Shoo, “Old Black Fly”!
Old Black Fly gets into everything in this bouncy, rhyming alphabet book written by Jim Aylesworth and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. He nibbles on noodles, pesters the parrot, sniffs the salami, until the end – swat! The refrain of “Shoo fly, shoo fly, shoo!” (repeated on almost every page) is perfect to get little ones chiming in. Before we read the book, I tell my listeners to help me shoo that fly away by waving their hands on the cue of “shoo fly…” After reading, I put on “Shoo Fly – Don’t Bother Me” by Sweet Honey in the Rock (from their album I Got Shoes, Music for Little People, 1994). We get out the scarves and practice shooing flies away while we dance. It’s a great letter-knowledge/phonological awareness/rhyming lesson for your Body Smart wiggly ones!
Falling for “Falling for Rapunzel”
“‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, throw down your hair!”
She thought he said, ‘Your underwear.'”
Like the old game of Telephone, messages get garbled in Falling for Rapunzel, a fractured fairy tale by Leah Wilcox and Lydia Monks. Each time the prince calls up to Rapunzel in her tower, Rapunzel misunderstands. Throw down her locks, or her dirty socks? This silly rhyming book fits beautifully into a fairy tale unit, but I like it as a snort-inducing read for Valentine’s Day. After reading this book, play a game of Telephone with your class and see how messages can change from ear to ear. Or give your students prompts to supply goofy rhymes:
“The prince called out, ‘Climb down the vine!’
Rapunzel threw …..”
For more fractured fun, check out Waking Beauty by the same team.
Read MoreGuess Again!
I read Guess Again by Mac Barnett and Adam Rex to a kindergarten class and they laughed so hard I worried about the potential wetting of the carpet. Mac Barnett’s verses set kids up to guess the seemingly simple answer:
“Who’s got white teeth and fiery breath
And scares Sir Frank the Brave to death?
This frightened knight must stop his braggin’.
Who’s spooked our knight? That’s right! A….” (turn the page)
“Dentist, Dr. Larry Roberts.”
Adam Rex’s goofy pictures add to the fun. What look like the shadows of sheep on a page turn out to be abominable snow monsters, and the floppy-eared shadow nibbling carrots in the garden? Why, it’s Grandpa Ned! Your rhyming pros will be delighted with the silly, unexpected answers, and they’ll want to “Guess Again” and again.
You can work this book into a science unit on shadows and light. Let little ones experiment with objects and materials: which ones create shadows and which ones won’t? Using flashlights in a darkened room, let kids trace shadows of objects on white paper, and then use art materials to transform the shadow-shape into something new!
Read MoreWhat a Wonderful World!
Ashley Bryan gorgeously illustrated the classic song written by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele to make a picture book perfect for your music-smart kids. Play Louis Armstrong’s version of the song for your little ones, and then sing-read this book. After listening, take little ones outside and look for colors. Use the phrasing from the book: “I see stop signs of red!” You can write on a sheet of paper: “I see ____ of ____.” Kids can complete the sentence and illustrate it for a classroom book, personal “What a Wonderful World” book, or bulletin board. Play the song while you make the art, and you’ll find yourself agreeing – it is a wonderful world!
Guess Who Is Out of the Den?
