The three books I chose to include in the book basket are Patricia McLachlan’s Sarah, Plain and Tall and Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Grouch Ladybug.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a story of a caterpillar that has an unusual taste for food. It is a good choice because the story is simple; it will be easily understood by very young children. Moreover, it is a good instructional tool as it walks the children through the life cycle of a butterfly, mentions the names of the days of the week, and even names different foods that children will definitely find delightful.
Because the caterpillar in the story is an unusual sort, the story will feed the children’s fantasies with the help of the colorful illustrations in the book. Moreover, the book design will help captivate the kids, as each page has a hole through which the caterpillar eats the food. Prior to the reading of the story, I will sew cloth caterpillars for the children to try to pass through the holes of the book while reading.
Since the story is very short, I will read the whole story to the children, pausing every now and then to emphasize some highlights, as well as some important words, like the names of the days and of the fruits. From time to time, I will ask the children what they think the caterpillar will do next, and name the fruits in the picture. After or even during the reading, I will ask the children to draw a caterpillar surrounded by some of the fruits the unusual caterpillar has eaten. I will ask them to name their caterpillar, as well as identify the fruits they have drawn. Then, I will ask the children to color their drawings.
Since many children like reading the same book over and over, we may re-read the story some other time, making use of their drawings to keep their interest high. Another activity I can do with the children includes naming the days of the week and counting from one to ten (by counting the fruits the caterpillar has eaten). I will wrap up the storytelling with a discussion of the life cycle of a butterfly using colored illustrations.
The Grouchy Ladybug
The Grouchy Ladybug, on the other hand, is a story of a ladybird who challenges another ladybird (his companion) to a fight over some aphids. But when the other ladybug agrees to fight him, he decides that the ladybug is not large enough for him to do battle with. He then embarks on a journey, challenging everyone he encounters to a fight. But as each would agree to fight him, he changes his mind and walks on, searching for a worthier opponent. He encounters a series of increasingly larger animals, until he meets the whale who slaps him with his tail, sending him flying back to his point of origin. Learning his lesson, he eventually decides to be nice.
Despite the use of harsh words which may not be suitable for very young children, The Grouchy Ladybug is also a good story material because it teaches the children lessons on good behavior, respect and sharing what one has with others. Moreover, it is a good educational tool for telling time as the story tells the time each time the Ladybug encounters someone in his journey, and the time of the day is shown at the side of each page. The children will also find the book interesting with its unusual size, as the pages increase with the size of the animal the Ladybug encounters in his journey.
As with the first book, I will read the whole story to the children, showing them the pictures of the creatures the Ladybug meets in his journey, and asking them to describe the creatures. I will also ask them to guess if the creatures would agree to have a fight with the Ladybug.
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Finally, Sarah, Plain and Tall are about a widowed farmer in Maryland who advertises for a wife to help him raise his children — Anna and Caleb. Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton of Maine, writes him a letter and he and the kids write her back, asking her to visit them. When Sarah arrives, she immediately misses home. The children fear she will not stay long. When one day, Sarah goes to town to buy colored pencils to illustrate for the kids the beauty of Maine, the children feared she has left for good. Upon her return, Sarah explains to the kids that although she misses Maine, she would miss the children more if she left them.
A story of abandonment, loss and love, Sarah, Plain and Tall is a good story for children because of its simple but poetic language. Moreover, it is heartwarming; it teaches the children about love, and imparts a good lesson that stepmothers can be as great as the real mother (unlike in other children’s books where stepmothers are depicted negatively). The book also teaches the children to appreciate geography.
As the reading goes on, I will show them the illustrations on the book, and ask them what they think would happen next, especially on the part that Sarah is in town. Activities that may be done before or after reading the story include drawing and illustrations of landscapes, describing and comparing and contrasting the two places mentioned in the story, and then looking upon brochures and travel magazines for pictures of Maine and Maryland.
Since the children best suited to read the book are older than the audience for the first two books, the children may already be allowed to read it on their own, under my supervision. Or, I may read the whole book to them, as children often find that a book is more interesting when it is read to them, with the correct tone of voice and emphasis on important words and interesting parts of the story. To keep the children interested, I will show them the illustrations every time I turn the page. Occasionally, I will ask the children during the reading how they would feel if they were the kids to keep them glued to the unfolding of the story.
Bibliography
Carle, E. (1996). The Grouchy Ladybug. USA: HarperTrophy.
________. (1994). The Very Hungry Caterpillar. USA: Philomel.
McLachlan, Patricia. (2004). Sarah, Plain and Tall. USA: HarperTrophy.