extremely heart-warming and brings about a sense of relief to see that Llama Llama discovers that he loves both his mama and school too. It is also a great way to relate to children’s separation anxiety from their parents. Children can also learn effective coping strategies at school and know that they will see their guardian/parents when the school day is over. This also gives them an opportunity to learn about different animals and how to support their friends at times of crisis. The colourful pictures also make it engaging for children to use their imagination when thinking about concepts described in the book.

5) I definitely feel that this book is appropriate for children that are three to five years of age. The vocabulary used in this book is within their comprehension and is filled with amazing action words. The only complicated words I think some children might not know the exact meaning of are, “llama, chugga-choo, snug, moan, peek and fuss”. If there are more I will be sure to emphasize the meaning through the tone of my voice or by highlighting the expressive illustrations used to describe the words. Also, the fact that this is a rhyming book in which each sentence follows the previous one in terms of the action displayed, makes it easier for a child to differentiate or associate between different words. This is a great way to build up their vocabulary. The amount of print on each page consists of about two to four sentences that are placed appropriately within the pictures displayed. I also feel that the use of images really helps a child relate words such as “chugga-choo,” which are only used to describe sounds. However, children can also learn to associate it with the movement of a train. I have no doubt in my mind that this is a book that would keep their interest.

Furthermore, I have learnt not to underestimate the power of vocabulary, so even if I come across a book in which words are not as challenging, I can use strategies such as putting sticky notes where I want to pause the story when I reach a certain phrase I like. For instance, in this particular book I can pause at then end of the sentence, “Kids are cuddled, sitting snug,” and ask the children if they can think of words that rhyme with “snug” in order to increase their vocabulary. This book is definitely something that children in that age range can relate to about concepts such as friendships, missing someone, first day of school, student-teacher relationships, etc. I also believe that this can have children engaged for a long period of time.

6) As previously mentioned, the illustrations used in this book are extremely expressive; which I feel is definitely appropriate for the large amount of action words used in this book. I found it interesting that Anna Dewdney is both the author and illustrator of her Llama Llama series of books. This clearly shows that she has put a lot of thought in terms of using bright vibrant colours, through the use of mediums such as paint. The illustrations are appropriate for any of the emotions that are being conveyed within the story. For instance, children would love them because the pictures have lots of detail in terms of the different facial expressions, specific activities that are taking place, and also differentiating between the different types of objects and animals. I was truly drawn to them because I felt like my mood changed with the different emotions that Llama Llama portrayed. For example, I felt great empathy when Llama Llama was missing his Mama. However, when he was able to make new friends and reunite with his Mama at the end of the day; I was able to take a deep breath and felt extremely calm and warm inside.

7) Provocations:

In order to build background knowledge and provoke interest in the children, I would print out a large picture of a llama as illustrated in the book and stick it on the classroom ceiling. I would go about using the provocation to encourage questions from the children, such as what is a llama? What does a llama look like in real life? Have they seen real llamas at the zoo or on television? I would also encourage them to examine its features and see if they can relate it to other animals they are familiar with, such as a lamb, cow, giraffe etc. I would also let them think about what countries llamas can be found and what are the types of food/drink they typically have?

Another provocation could be to read a poem about a child’s first day of school or the concept of fears a child might face, or even friendship. This is a great way to introduce the concept of rhyming to a child, but at the same time enable them to think about a particular issue in a book that you want to discuss. Furthermore, it can also encourage them to find effective coping strategies and offer appropriate solutions as well.

8) Possible ways to present the story:

Magnet board: I can use a cookie sheet as a board for the background of the story. I can then use small magnets attached to each character (Llama Llama, Mama, Zebra teacher, and some of his friends). I can also draw pictures of different objects and laminate them to portray different environments. I could also draw pictures of different emotions and attach them to magnets so that the children can relate to how each character feels and thinks.

Felt story: I could use a huge black felt board and add different felt pieces to portray the different characters and environments. I can also cut out huge felt pieces to portray different emotions and ask each child to pick which one they feel applies to a certain part of the book. I personally prefer to make my own felt stories; however, another option would be to purchase ready made felt story sets from 3H Craftworks society, and buy materials from Michaels, or the dollar store.

Story basket: I could have a basket which is covered with a blanket or decorative material which can evoke a sense of mystery as to what is inside. Inside the basket, I could have: stuffed animals or pictures that represent the different characters, pictures of different symbols of emotions, and also different objects such as toys or real objects that represent what can be found at home and what can be found at school.

Reading the book: When I read the book out loud, I will definitely chunk the book and stop at certain places to wonder about what will happen next. For example, what will happen when Mama leaves Llama Llama at school in the morning. I can ask children, “What wonders do you have about this?” and ask them to think about how it makes them feel. I can also stop at particular illustrations that I feel are extremely expressive and ask them to describe what they see. I could also ask them about the use of colour or even differentiate between different objects. Another way I could chunk the book is to use sticky notes that cue me to stop at words that are good adjectives, or action words. I can also choose words I feel the children might not know the meaning of and use that as an opportunity for them to find words that rhyme with it or simply expand their vocabulary.

9) Possible extensions for learning:

Art: Children can talk about what it feels like to miss somebody they care about. Although the book mentions Llama Llama missing his Mama, children can think about other significant people in their life that they are closest to. For example, it could be their brother, sister, father, aunt, uncle, best friend, cousin etc. They can then make cards for those special people to tell them how much they care about them or miss them. They can even draw a picture of that person on the front of the card, or draw what they like about them. If children cannot write at that age, they can draw pictures or smiley faces to demonstrate how that person makes them feel. We can then gather all the cards together and make a class book/album, which can give each a child an opportunity to view it when they feel alone or scared at school. These can also give children a sense of ownership and feel unique about their contribution to a class activity that is meaningful to them in their own special way.

Game: Another possible extension could be to play a name game which encourages children to get to know one another better. They can relate to the concepts in the book such as the first day of class, and how to make new friends and care for them. The game is called “Name Plus”, which introduces endless ideas for children to describe themselves and get to know their friends better. For instance, a child says their name plus: their favourite animal or ice cream flavour, favourite season, what makes them happy, favourite thing about school, favourite hobby etc. Children can go around in a circle and repeat this until everybody has had an opportunity to describe themselves and what they like.

Note: This can also be done with their least favourite things as well.

Role play: Children can engage in role play that emphasizes the different emotions or action words that are portrayed within the story. For instance, children can take turns being the new student or act out how it feels to be scared, shy, happy, care about their friends etc. Other emotions that this book emphasizes on are feeling happy, surprised, sad, fearful, feeling loved, or what it is like to be lonely. They can also place a great emphasis on action words such as sitting snug, shaking their head, make a little moan when they feel alone, and also how to play hide and seek.

Children’s discussion: I can encourage children’s group participation by asking questions about particular parts of the story that they found to be the most interesting. I can also help them relate to each character by describing their emotions and what fears they may have faced. In addition, I can encourage children to expand on their vocabulary by finding words that rhyme with specific verbs or adjectives in the book.