What! Cried Granny

Lum, K. (2002). What! Cried Granny. An almost bedtime story.
         New York: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers.
ISBN# 0-14-230092-6
What! Cried Granny. An Almost Bedtime Story is about a boy named Patrick who is having his first sleep over at his grandmother’s house. As evening approaches and bedtime nears, a night of activity ensues for Granny. Whenever Granny tells Patrick to go to bed, Patrick mentions that he is missing an item. Granny races to construct this item so that Patrick is able to go to sleep. Granny ends up building a bed, a pillow, a blanket, and a teddy bear. By the time Patrick has all that he needs, its morning (Lum, 2002)!

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This book is comical. Each time Patrick mentions that he is missing something Granny cries “WHAT?”(Lum, 2002, p. 4). If a funny voice is used each time Granny yells, one could enhance the comedic value of this publication when presenting the story.

There is a pattern and rhythm that is evident as the story progresses.  With each statement from Patrick “But Granny I don’t have a ------” Granny responds “WHAT?”(Lum, 2002, p. 5-6) which gets longer and eventually becomes “WHAAAAT?!!?” (Lum, 2002, p. 18). This could prove to be interactive and engaging.

This is a very action oriented book with a sequence of events that is summarized (and repeated) allowing for connections to be drawn from item to action. Granny requests for Patrick to “climb into bed, lay your head on the pillow, tuck the blanket under your chin and give your teddy bear a hug” (Lum, 2002, p. 21).  This sentence starts earlier in the book and is repeated with the addition of each item, until this last and final summary.

This book could also introduce the concept of manmade items and their origins. This may stimulate connections to nature, materials and construction. I would hope that the children also connect to their personal belongings and possibly gain a greater appreciation for their commodities.

Color references such as “a restful shade of blue’ (Lum, 2002, p. 7) and “the prettiest shade of twilight purple’” (Lum, 2002, p.15) augment this wildly colorful book. The illustrations were produced with acrylic paint on art board. I believe these vibrant and large illustrations may evoke a sense of excitement; inspiring creation and experimentation. This daring color palette is a beautiful invitation to originality.

I would provoke interest in the book before presenting it, in the following ways:

Provocation #1
I would create a large laminated poster by photocopying the double spread illustration of
Granny building Patrick’s bed on page 5/6. This is the most detailed image in the book with a big construction plan surrounded by inset images of Granny’s step-by-step process.
I would post this on a wall at eye level and place a bright red toolbox to the side of this poster.

Provocation #2
I would create a scene out of the book in a section of the room:

Granny sews Patrick a pillow by stuffing a cloth bag full of feathers and sewing it up (Lum, 2002). I would place a cloth bag with feathers and a sewing machine on a low table. I would include pieces of cloth and thread.

Granny spins wool into yarn to make Patrick a blanket, which she then dyes purple (Lum, 2002). I would rent or borrow a spinning wheel and display it with yarn and a sealed container of purple dye. There is a Greater Vancouver Spinners and Weavers Guild, which I would utilize as a resource www.gvwsg.com for this provocation.

Provocation #3
I would use a felt board and place a “WHAT” word bubble on it. The following day I would add Granny to the felt board.

Provocation #4
I would recreate Patrick’s colorful bed somewhere in the room. I could do this by turning a table upside down, wrapping blue material around the base and legs to make the blue bed frame. I would add a red comforter and blankets or cushions to depict the red mattress and provide a purple blanket and pillow.

Provocation #5
I would create a slide of six images
A sheep and beside it wool
a chicken and beside it feathers
a tree and beside it wood.
I would leave the slide up all day and have a wondering session the following day providing information about these resources.

After a week of provocation, I would present this story in one of four ways:

I would present this story with a felt board, felt characters, and images. These would include: a bed, a bed with a blue frame, a blanket, a purple blanket, a chicken, a pair of scissors, a pillow, some sheep, the sun, a grandmother character, a boy character, trees, a house, a hammer and saw, a window with curtains, a feather, a light bulb, knitting needles, a sewing needle, wool, and lastly three word bubbles containing the print “WHAT?”, “WHAAAT?!” and “WHAAAAT?!!?” (Lum, 2002, p. 4,13,18).   3H Crafts, does not carry a felt story for this publication. They may be able to pull these components from existing stories and will be confirming this order by the end of the week.

A second way that I would present this story is as a prop box. I would collect the following items: a little bed, a paint brush, a small bottle of blue paint, a little piece of cloth, a little bucket, a purple piece of cloth, scissors, a pre made mini pillow, a feather, cotton wool, a grandmother doll, a little boy doll, a small branch, a toy hammer, a teddy bear with a red ribbon, a knitting needle, a spool of thread, a sewing needle and recipe cards with the print “WHAT?, “WHAAAT?!” and “WHAAAAT?!!?”(Lum, 2002, p. 4,13,18). I would use a simple shoebox to place all of these items and paint it a bright color to match one of the illustrations in the book.

A third way that I would present this story is as a story vine. I would color photocopy and laminate certain images from the book. I would use a piece of string and clothes’ pins to affix the images too. The laminates would include: Patrick, Granny, three speech bubbles containing the print “WHAT?”, “WHAAAT?!” and “WHAAAAT?!!?” (Lum, 2002, p. 4,13,18),
the trees on page 4, the bed on page 8, a real feather, granny with the pillow on page 11, the sheep on page 14, the image of granny dyeing the blanket on page 15, the teddy bear on page 19, and an image of the sun laminated to depict morning. To aid my presentation I would write my script/story on the back of each piece before lamination.

A fourth way I would like to present this story is by creating 6 large linear drawings of the key parts of the story. I would have these in a stack in front of me on a table and lift them up and place them down as I tell the story. These illustrations would be black drawings on white foam core. There would be a section on each board that would be cut out. As a provocation and group project, I would provide sheets of card stock divided into sections for each child to decorate with materials such as cloth, jewels, pencil crayons, during the week prior to telling the story. I would slip these decorated sheets of card stock into each of the cutout sections. I would adapt the story with the children’s artwork to include their artistic expression into the story. For example when presenting the story instead of mentioning a blue bed I would mention the colours and designs the children created. Their artwork would be emphasized against the white backdrop and be the main point of focus incorporating the idea of color and creativity.
 

During my presentation I would wonder with the children. There is a silent character, a dog, which appears throughout the story. This character is active in so many illustrations and provides a great opportunity to wonder. I wonder what the dog’s name is? I wonder if this is Granny’s dog? What shall we name him or her? I wonder what dog is thinking? I wonder what dog is doing? Look at how silly dog is? I wonder why dog is so silly!!! This would provide an awareness of animals and our shared experiences. This character adds to the humorous of this book and is prevalent once spotted. This character adds another dimension to this book and encourages focus.

On page 4 Granny runs out to her yard to chop down a tree. I would wonder:
I wonder how many trees Granny has in her yard? This may provoke the concept of
our environment and the idea of limited resources? On page 17 I would wonder what Granny is going to do? I wonder how Granny knows how to make so many things? These wonders could encourage arts, crafts and being resourceful.

I would not chunk this book, as it is a perfect length to read in one sitting. If the children were making connections, and were interested in discussing these connections in greater detail, I would stop and allow the conversation.

This book would lead me into the following extensions:

Extension #1

I would sew mini pillows with the children. I would provide material, and the filling. The children would choose their material, which would be pre-sewn except for one opening, they would stuff their pillow and I would sew them closed. A variation of this idea would be to dye pillowcases. We could learn about the creation of colors through this activity.

Extension #2
I would organize a wool spinner to provide a demonstration of spinning wool.

Extension #3
I would take the children on a field trip to see sheep shearing.

Extension #4
I would tie the book into Naptime and encourage everyone to bring a teddy bear and a blanket. We would use the pillows we made.

Extension #5

I would organize a day for children to invite a grandparent to be present for the reading of the book.  I would also like to incorporate and encourage any grandparents who were willing to come in and teach a craft.
  

The Terrible Plop

Written by: Ursula Dubosarsky
Illustrated by: Andrew Joyner
Published by: FSG kids
August 2009
ISBN-10: 0374374287
ISBN-13: 978-0374374280

This book is the adventure of six little rabbits who get scared off by a terrible “PLOP” during their afternoon snack by the lake. They try to escape through the forest, warning the other animals and triggering an alarming frenzy. They are not aware that they are heading towards Bear, who does not like being disturbed during his afternoon sunbath in his peaceful oasis. Fearless and courageous, Bear decided to challenge this horrible “PLOP”, annoyed by the fact that he might not be the most terrifying beast in the area. Guided back toward the terrible noise by the littlest rabbit, Bear quickly realised how frightened he was, and gets scared off as well. Luckily, the courageous little rabbit noticed that the terrible “PLOP” was just the sound of an apple falling into the water. The moral of this story: sometimes, some noises are not as scary as you might think, and the littlest rabbit was actually the most courageous one of all to realise there was no reason to be scared in the first place of “a silly old plop” (Dubosarsky,2009).

I believe this book would be great for children 3 to 5 years old because it introduces emotions and fears. It would be a good way to help children to understand and control the spontaneous reactions fears can sometimes trigger. It is a book full of actions and amusing rhyming, and it is dynamic and visually expressive with illustrations that are bright and colourful, which can easily catch children’s attention. In addition, the illustrator included some real images throughout the book, which add a little something special to it. I think the variety of characters in the book gives a great opportunity to make silly voices and a multitude of facial expressions.

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I would provoke the children with the image (or it could be a painting) of the animals running scared on page 11-12 of the book. At the beginning of the week, I would put it on the wall and let them discuss what this means. After a while, I would say, “I wonder what they are escaping from. They seem very scared!”This book would be a great provocation for the children with less self-confidence, and would send a good message for those who get easily scared off by things and noises. Another way could be to listen to different sounds, and let them explain how they feel about each of the sounds, what it represents for them. If I have access to a projector, I would project various images of the book onto the wall and see what kind of discussions and reactions it triggers.

How I would present the book to the children:

1.    Felt story – From fun coloured foam I have cut out every animal in the story (6 rabbits, fox, monkey, cat, pig, elephant, tiger, bat, leopard, goose, antelope, moose, bear), the apple tree, apple, the lake, the ‘PLOP’, even the rabbit’s snack. I would read the story and display what is happening on the board one thing at the time. When the children know the story by heart, I would let them put the animals on the board themselves.

2.    Magnet story – I would either make all the pieces (same pieces as above) with foam or fimo. While I am reading the story, I would introduce the pieces on a metal board or on a cookie tray and act out all the actions. Afterwards, I would let the children play with the pieces and recreate the story in their own words.

3.    Theatre display – On a long piece of paper, I would paint the story, and wrap it around two bottles in a theatre frame made out of a box. While reading the story to the children, the images will appear fluently in front of them.

4.    Line story – With the line story, I would need the children’s participation. All I need is real photos of all the animals of the book and some drums. While reading the story, the children would come up and display their images on the line. All the other children would play the drums to recreate the noise of the animals running together.

5.    Yoga – If I were using this way, I would leave room for the children to use their creativity, I would ask them to create poses that portray the animals in the book. Also, I would take photos of the children doing their poses and make yoga cards with them.

Whichever way I use to present my book, I would recreate a sound when the apple falls in the lake (either with a drum, by tapping the floor or by dropping something in water). While reading the book I would pause many times and wonder with the children. On page 11-12 of the book, I would ask them if they can see any animals I did not mention, I would let them look at the image for a while, and let them connect and discuss. For example, on page 13-14, the bear is drinking something – I would say, “I wonder what he is drinking!” Around the end of the book, on page 24, when the bear arrives at the lake waiting for “the PLOP”, I would say, “I wonder what’s going to happen! What do you think?” I would like the children to be aware of the characters’ facial expressions throughout the book, and discuss with them what kind of emotion\feeling this might be. What could trigger this feeling in your life? How would you deal with it?

After reading the book, there are many ways to extend the subject. I could let the children explore sounds with water, let them drop different objects in the water and document the sounds. Another way would be to listen to many different types of noises and create conversations around it (what would scare them in the night or when they are alone). Also, I could bring back the rhymes throughout the day; “We cannot stop! We must get away from the Terrible PLOP!” (Dubosarsky, 2009) Yoga could also become an extension after the book, by bringing back the animal poses for fun or simply for calming the tensions and the stress children can undergo. Documenting all the poses would be a great way for children to relate to the book in the future.

Little Cloud

           

 Carle , E. (2001) . Little cloud.  New York: Puffin Books.

ISBN   978-0-698-11830-0

          This book is about  the journey of a little cloud that drifts along the sky. This cloud changes into the shapes of many things it saw throughout this journey. There is time of solitude in this adventure but when little cloud joins the other clouds again it begins to rain.

The main reason I would use this book with three to five- year old children is because the story invites both children and teacher to observe the creativity of nature  and together enjoy the responses of our imagination. It is a captivating story since it provokes wonder in several parts of the book. The text is age appropriate and not too lengthy.

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The illustrations are beautifully, brightly and artistically made. There are textured collages that bring out the beautiful colors and a mix of crayons that was used to represent the rain in the end of the story. The children would be drawn to the illustrations because they invite curiosity by the shapes they form. The illustrations also evoke a harmonious yet shifting mood... one travels with the cloud. I was personally drawn to this book because of its aesthetic aspect and the content of the story itself that  allows interaction and imagination. It invites us to observe nature which I believe to be very important for us as educators and for the children. The cover “spoke” to me as I noticed a smile on Little Cloud.

To build the background (create a provocation) for the children, I would stick a “cloud” on to the window. This cloud would be made out of cotton balls glued on to a cloud shaped paper(representing Little Cloud). Once the children begin a conversation I would invite them to sit by the window and observe the sky. Throughout the day I would exchange the  shapes( with the felt figures) of  the clouds, as mentioned in the story, on the window. The next day I would read the book and observe the children’s observations and connections.

Four ways to present the book: Little Cloud by Eric Carle

1) Drama ( audience participation)

Material:

-    8 ponchos( made of white fleece or other fabric, white towel,sheet) for children

-    1 poncho for teacher

-    Little Cloud ( the one used for provocation)

-    rain stick

Presentation:

-   Teacher invites children to sit in a circle. ( Choose best hour of the day for your class).

-   Give an introduction of what will happen, that we are going to act out the story as the teacher      tells it.

-  Offer a poncho for each child and  have them put it on. If a child doesn’t want to wear it, just leave the poncho available for possible future interest of child in participating as the story commences. Teacher wears her poncho too.

-  Teacher begins telling the story by presenting Little Cloud and making movements that represents the drifting across the blue sky to begin the  journey! Little Cloud goes down and touches the house and tree tops and the other clouds move upwards to the sky. Little Cloud invites us all to travel together and  change into the shapes of  the things that it sees.

-  Teacher continues the story and in every new shape, allow children to use their bodies and form the shapes of the cloud.

-  As teachers tells the story, invite wondering time...”I wonder what shape Little Cloud will change into?”

-  At the end, teacher says that the other clouds are coming back and invite Little cloud to join them. Have all children stand up and  hold hands together to form a huge cloud, move in a circle as if the wind was blowing and then using the rain stick make the sound of rain...children gently fall down as if they were rain.

2) Nature Walk (or outside area of school)& Reading Story

Material:

-  Little Cloud (from provocation)

-  Book

Presentation:

- Teacher invites children to go outside on a cloudy day ( park or outside area of school).

-  Find a nice place to sit. If in the park, begin the story in one location then get up and walk a little to find a new spot to sit and observe the clouds from another position. 

-  Teacher begins reading the story using Little Cloud as a prop.

-  As story flows have children observe the sky to look at the clouds and see the shapes described in the story. If they don’t see the same shapes what other shapes can they see?

-   The story ends with Little Cloud joining again the other clouds and together they form the rain.

3) Basket Story (with audience participation)

Material:

-   Basket

-   Cloth

-   Cotton (larger chunks, not the cotton balls), enough for children to make shape out of it

-   rain stick

-   Little cloud

Presentation:

-   Invite children to gather around the covered basket.

-   Remove the the cloth and spread it on the floor in the centre of the circle.

-  Begin telling the story by presenting Little Cloud and as you begin telling about the shapes get out of the basket a chunk of cotton for every child.

-   Have the children make the shapes with the cotton piece as the shapes change along with the story. Let them use their creativity as they do the shapes (no right/wrong).

-   As the story comes to the end join Little Cloud with all the other cotton chunks of the children and use the rain stick that will represent the rain at the end of the story.

4) Felt Board

material:

-  Felt board ( blue background if possible)

-  Felt pieces:

     Little Cloud (with a faded smile)

     Giant Cloud ( with faded smile)

     other clouds (5 other pieces)

     few houses (3)

     few trees (3)

     sheep (cloud)

     airplane(cloud)

     shark (cloud)

     two trees  (cloud)

     rabbit (cloud)

     hat (cloud)

     clown (cloud)

     rain drops

- rain stick

Presentation:

-  Teacher invites children for story time.

-  Tell the story with the felt figures.

Observation:

-  I did not find ready-made pieces.  I enjoy  making crafts and personally this is a way to “relax”. So this is a story that I will make the pieces myself.

-  The pages I would stop to wonder would be: (  obs. no numbers on pages)

                   When Little cloud changes into a giant cloud. “ I wonder how it became giant ?”

                   When Little Cloud changes into a hat “ I wonder what is going to happen ?”

                   When little Cloud joins the other clouds again “ I wonder where the other clouds

                     went and what they saw?”

-  I would not “chunk” this book because it is not extensive and also there is a “ flow” that I  

   would prefer not to interrupt.

Extension Possibilities:

1)  Art ( making their book of clouds)

-  An activity that could be done throughout the month, choosing alternate days to go outside and   

    observe the clouds to find shapes that they can register it in their book.

-  Give them little booklets to document their observations

-   Offer different kinds of materials each time they go out to observe and make their art work.

   Materials: paint, water color, crayons, pencils, colored cotton and glue, yarn pieces....

2) Science

-  Explore in more depth the formation of clouds

-  Have conversation about  weather conditions

-  Make a calendar of the months and daily register whether there is a formation of clouds

3)  Discussion (social aspect)

-  Talk about how there are moments where we can do many things alone...Little Cloud trailed

   behind as the other clouds went on. Little Cloud could observe and pay attention to things

   around.  

-  Talk about how it is good to join back together, the clouds could “make” rain together.

-   Discuss about relationships among each other.

   

         

The Rainbow Fish

Pfister, M. (1996).  The rainbow fish.  New York: North-South Books Inc.

ISBN number: 978-55858-536-2

Description:

                  This book is about sharing.  It is about a fish, named Rainbow Fish, that has a bunch of shiny scales.  In the beginning, this fish thinks he is too pretty to play with all the other fish.  One day, a fish asked him if he could have one of his scales and Rainbow Fish said no.  Rainbow Fish wondered why he had no friends and a starfish told him to go see the octopus for advice.  After Rainbow Fish went to see the octopus, the little blue fish approached him again and asked for on of his shiny scales.  Rainbow Fish shared all his shiny scales with all the fish and they all became friends.

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Why use it with 3-5 year olds:

                  I would use this book for three to five year olds because it shows children how a little bit of sharing goes a long way.  It also shows children how they could share something that is valuable to them.  The book also shows children sharing can make everyone around them happier.

Illustrations:

                  The illustration in this book is hand drawn with shading of different colors.  They evoke a calm mood in the book.  The children may enjoy the illustrations in this book because there are shiny parts in the book.  And they are simple enough for children to focus on the drawings.  I was drawn to the drawings of the book because Rainbow Fish actually had shiny scales in the book.  And the illustrator also used some bright colors that attracted my attention as well.

Provocations:

1.     Have your felt board out and have Rainbow fish with all his shiny scales on.  After a little while, change it to Rainbow Fish with one shiny scale and have one fish with one shiny scale.  Keep adding fish with one shiny scale on throughout the day.

2.     Put out the felt pieces on Popsicle sticks or straws on an activity table.  And see what kinds of story the young children come up with.

3.     If a child has just gone to the aquarium with their family, and became really interested in fish.

4.     If you have a new child join the group or if you see children not sharing toys. 

Presentation of the book:

1.     Felt story

·       Materials:

o   Felt board

o   Felt pieces (Can be bought from 3H Crafts)

§  Rainbow Fish

·       One with all his shiny scales

·       One with just one shiny scale

§  Octopus

§  Blue Fish

·       One with no shiny scales

·       One with one shiny scale

§  Starfish

Have a felt board in front of your feet at an angle.  Have the pieces in order beside you so as you tell the story, you don’t have to fumble with the pieces. 

2.     Role Play

·       Materials

o   Headbands for each child (Homemade and laminated for durability)

o   One Rainbow Fish with removable shiny scales

o   One octopus

o   One starfish

o   Some others, blue fish

Have a child as Rainbow Fish, one as the octopus, one as the starfish and the rest be the blue fish.  Read the story out loud and have the children act it out.  In the end, have Rainbow Fish share the shiny scales with all the other fish.  For the following time, if you’re working with the same group of children, change the roles up.

3.     Puppet Show

·       Use the felt pieces and put them on Popsicle sticks or straws to act out the book with a puppet theatre.

·       Or you can use your own puppet to introduce and read the book to the children.

4.     Story Blanket

·       Materials

o   One large blue handkerchief or blanket

o   Fish tank accessories like pebbles and seaweed

o   Toy fish with shiny scales (Making removable shiny scales would be best)

o   Toy starfish

o   Toy octopus

o   A few toy blue fish

Put the large handkerchief or blanket on the ground to show where the story is taking place.  Place some of the pebbles and toy seaweed on the handkerchief to make it look like it’s under water.  Act out the story with all the props on the handkerchief.

Wondering

·       Stop and wonder on page 2 about how that blue fish felt when Rainbow Fish didn’t share his shiny scales.

·       Page 3 à Wonder what the octopus would tell Rainbow Fish.

·       Page 4 à Wonder if Rainbow Fish would do what octopus told him to do.

Extensions

1.     Making artwork of Rainbow Fish.  Have a template of a fish.  Cut out fish shape for children to decorate.  Draw in eyes and fins.  Use tinfoil and colorful tissue paper for children to glue on the template to decorate their own fish.

2.     Bring in a real fish and have children feed the fish every day.  And also explore what kind of scales a fish has. 

3.     Have colored Goldfish Crackers and start a pattern on a piece of paper.  Give students each a cup full of different colored Goldfish Crackers and ask them to try and finish the pattern given.  Ask the children how they would be able to complete the pattern.  Remind them of the Rainbow Fish and how he shared his scales.  Have children share their Goldfish crackers to finish the pattern on their paper.

The Elves and the Shoemaker

Galdone, P. (1984).  The elves and the shoemaker.

New York: Houghton Mifflin.

ISBN - 13: 978 – 0 – 89919 0 422 -6

PARAGRAPH DESCRIBING THE BOOK CONTENT:

This is a story about a shoemaker and his wife who worked very hard, but became so poor they had only enough leather left to make one pair of shoes.  Before the shoemaker went to sleep, he cut this leather and left it at his workplace.  The next morning the shoemaker was surprised.  A  pair of shoes that were well-stitched and designed were already made.  A customer came in and bought these shoes spending more money than was usual at this shoe shop.  The shoemaker now had enough money to buy leather to make two more pair of shoes.  The same thing happened as the night before but this time two pairs of shoes were made and this continued to happen every day and the shoemaker became rich. 

One night the shoemaker and his wife decided to stay awake to find out who was helping them, so they lit a candle and then hid.  After midnight, two elves came from seemingly nowhere.  They worked quickly and made beautiful shoes and then left.  The next morning, the wife told the shoemaker to make clothes and shoes for these two elves and that evening, they left these offerings on the table for the elves instead of the leather.  After midnight, the two elves came and found the clothes and shoes for them on the table.  They were so happy to wear them that they danced and sang before they left.  They never came back to the shoemaker’s house; however, the shoemaker and his wife lived happily ever after.  

Vocabulary:

Conscience – sense of right and wrong

Astonished – surprised, amazed

Spirit – will

Peeked out – look, glance

Scarcely – barely, hardly, not quite

Breeches – knee-length pants, trousers

Consented – agree

Spruce – elegant

Cobblers – someone whose job is to repair shoes

Prospered – succeed financially

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Why would you use The ELVES and the SHOEMAKER for three to five – year olds?

I think that this would be suitable for 3 to 5-years old because this story is very simple and easy to read.  There are not many characters that appear in this book, so children can remember each character.  Also this story is kind of like a Christmas story.  I believe that most parents have told their children if they do good things such as helping others, being nice to friends, etc., Santa Clause will bring them a gift on Christmas day.  The shoemaker worked very hard and so two elves helped them.  This story would be a good example to apply to daily life where we can switch the elves role to be children and the shoemaker and his wife as their mother, father or other adults.  We can share personal stories asking some questions such as what you would do if people need help, how you have helped people before, etc.  (Of course, children would most likely not be helping others at night; however, they learn they can help people at any time.)  Also there are lots of possibilities to explore questions in this book such as wondering why the elves helped the shoemaker, why the elves did not come back after they got their present from the shoemaker and his wife, and why the elves only came at night.

A comment on the illustrations

This book was very unique in that the illustrations were mainly pencil-drawn.  Most parts of the drawing were black and white but some of the drawing; especially the elves’ tuques, clothes, and shoes, were illustrated using very bright colors.  It was a paper book; however, the outside of the book was made using glossy paper.

The book of the elves and the shoemaker was written by the Grimm Brothers.  I chose the ‘Paul Galdone’ version of the elves and the shoemaker.  Some of the words he used were not familiar and easy to understand for younger children (and even myself); however, most parts were easy to understand. 

I feel children will sense and feel the happiness from the elves who love helping the shoemaker. Also, they may sense happiness and gratefulness from the shoemaker, who was helped by the elves, and made enough money to make more shoes, and buy food and supplies for daily life.   I think that children can enjoy this book because both the shoemaker and the elves are happy in the end: the poor shoemaker becomes happy in the end and the elves also become happy because they are rewarded and get their own clothes.  The book has a happy ending.

I was drawn to this book because I personally believe in miracles.  It is up to people whether they recognize or believe in miracles or not.  If we look closer at daily life, we can find a lot of miracles around us.  For example, a few days ago I was almost late for work and needed to catch the sky train.  Before I arrived at the station, the sky train was already at the station; however, I was still at the bottom of the escalator.  I thought it was too late to catch this train, so I stopped running.  When I started walking up the escalator, I could hear the sky train was still there for longer than usual for some reason and it stayed until I went up and I just made it on.  I also arrived at work 5 minutes early!  I was so happy that day.  For me, it was a small miracle.  I know how long it takes to get from my home to work and I knew that day, it was really impossible to make it on time, but I did! 

Additionally, I read this book when I was in kindergarten and really enjoyed it.  Then, a few years ago, I found out that one of my nieces, who was attending a daycare centre in Japan, played a role in a play of The Elves and the Shoemaker for the parents.  I feel that the story in this book has lots of meaning and good lessons so that educators are still introducing this book to children and finding value in teaching today. 

How would you build background knowledge or provoke interest for the children in the book before your present it?

Building background Knowledge:

First, I am going to put out pictures and toy elves on the floor and table.  Elves are sometimes recognized by children because of movies, TV commercials, cartoons, etc.  I will ask children some questions such as whether they know or recognize elves, and where we can see or expect to find an elf, etc. 

Second, I am going to show a picture of the shoemaker and ask children what kind of job he has.  If they could not guess or come up with the answer, I will show pictures of shoes. Then I will ask some questions such as: whether the children know how to make shoes, or show them or talk to them about the process of how to make shoes by hand. 

Lastly, I will explain some of the words which may not be familiar to 3 -5 year-old children.

Also, the children and I can wonder and talk about a lot of things, such as why the illustrations in the books are mainly black and white, why only the elves have color, what is the connection between the elves and the shoemaker, etc., and share their own ideas.  

Provide a detailed description of at least four ways I might present the book.

1.  Felt Story

I bought a felt story of The Elves and the Shoemaker and felt board from 3H Craftworks Society*.  I will use this to introduce the story to the children.  Before I start the felt story, I will introduce the characters first, so that the children can be familiar with each character.   

Information of 3H Craft Works Society:

2208 West 4^th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6K 1N8 Tel: 604-736-2113

Store Hours: M – F 11:00 am – 6:00 pm, Sat & Sun: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Web: http://www.3hcraftworks.com 

The Elves and the Shoemaker costs $21.95 + Tax (Total is $23.05). 

Felt board costs $7.50 + Tax (Total is $8.40)

There are varieties of selections; however, some of them are sold out.  Special orders take a month.

2. Lamination

I will make color copies of all characters and laminate them first.  Then I can put magnets on the bottom of each character and use a can as a stage to move them on.  Or I can put sand paper behind on each character and attach them to a felt board.

3.  DVD

I have the DVD which shows my niece and her classmates playing roles in the Elves and the Shoemaker when she was attending daycare.  The dialogue is in Japanese; however, I will show it to the children so that they can understand what the story is like visually.  Also the children can see Japanese children in the play.

4. Play The Elves and the Shoemaker.  Before playing this, we will decide who will be which character first and I will ask their parents to bring some things they need to play their roles.  For example, if a child’s role is a customer, I will ask him/her to bring  a favourite pair of their own shoes.  If a child’s role is the shoemaker, I will ask him/her to bring their own apron.  If a child’s role is one of the elves, I will ask him/her to bring their own trousers, socks, shoes, and a vest or a jacket.  I will also prepare lists as below.

Two red tuques, felts or shoe insole (as leather), yarn (as string), chopstick (as needle), wood hammer, scissors, light (as candle), coins, and any other materials needed.

A detailed list of three possible extensions for learning

1.  I will prepare materials such as paper, pencils, coloured pencils, crayons, ink etc. and ask the children to draw what kind of elves they would like to meet if they are the shoemaker.  Each child can share their drawing and talk about their elves; for example, if they have names or gender, why they would like to see these elves, etc.  

2.  After drawing their own elves, I will ask the children if the elves can help them; for example:  what he/she would like them to help with.  Also I will share one of my personal experiences with a child who helped me at work – One day I was hanging clothes using hangers and one of my customers came with her daughter.  There were two leather sofas beside my workstation, and she was sitting there while her mother was looking around the store.  She was watching me for awhile and then asked if she could help me.  I accepted her offer and she started helping me hang the clothes.  Her mother came after and I thanked both of them and explained what had happened.  Her mother told me that her daughter loved helping people.  She often helped her at home and she helped people outside of the home as well.  I was really amazed as she was just 4 years old.

After this story or any other stories, I will ask the children if they would like to share some of their own personal stories or if the children were the elves and their mother, father, or any adults needed their help, what would they do? 

 3.  I will use children’s shoes to introduce numeracy to children.  The children can learn how to count shoes and also they become familiar with numbers.  Once the children are comfortable with simple numbers, we can learn