Teaching With Favorite Jan Brett Books

Teaching With Favorite Jan Brett Books © Jacqueline Clarke, Scholastic Teaching Resources
I
B Y JA C Q U E L I N E C LARKE
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NEW YORK • TORONTO • LONDON • AUCKLAND • SYDNEY

MEXICO CITY • NEW DELHI • HONG KONG • BUENOS AIRES
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Edited by Joan Novelli

Cover and interior design by Kathy Massaro
Interior illustrations by Maxie Chambliss
ISBN: 0-439-39509-7
Copyright © 2005 by Jacqueline Clarke.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Published by Scholastic Inc.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
Contents
About This Book .................................................................................... 4
Meet the Author-Illustrator .................................................................... 5
An Author-Illustrator Study .................................................................... 6
Fritz and the Beautiful Horses .......................................................... 8
Annie and the Wild Animals ............................................................ 13
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ........................................................ 17
The Mitten.......................................................................................... 22
Berlioz the Bear ................................................................................ 26
Trouble With Trolls ............................................................................ 30
Town Mouse, Country Mouse ............................................................ 34
Armadillo Rodeo ................................................................................ 38
The Hat .............................................................................................. 42
Gingerbread Baby .............................................................................. 45
Hedgie’s Surprise .............................................................................. 51
Daisy Comes Home............................................................................ 55
Teaching With Other Favorite Jan Brett Books ........................................ 58
The First Dog .................................................................................. 58
Happy Birthday, Dear Duck .......................................................... 58
Beauty and the Beast...................................................................... 59
The Owl and the Pussycat .............................................................. 59
Comet’s Nine Lives ........................................................................ 60
On Noah’s Ark ................................................................................ 60
The Umbrella .................................................................................. 61
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About This Book
W ith each new book, Jan Brett creates a miniature world for children to
explore. Her “more is more” approach to illustration begs readers to
revisit her books again and again—each time finding something new to delight
their senses. Hidden in the borders or side panels of each story is a second story
just waiting to be discovered.
Jan Brett’s books are full of surprises, yet at the same time they establish a sense
of intimacy with readers. All reflect her love of animals and nature. Many are set
in places she has visited and include people she knows. Even her beloved pets are
central figures in many of her stories. Through her work she has found a way to
communicate with children by blending her everyday world with the one in
which she dreams.
As you share Jan Brett’s books with children, use this resource as a guide for
exploring the different facets of her work. Many of the activities are drawn from
“behind the scenes” information about how the characters, setting, plot, and even
title came to be. Here’s a look at what you’ll find:
{ About Jan Brett: “What did Jan Brett want to be when she was a child?
What were her favorite things to do?” Use the information on page 5 to
answer these and other questions about this favorite author.
{ Before Reading: Suggestions for introducing each of 12 featured books help
activate prior knowledge and teach prediction skills.
{ After Reading: This section includes discussion starters for each book that
target specific reading skills, plus activities for extending learning, including
vocabulary-building ideas, hands-on math lessons, poetry, interactive displays,
class books, and science investigations.
{ Reproducible Activity Pages: These
ready-to-use pages support teaching
with each featured book and
encourage independent learning with
Tip
▲▲▲▲▲
mini-books, games, writing frames,
and more. Planning an Author-Illustrator Study
{ Teaching With Other Favorite Jan If you plan on reading several books by
Brett Books: For additional titles Jan Brett, you might want to conduct an
written and/or illustrated by Jan Brett, author-illustrator study. Suggestions for
and suggestions for teaching with doing so are on pages 6 and 7.
them, see pages 58–61.
4
Meet the Author-Illustrator
an Brett was a shy child who spent much of her time
J drawing and daydreaming. The pictures she drew became

a way of expressing herself. Reading was also a favorite pleasure.
“I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my
beautiful picture books,” she says (from Authors Online; www.scholastic.com). One of her
favorite books was Millions and Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gag. Inspired by the story, she
would imagine that her backyard was filled with cats and she’d picture each one. By the time
she was six years old, she’d woven her love of books and drawing into her dreams for the
future. “If you had gone to my kindergarten class and asked me what I wanted to be, I’d
have said, ‘a children’s book illustrator.’ That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be” (from Meet the
Authors and Illustrators: Volume Two, by Deborah Kovacs and James Preller; Scholastic, 1993).
In 1970, she attended the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, where she refined her artistic
abilities. She began her career in children’s literature as an illustrator of books such as St.
Patrick’s Day in the Morning, by Eve Bunting (Clarion, 1980). At the urging of an editor, she
wrote and illustrated her first book, Fritz and the Beautiful Horses (Houghton Mifflin) in 1981.
Today she lives in Norwell, Massachusetts, with her husband, Joe, a bass player with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra. When she’s not creating picture books, she enjoys horseback
riding, reading, baking, knitting, and needlepoint. She also likes to travel and visits many of
the places that become the settings for her books. “From cave paintings to Norwegian
sleighs to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of many countries I visit and use them as a
starting point for my children’s books” (from About Jan Brett; www.janbrett.com).
Connections to the Language Arts Standards

T he activities found in this book will support you
in meeting the following standards as outlined
by Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory
Writing:
◆ Uses the general skills and strategies of the
writing process
(MCREL), an organization that collects and ◆ Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing
synthesizes national and state K–12 standards: ◆ Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in
written composition
Reading:
◆ Gathers and uses information for research purposes
◆ Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading
process Listening and Speaking:
◆ Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and ◆ Uses listening and speaking strategies for
interpret a variety of literary texts different purposes
Source: Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K–12 Education (4th ed.). Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning, 2004.
5
An Author-Illustrator Study
H elp students make deeper connections between the books, the author-illustrator, and themselves by
planning a Jan Brett author-illustrator study. By comparing characters, settings, illustrations, themes, and
so on, students begin to understand the authoring and illustrating process as well as learn how books “work.”
Author Center
Set up a display area to use throughout your study. Include some or all of the following:
{ books written, retold, and illustrated by the author-illustrator

{ clippings of interviews or articles
{ photos
{ contact information (see Additional Resources, page 7)
{ student projects based on the books
{ copies of related masks, puppets, cards, and clip art (available at the Jan Brett Web site; see
Additional Resources, page 7)
{ book review forms
Introduce the Author

Of all her books, Jan Brett considers Trouble With Trolls to be most representative of her style. “It
has snow, animals, a hedgehog story, and best of all, the hero is a little girl,” she says (from
Authors Online; www.scholastic.com). Use this book to introduce Jan Brett. Share with students
that, like many authors, she writes about what she knows and loves. Throughout the author-
illustrator study, challenge students to look for these same elements in her other books. You may
want to create a chart to record the information and help students make comparisons.
Create a Time Line

Examine Jan Brett’s career as an author-illustrator by creating a time line of her work.
{ Collect as many books by Jan Brett as possible. (See Additional Resources, page 7, for
information.) As you read each one, place the book on the chalkboard tray. Sequence the
books by copyright date to create a time line of titles.
{ Gather students around the time line. Ask: “What does Jan Brett’s work tell you about her as
a person? As a writer? As an illustrator? How has her work changed over the years? What
elements do you think her books share? How would you describe her style?” Encourage
students to give reasons for their responses.
6
Book Tour o o o o
Many of Jan Brett’s books are set in places children have never visited, Additional
such as Norway (Trouble With Trolls), Switzerland (Gingerbread Baby),
and China (Daisy Comes Home). Resources
As you read her books, mark the setting of each story on a world
map. Explain that the author traveled to many, if not all, of these Books
places to take photographs and gather information that she would
The Author Studies Handbook
later use in her stories and pictures. At the end of the study, gather
by Laura Kotch
children around the map. Ask the following: (Scholastic, 1995).
{ “Where does Jan Brett live?” (Norwell, Massachusetts) This resource offers numerous
Mark this on the map. ideas for launching and

carrying out an author study.
{ “Which setting in her books is farthest from her home?
Includes photos and samples of
Closest to her home?” student work.
{ “Which setting in her books is farthest from your home?
Closest to your home?” The Big Book of Picture-Book
Authors & Illustrators
{ “How many books were set in Europe? North America?” by James Preller
(Continue with other continents.) (Scholastic, 2001).
{ “Where would you like the setting of her next book to be?” Jan Brett is included in this
book of 60 profiles of authors
and illustrators. Also available,
Border Art Meet the Authors and
Illustrators: Volume One
Jan Brett’s signature style is characterized by colorful story borders. (Scholastic, 1991).
She uses these to capture her “overflow thoughts.” Annie and the Wild
Animals was the first book in which she used this technique. Web Site
Gather books by Jan Brett that use borders or story panels. Work
together with students to examine each one and identify the purpose The Official Jan Brett Web Site
of the borders or panels in each book—for example, to tell a second (www.janbrett.com)
story or to foreshadow.
Visit Jan Brett’s Web site to find
Read aloud the story Little Red Riding Hood. Let students illustrate
book-related activities and
a page from the story, using borders or panels. They can do this by printouts including masks,
showing the wolf going to Grandma’s house in the main picture while puppets, and props. Educators
Little Red Riding Hood is picking flowers in the borders. Encourage can also request a teacher’s
creativity by focusing on detail in the drawings. pack, which includes
“newsnotes” on many of her
Fascination Boxes books. An e-mail option allows
students to write to the author-
illustrator to suggest book
Jan Brett, like many authors, writes about the things that fascinate
ideas, ask questions, or tell
her, including hens, hedgehogs, and trolls. Ask students to fill a shoe
about their own writing or
box with pictures of things or objects that fascinate them. Let them drawing.
take turns sharing the items with classmates. Encourage them to use
their fascination boxes for inspiration in their writing. o o o o
7
Fritz and the
Beautiful Horses
I
(HOUGHTON MIFFLIN, 1981)
Concepts
and Themes T he citizens do not let Fritz into the walled city because they do not
consider him beautiful. Yet he is gentle, kind, surefooted, and hard
working. Through an act of bravery and heroism, he proves that there is
▲▲▲▲▲▲ more to him than meets the eye.
J horses
J diversity/tolerance Before Reading
J character
Beautiful Is...
J heroism
J perspective Introduce the story with a quick-write in which students define what they
think beautiful means. Together, look up the word in a dictionary. Let
students compare their definitions with the dictionary definition.
Mini-Dictionary
}
Mini-Dictionary
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
mane
}
}
My Horse
Dictionary
}
Create a mini-dictionary to familiarize

}
muzzle
}
mane: the hair

growing
}
children with the horse-related Name from the head

of a horse
and neck muzzle: the nose
and jaws
}
of a horse
}
}
}
}
}
}
vocabulary used in the book. Review

}
coat }
}
}
}
}
}
the words. hoof
coat: the oute
{ Give each child a copy of the r covering

of a horse hoof: the hard
covering
over a horse’s
foot
11
mini-dictionary (page 11), and Teaching With Favorite

Jan Brett Books
Scholastic Teaching
Resources
review the words.

{ Invite students to name other words that relate to horses—for example,
stable and saddle. After reading the story, students can choose a new
word about horses to add to page six of their dictionaries. Have them
draw and label a picture and write a definition.
{ Have students color and cut out the pages, then staple them together
in alphabetical order. Read the book together.
8
After Reading
Use the story to further explore the concept of beautiful and

to make connections to character, theme, and point of view.
{ Ask students to decide whether they think Fritz is beautiful based on

their definition of the word (see Before Reading, “Beautiful Is...”).
{ Write the following sentence starters on the chalkboard and have
students choose one to complete:
Fritz is beautiful because ________________________________ .

Fritz is not beautiful because ________________________________ .
{ Discuss Fritz’s character as it relates to the theme of the story. Ask:

“How has reading the story changed your point of view? What would
you add to or remove from your definition of beautiful? Can your
definition and someone else’s both be right?”
Extension Activities
Beauty Boxes (Social Studies and Language Arts)

Use this lesson to reinforce the use of adjectives and to explore the idea that
beauty can be found inside and out.
{ Elicit adjectives from students that describe Fritz,

such as gentle, kind, and surefooted. Write each
word on a slip of paper.
{ Place the words in a box covered with plain
brown paper and show it to students. Explain that
although this package may not be wrapped
beautifully on the outside, it’s what’s inside that
really counts. Unwrap the package and read the
adjectives aloud.
{ Give each student a box. Invite students to write
adjectives that describe them on the “inside” (such
as kind and curious). Let students decorate their
boxes—for example, with a picture of themselves.
Encourage children to “look inside” to get to
know their classmates and friends better.
9
Tip Hands-On Measuring (Math) Name __________
_______________
_______________
Hands-On Me
___ Date _____
_______________
_____
asuring
▲▲▲▲▲▲ Trace your hand
in the space below
than, larger than,
or the same size
. Use a ruler to
measure its width
A horse’s height is measured by the width of a

as the hand used . Is it smaller
to measure horse
s (4 inches)?
Learn about the breeds,

color markings, anatomy, human hand, with the standard being 4
and gaits of a horse at inches, or 10 centimeters. Use this
this kid-friendly Web site: information as the basis for exploring
The Horse Lover’s Corral: nonstandard and standard measurement.
My hand is
www.angelfire.com/tx2/ inches wide.
Teaching With Favorite

kidshorses/Index3r.html { Share the following information about Measure the
height of four
Object Height in
My Hands Height in
Jan Brett Books

Inches
objec ts in hand
measurements for a pony and a horse: Measure the

same objec ts
s.
Scholastic Teaching
in inches.
pony: fewer than 14.2 hands 12
Resource
ok Links
s
B o horse: 14.2 hands or more
{ Give each child a copy of the record sheet (page 12).

{ Guide students in tracing and measuring their own hand, as well as
using their hand and a ruler to measure objects in the classroom.
A Field Full of Horses
by Peter Hansard { Follow up by letting students share measurements taken with their
(Candlewick Press, 1993). hands and those taken with rulers. How do they compare? Use
Join the author in a “field full results to lead a discussion about the value of standard
of horses” as he describes in measurement.
first-person narrative what he
loves about these animals.
Also included are facts and Word Study: Giddyup! (Language Arts and Movement)
diagrams that teach children
about a horse’s anatomy,
How many verbs can students name that tell how horses move? Use
color, size, and more.
this lively activity to explore this part of speech.
Five O’Clock Charlie
{ Share examples from the book, such as gallop, prance, leap, and
by Marguerite Henry
(Aladdin, 1995).
buck.
Poor old Charlie! Mr. Spinks has { Encourage students to name others, such as trot and canter. List
retired him to a small field, them on a chart.
and he misses his days as a
{ Work together with students to define each verb. Let students take
workhorse. Discover how Charlie
turns choosing one to act out while the class guesses what it is.
finds himself a new job and
feels important once again.
My Pony Book
by Louise Pritchard
(DK Publishing, 1998).
Each two-page spread
features photographs,
diagrams, and short
paragraphs that teach
children how to care for
a pony.
10
Mini-Dictionary
}
}
}
}
}
} }
}
}
} mane
}
My Horse
Dictionary muzzle
}
mane: the hair growing
}
muzzle: the nose and jaws
}
from the head and neck
Name of a horse of a horse
}
}
}
}
}
}
} } }
}
}
coat
hoof
coat: the outer covering hoof: the hard covering

of a horse over a horse’s foot
11
Name ___________________________________________ Date _________________________
Hands-On Measuring
Trace your hand in the space below. Use a ruler to measure its width. Is it smaller
than, larger than, or the same size as the hand used to measure horses (4 inches)?
My hand is inches wide.
Height in Height in
Object My Hands Inches
Measure the
height of four
objects in hands.
Measure the
same objects
in inches.
12
Annie and the
Wild Animals
I
(HOUGHTON MIFFLIN, 1985)
W hen Annie’s cat disappears, she hopes to find a new pet by leaving corn
cakes at the edge of the wood. Her plan works, but none of the animals
are quite what she expected. Just when she thinks she’ll never find a new pet,
Concepts
Taffy reappears joined by many small, furry friends.
and Themes
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Before Reading J animals

J winter
Pet Detectives J pets
Introduce the story with a sorting exercise that encourages students to J problem solving
answer the question, “What makes a good pet?” Gather several pictures of
animals. If possible, include the animals from the book. Divide the class into
small groups. Give each group a set of pictures. Ask students to sort the
animals into two groups: “makes a good pet” and “doesn’t make a good pet.”
Let groups take turns naming the animals in each category. Discuss why
some animals make good pets while others do not. Introduce the terms wild
and domesticated.
After Reading
Use the story to explore character development and to examine

the degree to which a character changes as a result of his or her
experiences.
{ How did Annie feel at the beginning of the book?

{ How did Annie feel at the end of the book?
{ What caused her feelings to change?
{ Has this story changed you in any way?
13
Sometimes I Feel Lonely (Social Studies and Language Arts)

Throughout much of the story, Annie feels lonely. Take time to explore this
emotion with children.
{ Write “lonely” on the chalkboard. Discuss its meaning.
{ Guide students to discover the words lone and one inside the word lonely.
Ask: “How do these words relate to its meaning?”
{ Show students the cover of the book. Ask them to decide whether they
think Annie is feeling lonely in this picture.
{ Ask children to share reasons someone might feel lonely—for example, a
new student might feel lonely until he or she makes a new friend or feels
more comfortable in a new classroom. Students might like to role-play
some of these situations in small groups. This will help them understand
that everyone feels like this at one time or another and also provide
opportunities to practice age-appropriate responses when such situations
arise in students’ own lives.
“Missing” and “Wanted” Posters

(Language Arts and Art)
Encourage students to identify with Annie’s

problem and take action by creating “Wanted” and
“Missing” posters. First they must extract details and
organize pertinent information.
{ Ask students what strategies Annie used to find
Taffy and search for a new pet. Invite children to
share other strategies she might have tried.
{ Gather several classified ads from your local
newspaper. Copy them onto transparencies, and share
them with children. Help them take note of the
information contained in each, such as descriptions
of what is wanted or missing and contact
information.
{ Let students create Missing or Wanted posters for
Annie to use in her search.
{ Display the posters on a bulletin board or in the
hallway under a heading such as “We’re Here to
Help, Annie!”
14
DO Feed the Animals! (Science) Tip
▲▲▲▲▲▲
While many animals hibernate or migrate during the winter, there are
also some (like those in the book) that stay active and must adapt to Learn more about pet
care at these Web sites:
the change of season. Help students care for those animals by creating
bird feeders. Pet Place
www.petplace.com
{ Annie’s plan to find a new pet included leaving food for it to eat. Pets for Kids
Ask children if her plan would have worked as well if the story had www.petsforkids.co.uk
taken place in summer. Why not?
{ Stock a work table with sliced bread, cookie cutters, craft sticks,
peanut butter, birdseed, string or yarn, and scissors.

{ Have children cut shapes from the bread, poke a hole at the top,
and let them dry overnight.
{ The next day, have them use craft sticks to spread peanut butter on
the bread and then sprinkle with birdseed.
{ Help children loop the string through the hole and tie it at the top.
{ Hang the bird feeders around the schoolyard, or wrap them in
aluminum foil for safe transport home. If the feeders are visible
from a classroom window, provide a journal for students to record
observations. If children take their feeders home, periodically invite
them to share observations at the morning meeting or another
group time.
15
ok Links Word Study: Too Big! Too Mean! Too Grumpy!
Bo (Language Arts)
By leaving corn cakes at the edge of the wood, Annie attracts five
animals that would not make good pets. She decides that the moose
Emma’s Pet is too big, the wildcat is too mean, and the bear is too grumpy. Use
by David McPhail this activity to help students identify adjectives from the story and
(Dutton, 1988). then use them to describe various animals.
Emma is searching for a pet, { Revisit the book to find the adjectives used to describe the
but none are as soft and moose, wildcat, and bear.
cuddly as she would like. In the
end, she finds the perfect “pet” { How do you think Annie would describe the stag and the gray
right in her very own home. wolf ?
The stag is too ______________________ .
I Want a Pet
The gray wolf is too __________________ .
by Lauren Child
(Tricycle Press, 1999).
{ Extend this lesson by using the pattern found in the book Dear
Longing for a pet, the child in Zoo, by Rod Campbell (Little Simon, 1999), to describe other
this story suggests many to her animals:
family members, who, for one
reason or another, dismiss I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet.
each as “unsuitable.” The “pet They sent me a ______________________,
shop lady” comes to the rescue but it was too _______________________!
with the perfect pet to meet
her family’s criteria.
A Pet or Not?
by Alvin Silverstein
(Twenty-First Century Books,
1999).
This book provides information
about unusual pets such as
armadillos, hedgehogs,
monkeys, and even potbellied
pigs. The last chapter, entitled
“Not a Pet!,” suggests that
most of the animals included
in the book are better off left
in the wild because keeping
them as pets would be quite a
challenge.
16
Goldilocks and the
Three Bears
I
(PUTNAM, 1987)
T his traditional retelling of a favorite tale is accompanied by lavish illustrations

that include beautifully detailed costumes and intricately carved furnishings
that adorn the bears’ home.
Concepts
and Themes
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Before Reading Guessing Gam
e
J folktales
Guessing Game
J size relationships
Before introducing this book, play a guessing game J conventions of
that builds critical-thinking skills. Color and cut out storytelling (the
Jan Brett Books
the pictures of bears, bowls, chairs, and beds (page Scholastic Teaching
“rule of three”)
20). Place them in a paper bag. Pull out a picture and 20
Resources
tape it to the chalkboard. Can students guess the next

Jan Brett book based on this picture clue? If not, continue to pull out
pictures one at a time. With each new picture, challenge students to guess the
Tip
name of the book you are about to read. How many clues does it take before ▲▲▲▲▲▲
students are able to guess? Children can use the

pictures on page 20 as
props for retelling the
The Rule of Three story. To make
puppets, have children
Once students have guessed the story, use the picture clues to teach students glue or tape each
about the “rule of three.” picture to a craft stick.
{ Ask a volunteer to sort the pictures into categories, such as “bears,” “bowls,”
“chairs,” and “beds.” Ask: “How many objects are in each category?”
{ Explain that this folktale uses the rule of three as part of its story structure.
It includes three bear characters and three story events with three objects in
each. (Goldilocks finds three bowls, three chairs, and three beds.)
{ Can students name other stories that utilize the rule of three? (Examples
include The Three Little Pigs, by Steven Kellogg, HarperCollins, 2002; The
Three Questions, by Jon Muth, Scholastic, 2002; and The Three Sillies, by
Paul Galdone, Clarion, 1981.)
17
After Reading
Use this story to help students make inferences based on what

they already know about Goldilocks and her experiences.
{ Revisit the last page of the book. (It shows Goldilocks running away.)
Reread the sentence, “And what happened to Goldilocks, no one can tell.”
{ Ask students to spend a few minutes thinking about Goldilocks and what
she might do next.
{ Have students draw a picture and write (or dictate) a few sentences about
what they think happened to Goldilocks after she left the bears’ house.
{ Follow up by reading aloud Goldilocks Returns, by Lisa Campbell Ernst
(Simon & Schuster, 2000). This sequel tells the story of a middle-aged
Goldilocks (now called Goldie) who currently owns a lock shop and
returns to the bears’ home to make amends and ease her guilty conscience.
{ Let children compare this sequel to their own ideas about Goldilocks’s
future. What are the similarities? What are the differences?
You Can Count On the Three Bears! (Math and Language Arts)
Use Goldilocks and the Three Bears as a springboard for some creative counting.
{ Copy the three-bears number line and bear counters (page 21). Cut apart
the number line segments and tape together as indicated.
{ Make multiple copies of each bear pattern. Cut out a dozen or so Baby
Bear counters and number them 3, 6, 9, 12, and so on (to skip-count by
threes, starting with three).
{ Once children are familiar with counting by threes
from three, challenge them to count by threes
using Mama Bear. Number the Mama Bear
counters according to a new counting
pattern, such as 2, 5, 8, 11, and so on.
Repeat with Papa Bear and a new
counting pattern.
18
Pass the Bear (Language Arts) ok Links
Bo
Retelling stories gives children a sense of how stories “work.” Play this
game to retell the story of the three bears.
{ Gather children in a circle. While holding a stuffed bear, say, “Once Deep in the Forest
upon a time there were three bears.” by Brinton Turkle
(Dutton, 1992).
{ Pass the bear to a student and invite him or her to add on to the story
with one sentence. In this wordless book, a bear
cub leaves his mother to
{ Continue playing, giving a different child a turn each time, until the
explore a cabin deep in the
story reaches its end. woods. In classic Goldilocks
style, he discovers bowls,

chairs, and a comfortable
New and Improved (Science) bed—but before he can
catch a wink, the family
Can students use their problem-solving skills to build a chair strong returns and discovers him.
enough to hold Goldilocks?
{ Divide the class into small groups. Ask each group to design and build Goldilocks and the Three
Bears: A Tale Moderne
a chair strong enough to hold Goldilocks. Provide simple materials
by Steven Guarnaccia
such as tongue depressors, interlocking blocks, clay, and cardboard.
(Abrams, 2000).
{ Let groups test their designs by placing a small doll (representing
In this version, the three
Goldilocks) in the chair. If it doesn’t break, they have successfully met bears meet the material
the challenge! world as their “digs” are
upgraded to a hip and
stylish split-level complete
Word Study: Big, Bigger, Biggest! (Language Arts and Math) with designer furnishings.
Take advantage of the size relationships found in Goldilocks and the Three The Three Bears Holiday
Bears to teach about comparative language. Rhyme Book
by Jane Yolen
{ Color and cut out the pictures of the bears (page 20) and display them
(Harcourt, 1995).
for students. Brainstorm comparative language (such as big, bigger,
biggest) to describe the bears. Record the words on a chart. Repeat the This treasury includes 15
process for the bowls, chairs, and beds. poems told from Baby Bear’s
point of view.
{ Give each student a sheet of 8- by 11-inch paper. Show students how
to fold the paper in half the long way and cut the top
flap into thirds.
{ Ask children to choose one set of comparative terms (for
example, long, longer, longest) and write one on each flap.
{ Under each flap, have children draw the corresponding
picture from the story.
{ Let students take turns sharing their flap books with
classmates.
19
Guessing Game
20
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Tape A here.
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Tape B here.
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
You Can
Three Bears!
Count On the
21
The Mitten
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 1 9 8 9 )
Concepts
A t Nikki’s request, Baba knits him a pair of white mittens. “If you drop
one in the snow,” she warns, “you’ll never find it.” As she predicts,
Nikki loses a mitten while wandering through the wintry countryside. It’s
and Themes found by a series of woodland animals who, one by one, crawl inside the
snug mitten. At the end of the story, a bear’s big “achoo” sends the
▲▲▲▲▲▲
animals soaring in all directions. Nikki eventually finds his mitten and is
J animals left wondering why it is stretched out and larger than its mate.
J winter
J habitats Before Reading
I Spy a Mitten
Share the cover of the book with students. Let them name each animal.
Ask: “What are the animals looking at?” (a mitten) Invite students to
make predictions about what the animals are thinking as they gaze at
the mitten. Students can do this orally or write the words in “thought
bubbles” for each animal.
Lost and Found Stories

Develop prewriting skills and an understanding of story structure by
asking students to imagine they’re the authors of this story.
{ Ask: “In your story, how does the mitten end up in the woods?”
Discuss students’ suggested story lines. Then reveal that a young
boy named Nikki lost it while playing in the snow.
{ Invite students to share stories about things they have lost (and
hopefully found).
22
After Reading
By not writing text for the last page of the book, the author
invites readers to draw their own conclusions about what Baba
might be thinking or saying.
{ Revisit the last page of The Mitten. It shows Baba wearing a perplexed
look as she holds the stretched-out mitten.
{ Give students time to study the picture. Ask: “What is Baba thinking?
What might she say?”
{ Invite children to write their own text for the page and share it with
classmates.
How Do You Say Grandma? (Language Arts and Social Studies)

Build vocabulary by exploring different words people use for grandmother.
{ Ask students to remember what Nikki called his grandmother. (Baba)
Explain that this is what grandmothers are often called in the Ukraine,
where the story takes place.
{ Challenge students to find out what children in other countries call
their grandmothers. For example, in Spain a grandmother is called
abuela and in France, grande-mère.
{ List these on a chart along with
nicknames students have for their own
grandmothers—for example, nana or
grams.
{ Use these names to fill in the squares of
a blank bingo board. Play the game as
you would a regular game of bingo, but
let the winner call out “grandmother”
using the language or nickname of his
or her choice.
23
How Big Is Your Mitten? (Math)
The mitten in the story is stretched to a size large enough to hold a mole,
rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, bear, and mouse. Invite students to measure
and compare the size of their own mittens.
{ Ask each student to bring a mitten to school. Have extras on hand for
students to use as needed.
{ Have students trace their mitten on
a sheet of paper.
{ Then have children use a ruler to
measure and record the length and
width of their mitten.
{ To measure volume, first have
students fill their mitten to capacity
using pieces of foam packing
material. Next, have them remove
the pieces, count them, and write
the total number on the paper.
{ Help students compare their
mittens. How many of their mittens
put together do students think it
would take to hold all the animals
from the story?
Tip The Mitten Tree (Social Studies and Math)

▲▲▲▲▲▲
Nikki had a pair of warm mittens to protect him from the cold. Involve students
As a variation on the in a community service project to benefit those not as fortunate as Nikki.
service-project theme
of this activity, invite { Introduce the project by reading aloud The Mitten Tree, by Candace
children to collect Christiansen (Fulcrum, 1997). This book tells the story of an elderly
mittens to share with woman who secretly knits mittens and hangs them on a tree for the
children at school who
have forgotten theirs.
children waiting at the bus stop.
{ Help children create and distribute flyers asking families to donate mittens
to children who need them. Include the dates of the project and drop-off
location(s).
{ Set up a tree (real or artificial) in the classroom or school lobby. As mittens
are received, let children hang them on the tree with clothespins.
{ Integrate math into the project by letting students count and sort the
mittens collected.
{ At the end of the drive, distribute the mittens to local charities or school
nurses in various districts.
24
Animal Research Riddles (Science and Language Arts) o ok Links
B
The story shows animals
seeking shelter inside a lost
mitten. How do animals
really find shelter during The Old Man’s Mitten
the winter months? Work retold by Yevonne Pollock
with children to collect and (Mondo Publishing, 1986).
share information in the In this version of the
form of riddles. traditional tale, an old man
loses a mitten while taking his
{ Revisit the book and
dog for a walk in the snow.

have students pay
careful attention to the The Mitten
mitten frames found on retold by Alvin Tresselt
each page. What do they show? (each animal leaving its natural (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard,
habitat after Nikki unknowingly disturbs it) 1964).
{ Work together with students to list the ways each animal prepares for Compare and contrast this
and survives the winter. Include information about protection, version with Jan Brett’s. Are
habitat, and food consumption. the animals the same? How
about the ending? Which
{ Give each child a sheet of drawing paper. From the information version do students prefer?
gathered, have students write three clues about one of the animals.
They can illustrate a forest scene around the clues that includes a The Mystery of the Missing
picture of the animal. Red Mitten
by Steven Kellogg
{ On a separate sheet of paper, ask students to draw, color, and cut out
(Dial Books, 1974).
a mitten shape that is large enough to cover their animal. Show
students how to glue one edge of the mitten to the paper so that it After searching for her lost
covers the animal and creates a flap. mitten, a little girl discovers
that it’s become the heart of
{ Display the riddles on a hallway bulletin board for other classes to a melting snowman.
enjoy, or compile them to make a class book.
Word Study: Move Like the Animals (Language Arts)

Use this movement activity to highlight verbs from the story.
{ Revisit the book and search for verbs that tell how the animals
moved. For example, the mole burrowed, the owl swooped, the bear
lumbered, and the mouse wriggled.
{ Write these words on slips of paper and place them in a bag.
{ Let children take turns choosing a slip and acting it out for the class
to guess.
25
Berlioz
the Bear
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 1 9 9 1 )
W hile on his way to a village ball, Berlioz and his orchestra meet
misfortune when the wheel of their bandwagon gets stuck in a pothole.
Led by a stubborn mule that refuses to move, they enlist the help of a succession
of animals. In the end it’s the bee, stuck in Berlioz’s string bass, that makes it
possible for them to get to the ball on time.
Concepts
and Themes Before Reading
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Getting to the Ball on Time
J music
J responsibility Introduce the story by discussing the concept of responsibility. Explain that
Berlioz (pronounced BEAR-lee-oze) and his orchestra are responsible for
J cumulative tales getting to the village ball on time. Ask: “What might the consequences be if
the band is late?” Ask students to share their experiences with being late to
important events. Discuss ways the class works together to be on time—for
example, everyone helps pick up so that students can get to lunch on time.
It Figures!
“Stubborn as a mule” and “jump on the bandwagon” are figures of speech
that are significant to the story Berlioz the Bear. Write them on the
chalkboard and discuss their meanings with children. As you read the book
aloud, challenge students to discover how each relates to the story.
After Reading
Follow up reading with an examination of cumulative story

structure and figures of speech as they relate to Berlioz the Bear.
{ Talk with students about the similarities between this book and other
cumulative tales such as The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper
(Grosset & Dunlap, 1978), or The Enormous Turnip, by Kathy
26
Parkinson (Albert Whitman, 1987). Ask: “How are they the
same? How are they different?” Encourage students to try out a
cumulative pattern when writing their own stories.
{ Ask students whether they think the author was influenced by
the saying “stubborn as a mule” when she chose a mule to lead
the wagon. Encourage them to explain why or why not. Discuss
the meaning of bandwagon as it is used in the story. Compare
this to the word’s meaning in the saying. Ask: “How does the
cumulative pattern of the story relate to the saying, ‘jump on the
bandwagon?’”
2 2
Tip
3 2
Meet the Real Berlioz (Social Studies) 2
3 Name ______
__________________
__________________
2 3 2 3 23
Date ____________
_____________
3
23 Meet the 23
Real Berlioz 2
Paste your
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Jan Brett named the character of Berlioz after
picture here.
All About
2 Hector Berlioz All About
Me
Hector was born 2
in 1803
3
the French composer Hector Berlioz (from
in France. I was born in
__________________
in __________________
__
_______________
.
3 For more information about
As a child Hect
how to play the
or learned
I can play ______ 2
Hector Berlioz, the composer who
www.janbrett.com). Use the reproducible (page
flute and __________________
3 guitar.
__________________
__________________
2 Hector’s pare
.
2 inspired the book’s character, and
29) to help students make a connection
nts convinced
him to go to I am unhappy
medical scho
He was very unha ol. when ____________ 3
ppy there. __________________
__________________
.
2
the four families of instruments
between the story and the life and work of the 2
Hector left med
to study his real
ical school
love, music!
I love to study
__________________
__________________
_ (hear them, too), check this Web
3 __________________ 2
composer for whom the bear was named. Invite Hector is know
orchestral musi
works, and oper
n for his
c, choral
as.
My favorite kind
of music is
.
3 site:
children to compare their life to his by filling 2
__________________
__________________
Teaching With Favorite .
3 Jan Brett Books
Scholastic Teaching
Resources
2 2 2
3 2 3 2 3 2 29
in the blanks on the right side of the paper.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra:
www.dsokids.com
Imaginations Take Flight (Music, Art, and Language Arts)

Jan Brett was listening to the Boston Symphony Orchestra when she
got the idea for Berlioz the Bear. In her own words, “Music does
that. It leads one to interesting places.” Invite students to get lost in
their own thoughts as they listen to music.
{ Revisit the last page of the book. Ask students, “What song is
Berlioz playing?” (“Flight of the Bumblebee,” by Rimski-Korsakov)
{ Locate a recording of this piece and play it for students. (You
might try Ofra Harnoy, Volume 4: Flight of the Bumblebee and
other Virtuoso Showpieces, 1996.)
{ Invite them to draw pictures while they listen, to see where the
music leads them.
{ As an extension, students can write their own stories based on
ideas they get from the music.
27
ok Links Meet the Instrument Families (Math and Music)
Bo
Berlioz’s band was made up of six different instruments: string bass, drum,
trombone, clarinet, violin, and French horn. Use this activity to help
students identify each one and sort it into its instrument family.
Meet the Orchestra
by Ann Hayes { On the chalkboard, write the names of the instruments in Berlioz’s
(Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, band. Have students group them by instrument “families”: strings,
1995). percussion, woodwinds, and brass.
This book makes a great { Explain that instruments are related by the similar ways in which they
introduction to the various produce sound. Students can regroup the instruments if necessary. Invite
musical instruments that
students to name
make up an orchestra.
other instruments
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
that are part of
by Lloyd Moss each family.
(Simon & Schuster, 1995). { To do more,
This musical counting book students can try
helps children learn the grouping
number of musicians (and instruments in
their instruments) that other ways, such as
make up a solo, duet, trio, for a trio or a
and so on—all the way up to quartet. (See Book
a chamber of ten! Links, left, for a
related book.)
Word Study: Sound Hunt (Language Arts)

Jan Brett uses words such as buzz and zum to describe sounds in her book.
Explore onomatopoeia in the form of animal and musical sounds.
{ Revisit the book to find “sound words.” Challenge students to name
more sound words for animals and instruments (such as meow and
boing).
{ Invite children to go on a sound hunt around the classroom or
schoolyard. On a sheet of paper, ask them to record the name of the
object in one column and the sound it makes in another.
{ Have children compare their results. Did some students record different
sounds for the same objects?
28
2 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 2 3
3 Name __________________________________________ Date _________________________
2 23 Meet the 23
Real Berlioz Paste your
picture here.
All About All About Me

Hector Berlioz 2
2
Hector was born in 1803 I was born in ____________________

3 in France.
in _________________________________ .
2
As a child Hector learned I can play ________________________
how to play the flute and
guitar. ____________________________________ .
3
2 Hector’s parents convinced I am unhappy when ____________ 3
him to go to medical school.
He was very unhappy there. ____________________________________ . 2
Hector left medical school I love to study ___________________

2 to study his real love, music! ____________________________________ . 2
3 Hector is known for his My favorite kind of music is
orchestral music, choral 2
works, and operas. ____________________________________ .
3 2 3 2 2 3 2 3 2 29
Trouble
With Trolls
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 1 9 9 2 )
T reva’s troubles begin when she encounters five trolls at the top of Mount
Baldy—each of whom tries to kidnap her dog, Tuffi, and keep him as a pet.
But Treva is a quick thinker! She cleverly outsmarts each troll and skis to safety
Concepts carrying Tuffi in her arms.
and Themes
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Before Reading
J trolls
J winter What’s the Trouble?
J trickster tales Read the title of the book aloud. Can students predict the kind of trouble
J problem solving Treva has with the trolls? Before reading, take students on a “picture walk”
through the book. Encourage them to describe what they see in the
illustrations. Ask students to make a story prediction by completing this
sentence:
The trouble Treva has with trolls is ________________________________ .
Troll Profiles
The appearance and characteristics of trolls vary from story to story. Before
reading the book, spend some time exploring students’ perceptions of these
mythical creatures.
{ Give each child a sheet of paper. Have students draw a picture of a troll
and complete these sentences:
Trolls are _________ , ___________ , and ____________ .
Trolls like _________________ .
Trolls live _________________ .
{ Invite students to share and compare their profiles. Discuss the source of
students’ images of trolls—for example, are there books or movies that
shaped their ideas?
30
After Reading
Use Trouble With Trolls to help children explore character

stereotypes and to learn how illustrations add layers to the story.
{ Ask students to compare their troll profiles (see Before Reading) with those in the
book. Ask: “How are they similar? How are they different? Have your images of
trolls changed since reading the book?”
{ Discuss ways in which characters such as trolls, giants, wolves, and princesses are
sometimes stereotyped. Explore how this may add or take away from a character’s
development.
{ Revisit the book and draw students’ attention to the second story going on in the
underground pictures. Ask: “What are the trolls doing?” (preparing for the arrival
of their new pet) Discuss the purpose of the hedgehog in the story. (He assumes the
role set aside for the dog.) Write the text for this “second story.” Students can work
together in pairs or small groups, or you can lead the class in a whole-group
shared writing experience.
Extension Activities Tricks for Trolls

Name ______
__________________
__________________
_ Date ____________
_____________
Tricks for Trolls (Social Studies and Language Arts)

Up on the moun
tain,
Treva used her problem-solving abilities to trick the trolls and save her dog. Tuffi and me.
Along came a
Greedy as can
troll,
be!
What would students do in the same situation? “I want dog!

”
Is what I heard
him say.
I gave him my
And then he ,
went away.
33
{ Give each student a copy of page 33. Read aloud the rhyme. Teaching With Favorite
Jan Brett Books
Scholastic Teaching
Resources
{ Ask students to fill in the blank with the name of something they would use to
trick the troll. Invite them to illustrate the words in the space provided. Let
students take turns sharing their responses.
{ Can students think of other ways to save their dog from the troll that don’t
involve giving him things?
Dress Like Treva (Math)

Treva’s Nordic clothing is full of many beautiful patterns. Revisit the book and draw
students’ attention to this aspect of the illustrations.
{ Work together to name the patterns (for example, red stripe, white stripe, red
stripe, white stripe) found in her boots, socks, pants, sweater, and hat.
{ Invite students to come to school the next day wearing as many patterns as possible.
Hold a fashion show in which students take turns describing one another’s patterns
as they walk down the “runway.”
31
Tip Write a Troll Tale (Language Arts)
▲▲▲▲▲▲
For troll folklore, stories, Inspire students to create their own “troll tales” based on troll mythology.
and poems, check these
Web sites: { Using books and the Internet (see Tip, left) work with students to create
Troll Forest: a list of troll folklore. For example:
www.trollforest.com
Trolls have an aversion to noise and sunlight.
Trollmoon:
www.trollmoon.com Trolls can be destroyed if a person discovers their name.
Trolls can be warded off using mistletoe or bonfires.
ok Links { From the information gathered, let students choose a couple of ideas
Bo
and incorporate them into an original story about a troll.
{ Place the stories in a basket labeled “Troll Tales,” and keep it in your
classroom library for students to enjoy all year.
Christmas Trolls
by Jan Brett
(G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1993). Word Study: Title Track-Down (Language Arts)
In this sequel, Treva once
again has trouble with trolls! Alliteration, the repetition of the initial sounds in words, is a literary device
This time they are snitching often used in writing. Trouble With Trolls is an example of a book that uses
holiday gifts and ornaments alliteration in its title.
from her home. In an effort
to teach them the true { Have students search through the classroom library for other titles that
meaning of Christmas, she use alliteration. Display them on the chalkboard ledge and read each
helps them decorate, teaches title aloud.
them to share, and honors
them with a special gift. { Ask: “Why do you think authors use alliteration?”
The Toll-Bridge Troll { Encourage students to use this device in their own stories.
by Patricia Rae-Wolff
(Browndeer Press, 1995).
In this updated version of
a classic fairy tale scenario,
a young boy cleverly uses
riddles to outwit the terrible
troll who tries to stop him
from crossing the bridge on
his way to school.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff

by Paul Galdone
(Houghton Mifflin, 1981).
This tells the tale of the
three goat brothers and
their attempts to outwit the
nasty troll who lives under
the bridge.
32
Tricks for Trolls Name ___________________________________________ Date _________________________
Up on the mountain,
Tuffi and me.
Along came a troll,
Greedy as can be!
“I want dog!”
Is what I heard him say.
I gave him my ,
And then he went away.
33
Town Mouse,
Country Mouse
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 1 9 9 4 )
T wo mice couples decide to switch homes to get a taste of the “good

life.” Each is preyed upon by a hungry predator in their new Concepts
surroundings and soon decides that “there’s no place like home.” and Themes
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Before Reading
J fables
Where Do You Live? J habitats/
environments
Before reading the book, familiarize students with the two alternating J food chain
settings of the story—the town and the country. Have pictures on hand
that represent town (city) life and country life. Let students sort them J compare and
contrast
into two piles. Ask: “Where do you live?” Introduce the terms rural,
urban, and suburban to further describe environments.
After Reading
Use these discussion starters to explore the theme of

the story: Tip
▲▲▲▲▲▲
{ Have students heard this story before? Explain that it is one of
For more fables, including
many fables originally compiled long ago by a Greek man named
lesson plans for some,
Aesop. check this Web site:
{ The purpose of a fable is to teach a lesson. Ask: “What did you Aesop’s Fables:
learn from this story?” Share the Aesop moral: “Better beans and
bacon in peace than cake and ale in fear,” and discuss its meaning.
www.umass.edu/aesop
{ Write the following on the chalkboard: “The grass is always greener
on the other side of the fence.” Ask: “What is this figure of speech
trying to tell us?” How does this relate to the story?
34
Town or Coun
try? Key Pattern

Town or Country? (Math and Social Studies)
Scholastic Teaching
Jan Brett Books
Resources
Name __________
_______________
____________
Date
Create a graph to show students’ preferences for living in a town or in the country.
{ Make several copies of the key-shaped graph markers (page 37). On one key,
write “Town” (or “City”) and on the other write “Country.” Use the keys to label
a two-column bar graph.
{ Give each student a key. Have students write their name on the key.
{ Ask: “Would you rather live in a town (city) or in the country?” Let students
place their key on the graph to indicate their response to the question.
{ Discuss the results. Is there a strong preference for one type of environment over
another? How do the results correspond to the environment (town, country) in
which students live now? Is it the same or different? Do students agree that “the
grass is greener on the other side of the fence?”
Thanks! (Language Arts)

Guests often send thank-you notes after a stay at someone’s home. Invite students to
write a letter from one of the mice couples to the other to say “thanks for the vacation.”
{ Give each child a blank note card. Have children write the words “Thank You” on
the front and decorate as they wish.
{ Discuss parts of a friendly letter, such as the greeting and closing. On the inside of
the card, ask children to write a note telling what they liked about the visit as well
as what they missed most about their own home.
{ Give children envelopes for their cards, and let them create imaginary town or
country addresses (including a return address) along with faux postage.
Predator, Prey (Science)

As important to the story as the mice are the owl and cat that try to capture them.
Play a game to teach students about the dynamics between predators and prey.
{ Have students form a large circle in an open area such as the playground or gym.
{ Choose one child to be either the owl or cat (predator) and another to be the
mouse (prey). Place a blindfold around each student’s head.
{ Invite both children to move freely inside the circle. As they do, the predator
should listen carefully for sounds of the mouse and try to tag him or her. Once
the mouse is caught, choose new students and repeat the game.
{ As an extension, ask students to think about this: “Can a mouse ever be a
predator? Can a cat or owl be prey?” Discuss their ideas.
35
ng Resources
n Brett Books
Name ______
__________________
__________________
_ Date ____________
_____________
C Sort
Word Study: Two Sounds of C ok Links

(Language Arts) Bo

Jan Brett Books
celery
Use the words city and country to teach the two clock
Scholastic Teaching
cereal
candy car
38
coat circle cent
Resources
sounds of c.
Milly and Tilly:
{ Say the two words aloud. Help students hear the difference between The Story of a Town Mouse
the hard and soft c. and a Country Mouse
by Kate Summers
{ Give each student a copy of the sorting activity (page 37). Explain (Dutton, 1997).
that the mouse with the pillow stands for the soft c and the mouse
with the rock stands for the hard c. Tilly is content with her
simple country life until her

{ Ask students to cut out and sort the words according to their friend Milly comes to visit.
beginning letter sound (soft or hard c). Read the words aloud. Milly decides she misses her
city life and convinces Tilly
{ Can students think of other words for each type of sound? Write
to return with her. In the
them on the chalkboard. Let children copy them and place them in
end, both come to realize
the correct group. that “home is best.”
{ As a challenge, add words that have each sound for c in the middle
or end of a word (such as in mice or macaroni). Wake Up, City!
by Alvin Tresselt
(Lothrop, Lee & Shepard,
1990).
This book tours the city to
see the different ways “city
folks” wake up.
Wake Up, Farm

by Alvin Tresselt
(Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard,
1991).
As a sequel to Wake Up,
City!, this book introduces a
farm full of animals as they
wake up and greet the day.
36
Town or Country? Key Pattern
Name ___________________________________________ Date _________________________
C Sort
celery clock cereal car

candy coat circle cent
37
Armadillo Rodeo
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 1 9 9 5 )
B o is an adventuresome armadillo but he is also nearsighted—he mistakes a pair

of red cowboy boots for a fellow armadillo. When he strays from his family to
Concepts follow his new friend, he gets more than his share of excitement—Texas rodeo-style!
and Themes
▲▲▲▲▲▲ Before Reading
J armadillos Dig Up Some Facts! Dig Up Some

Facts
J safety Fact
Armadillos are great diggers, and they especially like sandy

Fact
Source
J Texas
Source
soil. “Dig up” other facts about armadillos and share them
J rodeos with students before reading the book. Write each fact Fact
Fact
and the source on an armadillo-shaped cutout (page 41). Source
J senses Bury the facts in a tub of sand. Let students take turns Teaching With Favorite
Source
43
Scholastic Teaching Jan Brett Books
Resources
digging up a fact and sharing it with the class.
The Wanderer
Can students predict the ending after the first two pages? Show students the
cover of the book. Read aloud the first two pages, stopping after “... especially
Bo, who was always wandering off.” Challenge students to make predictions
about the rest of the story based on what they already know. Invite students to
share rules they know about “wandering off.” Explain that this can be very
dangerous, and discuss or role-play what students can do if they find
themselves separated from an adult.
After Reading
Sometimes the idea for a story comes from an interesting fact

that the author discovers while researching. Use this story to
explore the concepts of fact and opinion.
{ A fact is a piece of information that is true. In this story, children learn that
armadillos don’t see very well. Revisit the story to highlight this piece of
information. Ask: “In what ways is this fact important to the story? How
would the story be different if the author hadn’t included this information
in the book?” Guide students in finding other facts in the story.
38
{ An opinion reflects an individual’s view. Ask: “What do you think the
author thinks of armadillos? What is your opinion of armadillos? The
story? Texas?”
{ Make connections to other stories. Ask: “How did the author use facts
in other stories? How do those stories compare to this one?”
{ Go further by exploring the use of facts in nonfiction. Ask: “How does
this compare with the way an author uses facts in fiction?”
T Is for Texas (Social Studies and Language Arts)

Armadillo Rodeo is set in Texas, where many
armadillos live. Learn more about Texas. Locate
Texas on a map. If students live in another state,
discuss geographic proximity—for example, how
many states would students pass through to get to
Texas? Is their state in the same region? Share T Is
for Texas, by Anne Bustard (Voyageur Press, 1989),
to learn more about Texas. As an extension, have
students investigate what is special about the state in
which they live. Using the format of T Is for Texas as
a model, have students each choose a letter to create
an alphabet book featuring their state.
Tip
Rodeo Feely Box (Science) ▲▲▲▲▲▲
Learn more about

Since armadillos can’t see very well, they rely heavily on other senses, which are armadillos with these Web
usually heightened. Let students experience this concept by using a feely box. sites:
The Mammals of Texas:
{ Show students the page in the book where Bo discovered that the boot www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/
was not an armadillo. Ask: “Which senses did he use to discover this?” dasynove.htm
(sense of smell, touch, and sight)
Texas Parks and Wildlife:
{ Gather objects that might be found at a rodeo, such as a rope, cowboy www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/
hat, or even a pepper. wild/mammals/dillo.htm
{ Create a feely box by cutting a hole in a covered box (big enough for a
child’s arm to fit through).
{ Place the objects in the box (one at a time). Let students take turns
feeling each object and shaking the box. How many objects can they
identify without their sense of sight?
39
ok Links Rodeo Day (Movement, Art, Language Arts, and Math)
Bo
Invite students to round up some western gear and come to school dressed as a
cowboy or cowgirl for Rodeo Day. Celebrate with one or more of the following events:
Armadillo Ray
{ Horse Races: Use cones to set up a course outdoors or in the gym in a figure
by John Beifuss 8, bow tie or letter W configuration. Challenge students to race from start to
(Chronicle, 1995). finish while riding a “hobbyhorse.”
When a young armadillo is { Fancy Boots: Let each child design and decorate a boot. (Provide a cowboy
puzzled about how the boot pattern for them to trace, or let them draw their own.) Have children use
moon changes shape and catalog copy as a model for writing a description of their boots. Use the boots
disappears, he decides to to create a catalog of boots, complete with descriptions.
ask other desert dwellers.
Each response is more { Rodeo Talk: Using a dictionary, let teams of students race to be the first to
magical than the next but define these rodeo words: brand, chaps, earmark, and stampede.
hardly seems believable. { Rope Tricks: Cut a length of rope into several different-sized pieces (one per
Finally, the owl tells him the student). Place the rope in a bag and let each student choose a piece. Ask students
truth about the moon, which to measure their rope. Have them organize their pieces of rope in different
he discovers is the most
arrangements—for example, from shortest to longest or in concentric circles.
amazing story of all.
Armadillo Tattletale
by Helen Ketteman
Word Study: Number Words (Language Arts and Math)
(Scholastic, 2000).
One of the most amazing things about armadillos is that the mother always gives
With ears as tall as a birth to four identical babies. Use this fact to explore “number words” with students.
jackrabbit’s, Armadillo
often uses them for { Write “quadruplet” on the chalkboard. Explain that a quadruplet is one of four
eavesdropping. But each babies born at the same time. Challenge students to find and list words for
time he repeats something other multiple births—for example, twins and triplets.
that “wasn’t meant for his
ears,” the animals snip off a { Name and list other words that answer “how much” or “how many,” such as
bit of them until at last his few, couple, ton, mile, yard, handful, pinch, smidgen. Which ones reference
ears are teeny tiny. specific amounts? Which ones reference estimates?
40
Dig Up Some Facts
Fact Fact
Source Source
Fact Fact
Source Source
41
The Hat
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 1 9 9 7 )
W hen Lisa’s woolen stocking is blown off the clothesline, curious Hedgie discovers it and
pokes his nose inside. It gets stuck on his prickles, and soon all the animals are
laughing at his “stocking hat.” To avoid embarrassment, he justifies the hat with comments
Concepts
such as “when it rains, my hat will keep me dry” and “my ears will be warm in a
and Themes snowstorm.” This gets the other animals thinking, and soon they all find “hats” of their own.
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Before Reading
J animals
J clothing Mistaken Identity
J winter Introduce the story with an activity in which students, like the animals in the book,
J perspective try to identify an object that is unfamiliar to them. Find an object that is most likely
unfamiliar to students—for example, an unusual kitchen tool or an antiquated
gadget. Pass the object around and let students examine it closely. Ask students to
give the object a name and speculate about its use. Reveal the identity of the object
and its use. Is it possible that the object could be used for other purposes such as
those suggested by students?
After Reading
Reinforce compare/contrast skills as you examine the book’s

similarity to other Jan Brett books, as well as the parallels between
Lisa’s winter preparations and our own.
{ Read aloud or revisit The Mitten (page 22). Ask: “In what ways is this book like
The Hat?” (for example, each has a cumulative story structure; each involves animals
and some item of clothing; each involves a child losing something) “In what ways are
they different?” (for example, one is set on a farm, the other in the woods)
{ In many of Jan Brett’s books, there is a second story going on in the borders. Ask
students if they noticed what Lisa was doing while the animals were talking to
Hedgie about his hat. Revisit the book and examine the oval frames on the left
side of each spread. Most show Lisa preparing for winter—for example, filling a
bird feeder and waxing skis.
{ Ask students to name ways in which their family prepares for winter. Discuss
whether the ways they prepare are the same as or different from what Lisa does. Ask:
“Does where a person lives make a difference in how someone prepares for winter?”
42
Clothesline Math (Math)

Did students notice how the clothes began disappearing
with each turn of the page? Use this detail of the book to
introduce or reinforce subtraction skills.
{ Revisit the book and draw students’ attention to the
top of each double-page spread. What do they
notice about the clothesline? (There are fewer clothes
on each page.) How did that happen? (The wind blew the clothes away.)
{ Work together with students to write number sentences that show what
happens in each picture of the clothesline.
{ To create an interactive display, staple a length of rope to a bulletin
board. Use clothespins to display hats, mittens, heavy socks, scarves, and
other winter clothing. Write subtraction number sentences on index
cards, place them in an envelope, and staple the envelope to the board.
{ Let students take turns choosing a card and manipulating the clothing
to match the number sentence.
All About Animals in Winter (Science and Language Arts)

The animals in the story found hats to keep them warm in the winter.
How do animals really prepare for the cold season? Work together to
create a nonfiction class book about animals and their winter habitats.
{ Introduce students to the words migration, hibernation, and
dormancy. Chart examples of animals that migrate, hibernate, and
enter periods of dormancy. Also include a category for animals that
remain active. Examples of each follow:
Migrate: some birds, butterflies
Hibernate: bats, woodchucks, bears
Tip
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Enter Periods of Dormancy: skunks, raccoons, chipmunks
Remain Active: beaver, rabbits, squirrels, deer Learn how animals
prepare for winter with
{ Discuss the winter habitats of the animals in The Hat. Find out about these Web sites:
other animals, too. Animals in Winter:
www.sciencemadesimple
{ Let each student choose an animal and create a page for a book that
.com/animals.html
names and pictures the animal, and tells what its winter habitat is and
why. To go further, examine features of nonfiction books for children, How Do Animals Adapt
to Winter?
such as a glossary and index, and work with children to include these in www.iwla.org/yikes/
the class book. w1_animalwinter.html
43
ok Links A Hat of One’s Own (Art)
Bo
What was really a stocking became the animals’ creative interpretation of
a hat. Invite students to use their creativity to design and make hats of
their own.
Animals Should Definitely
Not Wear Clothing { Invite children to create a unique hat using found materials such as
by Judi Barrett paper bags, newspaper, foil, or even bubble wrap. Students can
(Aladdin, 1989). decorate their hats using materials such as yarn, ribbon, and
buttons.
Children will enjoy the silly
illustrations of a sheep { Let students show off their millinery creations by scheduling a hat
wearing a wool sweater, a parade or fashion show.
giraffe wearing neckties,
and a chicken wearing
pants—each in response to
the question, “Why
shouldn’t animals wear
clothing?”
Hats, Hats, Hats

by Ann Morris
(Mulberry Books, 1993).
This books celebrates the
diversity of the world with Word Study: Winter Word Bank (Language Arts)
dazzling photographs of
hats, hats, and more hats! Prepare for a season of writing by creating a winter word bank. Work
together with students to brainstorm “winter words” such as coats, cold,
Who Took the Farmer’s Hat? and skating. Group the words into categories such as “Clothing” and
by Joan Nodset “Weather.” Record the words in each category on a hat-shaped chart.
(HarperTrophy, 1988). Encourage students to use the word bank as a resource while writing
When the wind takes the stories of their own.
farmer’s old brown hat, he
questions the animals to see
if they have seen it. Squirrel,
Mouse, and Duck each
reply, “No,” but then
describe something they
have seen that bears a
striking resemblance to his
hat. Finally, when Bird
shows him his “nice round
brown nest,” he realizes his
hat has found a better
purpose.
44
Gingerbread
Baby
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 1 9 9 9 )
Concepts
and Themes F ollowing a recipe found in an old cookbook, Matti and his mom make a
gingerbread boy and place him in the oven. The directions say “Do not peek,”
but Matti finds it difficult to wait. Much to his surprise, when he opens the oven
▲▲▲▲▲▲
door, out jumps a gingerbread baby! Who will catch him? In the end it’s Matti’s
clever plan that puts an end to the chase.
J problem solving
J folktales Before Reading
J cooking
J winter holidays Revisit the Folktale
J senses Read aloud several versions of the folktale that inspired Gingerbread Baby (see
Related Resources). Create a chart with students to compare the beginning,
middle, and ending of the stories. Ask: “Which part of the story showed the
most variation between versions (beginning, middle, or end)? Which
beginning did you like best? Middle? End?”
A New Ending
▲▲▲▲▲▲
As you introduce Gingerbread Baby, and before

reading it, share with students that when Jan Brett was
a little girl and heard the story of the Gingerbread Boy,
she wanted to “jump into the book and save him from
being eaten up by the crafty fox” (from Newsnotes on
www.janbrett.com). So when she decided to illustrate
the story, she created a new ending where the
gingerbread boy doesn’t get eaten. Let students have
some fun with their own Gingerbread Baby endings.
{ Give each student a gingerbread cutout. (page 49)
{ Invite students to use the cutout to record their predictions for the ending of
Gingerbread Baby. Encourage them to think like the author. Ask: “How will
the story end so that the gingerbread boy (baby) doesn’t get eaten?”
{ Let students take turns sharing their ideas. Then read the story to find out
the author’s ending.
45
After Reading
Use the story to explore story structure as well as what beginnings, middles,
and endings sometimes have in common.
{ Once you’ve shared the story, record its beginning, middle, and ending on the chart.
(See Before Reading, Revisit the Folktale, page 45.) Ask: “How is this version similar
to the other versions we read? Different from the other versions?”
{ Let students compare their predictions with the ending of the story. How are their
endings alike? How are they different? What else did Jan Brett do to make her story
original? (This is an opportunity to explore characters and setting.)
Dear Matti (Language Arts and Social Studies) Tip
▲▲▲▲▲▲
The character of Matti empowers children because he uses his creativity to solve a problem As with
that the other characters (including many adults) weren’t able to solve. On her Web site the Gingerbread Baby,
author notes, “Matti was inspired by a real little boy named Alexander who is also creative many books follow
and always looks as if he has a plan.” Sharpen students’ problem-solving skills, and their a problem-solution
story structure.
ability to understand character, with an activity that lets them write and respond to a letter. Choose one and
read it aloud. Stop
{ Introduce letter-writing as a form of writing. Ask students what they know about
before the
writing letters. Review parts of a letter and various reasons people write letters. conclusion. Let
{ Have students write a “Dear Matti” letter that tells of a problem they are having. To children share
reinforce writing skills, encourage students to include details in their letter-writing. ways they would
solve the
{ Have students exchange papers and respond to the letter with one or more character’s
suggestions or solutions to the problem. Again, to reinforce the use of details in problem.
writing, ask students to clearly explain their solutions.
{ Follow up with a discussion that reinforces the idea that although we can often solve
problems on our own, it is sometimes helpful to seek the advice of others.
Create a Class Shield (Social Studies)

Explore the author’s use of borders as a way of telling part of the story.
{ Challenge students to find the page in the book that displays colorful shields
in the border. These represent the 25 cantons, or districts, of Switzerland.
{ Using the shield shapes in the book as models, have students create a shield to
represent their classroom community. Encourage them to choose colors that
are meaningful (such as school colors) and include symbols that illustrate the
class rules, goals, agreements, or accomplishments. Display the shields to
remind students of the community they share.
46
Tip The Sweet Shop (Math)
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Sharpen students’ consumer skills
To make gingerbread by setting up a “sweet shop” where
cookies, use the recipe at
they can purchase items to decorate
www.janbrett.com or use
refrigerated cookie gingerbread cookies.
dough.
{ Send home a note requesting
that each student bring to
school one item that can be
used to decorate gingerbread,
such as candy, raisins, or
frosting. Place each item in a
separate covered container and
attach a price tag—for example,
1 cent each or 25 cents.
{ Give each student a paper bag
and the same amount of money
(play or real).
{ Invite students to visit the
Sweet Shop, make their
purchases, and use the items to
decorate a gingerbread man or
house.
Word Study: Silly Compound Cookbook (Language Arts)

Build word analysis skills by using the title of the book as a springboard for a
lesson on compound words.
gum { Draw students’ attention to the word gingerbread on the cover of the book.
Invite students to tell what they think this kind of word is called.
loaf
{ Explain that gingerbread is a compound word, which is created by putting
two words together. Let students identify the two words (ginger and bread).
drop { Challenge students to identify other foods that are also compound words—
for example, gumdrop, meatloaf, and oatmeal. Write the words that make up
meat each compound word on a separate index card—for example, ginger, bread,
gum, drop, meat, loaf, oat, and meal.
oat { Have students put their words together to make a new compound word,
write it at the top of a sheet of paper, and illustrate the “dish.”
{ Compile the pages into a book and label it “Silly Compound Cookbook.”
To go further, students can create a recipe for their dish, complete with an
ingredient list and set of directions.
47
Name _______
______________
______________
____ Date _______
Tip
______________
The Smell Test (Science)

_
The Smell Tes
t
Ingredient
Yes No
flour
salt
baking soda ▲▲▲▲▲▲
Most would agree that the smell of gingerbread baking ginger
cinnamon
in the oven is delightful! Challenge students to explore cloves

nutmeg
Let students create
butter
scratch-and-sniff
their sense of smell as they investigate the question, brown sugar
egg
gingerbread men by
“Do all things have an odor?” molasses
vanilla
cutting gingerbread
Jan Brett Books
shapes from sandpaper

Scholastic Teaching
Resources
53
{ Copy the record sheet on page 50. Gather the and rubbing them with
ingredients listed to make gingerbread. Place them at a center. cinnamon sticks.
Give each student a record sheet.
{ Let students take turns “sniffing” each item. Show them how to color in
the gingerbread (“yes” or “no”) for each ingredient to answer the

question, “Can you smell it?” o ok Links
B
{ Invite students to compare their results. Which ingredients could they
all smell? Were there ingredients that some, but not all, could smell?
{ Explain that the ability to detect odors varies from person to person.
This may be due to genetics, injury, or blocked nasal passages that occur The Gingerbread Boy
when someone has a cold or allergies. There were probably some by Richard Egielski
ingredients that no one was able to smell, such as salt and baking soda. (HarperCollins, 2000).
These would be considered odorless because our sense of smell is unable This version of the tale finds
to detect them. Challenge students to name other substances they the gingerbread boy in an
consider odorless. To go further, let students set up investigations to test urban setting, where he is
their ideas. (Check substances first for safety.) chased by a rat, some
construction workers, a
policeman, and others.
Rhyme Time (Language Arts)
The Gingerbread Man
A variation of a familiar rhyme invites children to practice letter recognition by Jim Aylesworth
and sound-spelling relationships beginning with words they know best— (Scholastic, 1998).
their names! The illustrations found in
this traditional version are
{ Teach students the following rhyme. Fill in the blank with students’
seemingly old-fashioned
names: and resemble early editions
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man, of Mother Goose.
Bake me some gingerbread as fast as you can;
The Gingerbread Man
Roll it and pat it and mark it with a G,
by Eric Kimmel
Put it in the oven for ___________ and me.
(Holiday House, 1994).
{ Copy the rhyme onto sentence strips. Glue the strips to posterboard and This classic retelling ends
laminate. on an upbeat note as it
suggests that gingerbread
{ Create strips with students’ names. Attach Velcro to the blank space on men return whenever
the chart and onto the back of each name card. someone bakes gingerbread.
{ Let students select a name to fill in the blank and then practice reading
the chart aloud.
48
Pattern
Gingerbread
49
Name _______________________________________ Date ______________________
The Smell Test
Ingredient Yes No
flour
salt
baking soda
ginger
cinnamon
cloves
nutmeg
butter
brown sugar
egg
molasses
vanilla
50
Hedgie’s Surprise
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 2 0 0 0 )
Concepts P oor Henny! She longs to have a family just like Goosey-Goosey, but each
day her eggs are stolen by a mischievous Tomten. Unsure what to do, she
consults with her wise friend Hedgie, who devises a clever plan to trick the
and Themes
Tomten and teach him a good lesson.
▲▲▲▲▲▲
J friendship Before Reading

J life cycles Surprise!
J eggs
Show students the cover of the book and read aloud the title. Explain that
J trickster tales the story is about two friends named Henny and Hedgie. Henny is bothered
by a Tomten who keeps stealing her eggs from her nest. One day Hedgie tries
to stop the Tomten by giving him a “surprise.” Can students predict the
“surprise” suggested in the title, or will the book have a true surprise ending?
Give each student a plastic egg. Ask students to write down what they predict
Hedgie’s surprise will be and place it in the egg. After reading the story, let
students exchange eggs and read each other’s predictions aloud. Did the
ending surprise everyone?
After Reading
Tip Students will no doubt be amused by the mischievous Tomten

▲▲▲▲▲▲
and the tricks Henny and Hedgie played on him. Use this
aspect of the story to introduce the genre of trickster tales.
This is a good
opportunity for a
{ Ask students to name other stories that contain “tricksters,” as in Hedgie’s
writing connection.
Students can write Surprise. Explain that these are often called trickster tales.
trickster tales starring { If possible, read several trickster tales aloud to the class. Examples include
themselves!
Anansi the Spider: A Tale From the Ashanti, by Gerald McDermott
(Henry Holt, 1987); Coyote: A Trickster Tale From the American
Southwest, by Gerald McDermott (Voyager Books, 1999); and The Tale
of the Tricky Fox, by Jim Aylesworth (Scholastic, 2001). Discuss the
different ways in which characters in the stories play a trick on others.
51
{ Make connections between the story and students’ experiences by
inviting them to tell about times they’ve played tricks on someone. Ask:
“When is it okay to play a trick on someone? When is it not okay?”
Tomten Tricks From A to Z (Language Arts)

Make an alphabet book to extend the story and help students imagine other
objects that could have been used to trick the Tomten.
{ Write the following text from the book on sentence strips and place
them in a pocket chart:
“‘Henny! Have you got a little yummy for my nearly empty tummy?’
The Tomten reached for an egg and pulled out a(n)
_______________________ .”
{ Read the sentences aloud with students. Work together to create picture
and word cards for the following objects: acorn, strawberry, mushroom,
potato. Let children take turns placing the picture and word cards in the
blank and rereading the text.
{ As an extension of the story, assign each student a letter of the alphabet.
Ask children to think of an object starting with that letter that might
trick the Tomtem. Have children copy the text from the pocket chart,
fill in the blank with the name for their object, and draw a picture.
{ Give children sheets of paper sized to cover their alphabet
objects. Have children glue the top edge of the paper to the
picture so that it covers the drawing of their object and
creates a flap. To complete the page, on the flap have
children draw a picture of Henny sitting on her nest.
{ Place the pages in alphabetical order, add a cover, and
staple. Share the book with students, and let them
take turns sharing it at home, along with a copy
of Hedgie’s Surprise.
52
Tip Breakfast Graph (Math)
▲▲▲▲▲▲
The Tomten likes to eat porridge and eggs for breakfast. Ask students: “What
Visit these Web sites to do you like to eat for breakfast?” Guide students in conducting a survey to find
learn more about chicks
out. Display results of the survey on the chalkboard in the form of a table.
and how they develop:
Review ways of graphing data. Then let each student create a graph based on
Chickscope:
the information collected. Discuss the graph, asking:
chickscope.beckman.uiuc
.edu/explore/embryology/
❋ “How many different breakfast foods are preferred by
Life Cycle of the Chicken: students in our class? Are these results surprising? Why?”
www.kidfarm.net/chicken.htm
❋ “What was the most popular breakfast food? Least?”
❋ “How many students like eggs, like the Tomten?”
❋ “Who would find this information useful? How?”
❋ “What doesn’t this graph tell us?”
Word Study: Whose Is It? (Language Arts)

The Tomten doesn’t seem to understand what belongs to him and what
doesn’t! Use this theme from the story to teach about possessives.
{ Write the following on the chalkboard:
Hedgie goslings
Tomten eggs
Henny prickles
Goosey-Goosey porridge
{ Ask children to match the objects to their owners.

{ Model how to use apostrophes to show possessives. Let students try
themselves by writing the characters’ names and their belongings in
possessive form—for example, “Hedgie’s prickles.”
{ For practice, invite students to create more examples of possessives based
on the book. Have them write the two parts to the possessive on
different cards. Combine the cards for a class-made matching game that
reinforces this writing skill.
53
Eggs-periment (Science) ok Links
Bo
How were Henny’s chicks able to breathe while inside their eggs? Conduct
this experiment to find out.
{ Place a raw egg (in the shell) in a clear jar half-filled with warm water. Eggs: A Photographic Story
of Hatching
{ Guide students to discover the bubbles coming from the egg.
by Robert Burton
{ Have students use words and pictures to record their observations. (DK Publishing, 1994).
{ Ask: “What does this tell us about eggs?” (The eggshell is porous— Use this book to explore the
it has holes in it so that air can go in and out of the egg. The bubbles life cycles of several
children see are air bubbles.) Ask: “What does this tell us about chicks?” different animals that lay
(The growing chicks receive air through the holes in the egg.) eggs.
The Tomten
Rhyme Time (Math and Language Arts) by Astrid Lindgren
(Penguin Putnam, 1997).
Share a number rhyme to help children learn doubles math facts (through
This magical story, based
10 + 10).
on a poem, invites you to
Five eggs and five eggs, that makes ten. follow the Tomten around
Sitting on top is a mother hen. the farm as he tiptoes on
Crackle, crackle, crackle, small, silent feet through
What do you see? winter darkness. He speaks
to all the animals in Tomten
Ten yellow chicks, fluffy as can be.
language—a language only
{ Ask students to write a number sentence to illustrate the number of eggs they can understand.
in the poem (for example, 5 + 5 = 10). Explain that this number
sentence is called a double because the two addends are the same.
{ Make a Doubles Math Facts book
for each student. Use the sample
(right) as a pattern. Make 10 copies
for each book. Add a cover page Doubles Math Facts
that reads “I’m Seeing Double” or
“Count Your Chickens Before They
Hatch.” Staple the pages together.
{ Let students complete a page for
each of the doubles (for example,
+ =
1 + 1, 2 + 2, and 3 + 3) by writing
the number sentence in the space
provided and drawing the
corresponding eggs in each nest.
{ Encourage students to use the books + =
to help them memorize all the
doubles facts.
54
Daisy Comes
Home
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 2 0 0 2 )
W hen Daisy, the smallest of Mei Mei’s hens, is picked on by the other hens,
she decides to sleep outside in a market basket. While she rests, the river
creeps up from behind and carries her on an adventure where she learns some
Concepts
useful survival skills.
and Themes
▲▲▲▲▲▲
Before Reading
J survival
J China Guess the Title
J friendship Jan Brett had a difficult time deciding what to name this story. In addition
J hens to Daisy Comes Home, she considered Happy Hens and Fine Feathered Friends
(source: www.janbrett.com). Use sticky notes to cover up the title. Show the
book to students and share the three titles. Once you have read the book
aloud, ask them to name the title they think is best and tell why. Remove
the sticky notes and reveal the actual title. Let students tell why they think
the author chose this one of the three she considered. Let students share
their own ideas for other titles that work well for this story.
After Reading
Strengthen inferential thinking with a discussion about lost

and found objects. Use the following questions to invite
students’ ideas:
{ “The fisherman in the story assumed he could keep Daisy because he

found her. Was he correct? What would you have done?”
{ “Have you ever lost or found something? What steps did you take to
retrieve the object or return it to its owner?’
{ “What does the saying ‘Finders keepers, losers weepers’ mean? How do
you feel about this saying?”
55
Story Map Journeys

(Language Arts and Social Studies)
In the story, Daisy takes an unexpected

journey. Explore story structure by
inviting students to create a map of her
travels.
{ On a sheet of paper, list the different
places she went and the people and

animals she encountered.
{ Have students draw pictures for each of these people, places,
and animals.
{ Create puppets for Mei Mei and Daisy by attaching their pictures to
craft sticks.
{ Arrange the remaining pictures on a sheet of mural paper in the order
they first appear in the story, and glue them in place.
{ Let students take turns using the puppets and mural to retell the story
of Daisy Comes Home.
Let’s Compare Journeys! (Language Arts)

The Story About Ping, by Marjorie Flack (Viking, 1977), tells of another
character who finds himself on a journey, and like Daisy Comes Home, it also
takes place in China. Jan Brett remembers listening to this story when she
was a little girl. Use a Venn diagram to compare the two stories.
{ To create the diagram, draw two intersecting
circles on the chalkboard or on a sheet of
posterboard.
{ Write a book title in each circle.
{ Compare the books. Record the ways the books
are different in the two separate circles and the
ways they are the same in the space where the
circles intersect.
{ Can students think of other stories in which the
character takes a journey? Create new Venn
diagrams to make more comparisons.
56
ok Links Word Study: Two Sounds of Y (Language Arts)
Bo
This activity will help children understand the phrase “A-E-I-O-U and
sometimes Y.”
{ Write the name “Daisy” on the chalkboard.
Count Your Way
Through China { Ask: “What sound does the letter y make at the end of the word?”
by Jim Haskins (long e) “Can you think of other names that end with this sound?”
(Carolrhoda Books, 1988). Explain that y sometimes acts as a vowel when it has the sound of a
long e or long i.
This book introduces
children to the geography { Cut out several eggs from construction paper. Place them in a box.
and culture of China while
teaching them to count to { As students read,
ten in Chinese. encourage them to
record on the egg
Hilda Hen’s Scary Night cutouts words that
by Mary Wormell represent the two
(Harcourt, 1997). sounds of y.
Hilda is late getting back to { Sort the words by
her henhouse. In the dark, the two sounds
she is startled by many and read them
“creatures” that turn out to aloud together.
be farmyard objects that
look much spookier at night.
57
Teaching With Other Favorite Jan Brett Books
The First Dog Happy Birthday,

I Dear Duck
(HARCOURT BRACE, 1988) by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett
I
A cave boy befriends a Paleowolf when he
exchanges rhino ribs for protection from
dangerous beasts of the Ice Age.
(CLARION BOOKS, 1988)
Fast-Forward Rewrite
I n a suspenseful story set in the desert, Duck gets
birthday presents that are better suited for the beach.
Duck is puzzled until Turtle finally arrives with the last
gift—a plastic pool!
Explore the prehistoric period in which the
story took place. Show children a time line A Desert Birthday
to give them a sense of how far back in
history this story goes. How would the Use the following questions to guide a discussion that
story be different if it was rewritten to take explores how the setting of a story relates to the plot:
place during present time? What food
❋ “How important is the desert setting to this story?”
would Kip have with him that the dog
would have wanted? What dangers might ❋ “Could this story work in other settings?”
the boy encounter on his adventures? How ❋ “Why is a pool a good gift for a story that takes
would the dog protect him? Work together place in the desert?”
with children to write a similar tale set in ❋ “What gifts might Duck receive if the story took
modern times about the adventures of a boy place near a lake or ocean?”
and his dog.
❋ “Do the animals in the book live in the desert? If
not, where do you think they live?”
Poetry for the Senses
The Mystery Gift
Revisit the book and draw students’
attention to the keen senses of the Paleowolf. The suspense builds in the story as Duck is about to
What did the wolf smell? What did he hear? open his last gift. What could it be? Stop reading and
What did he see? If possible, take children ask children to wonder about this last gift. Have them
outdoors and let them use their own senses name the other gifts he received. What do they have
to explore their surroundings. Have them in common? How do they think this next gift will
write descriptive phrases that tell what they relate to the others? Let each child record a prediction
smell, hear, and see. on a present-shaped cutout. Continue reading, and let
children check their predictions.
58
Beauty and the Beast The Owl
I and the Pussycat
(CLARION BOOKS, 1989)
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 1 9 9 1 )
B eauty’s father becomes indebted to the Beast

when he picks a rose from the Beast’s garden.
In exchange for her father’s life, Beauty agrees to
move into the palace with the Beast, where she soon
discovers that appearances can be deceiving.
I ntroduce nonsense poetry with this classic by
Edward Lear about two unlikely sweethearts
who travel through the Caribbean on a pea green
boat in search of wedded bliss.
Shadow Art
What’s a Runcible Spoon?
Revisit the book and draw children’s attention to
the shadow paintings found in the background of Some of the vocabulary used in this book may
some pages. Use these questions to explore how be unfamiliar to students. Play this game to
the illustrations help tell this story: help them learn the definitions. Divide the
class into two teams, the “owls” and the
❋ “What do these paintings show?” “pussycats.” Give each student a dictionary.
❋ “Why do you think Jan Brett included them in Write a word from the story on the
the book?” chalkboard. Let students race to be the first
❋ “What do the sayings above the paintings one to score a point for his or her team by
mean? How are they messages to Beauty?” reading aloud the dictionary definition. The
team with the most points at the end of the
❋ “How do the paintings and messages provide
game wins.
clues to the reader?”
Nonsense Poetry
Judging a Book by Its Cover
Use this book as an introduction to Edward
Explore the theme of the story and the expression Lear’s poetry. Ask: “Why is it considered
“You can’t judge a book by its cover,” using the nonsense poetry? What elements make it so?
following exercise: Are there other poets you know who also write
nonsense poetry?” (for example, Lewis Carroll)
❋ Cut out a picture of a person from a magazine.
Compare and contrast various examples and
Share it with children. Ask: “What can you tell
then invite children to write their own
me about this person?” Record students’
nonsense poems.
responses and then sort them by categories:
“On the Outside” and “On the Inside.”
❋ Discuss results of the sorting. Invite students to
tell how this relates to the theme of the story
and to the expression “You can’t judge a book
by its cover.”
59
Comet’s Nine Lives On Noah’s Ark
I I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 1 9 9 6 ) ( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 2 0 0 3 )
A s a roaming feline searches for a permanent

home, his nine lives slowly diminish when he
comes face to face with danger.
N oah’s granddaughter keeps the peace
on a crowded ark as the animals
become restless and tangled during their
40-day-40-night voyage.
Story Map
Two by Two
Invite children to chart Comet’s journey around
Nantucket Island by creating a story map. Begin by The two-by-two formation by which the
listing all the places Comet visited and then animals boarded the ark serves as a great
sequencing them according to the order they introduction to multiplication. Using
appear in the book. Next, have children draw the pairs of toy animals, let children solve
island on a sheet of paper and create pictures to problems based on the twos times table—
represent each stop he made. Children can then for example, “If there are five pairs of
connect the stops using dotted lines or arrows. animals, how many animals are on the
Help children label the map and record each of ark all together? How many pairs are on
Comet’s nine lives. the ark if there are 20 animals all
together?”
Step Books
Move Like the Animals
Use the format of a step book to sequence the
events of Comet’s Nine Lives. To create the book, The story uses descriptive language to tell
give each child five sheets of paper. Demonstrate how the animals move. On slips of paper,
how to stagger the bottom of each. Next, have write different animal names. Let each
them fold the top down, creating 10 steps. Staple child choose a slip and record an
at the top. On the first step, have children write adjective that tells how that animal might
the title of the story. move. For example, “the leopard leaped.”
Label the succeeding Place the slips in a bag and let children
nine steps 1 through take turns choosing one. Invite them to
9. Under each flap, act out the animal and its movement for
have children draw a classmates to guess.
picture and write a
sentence that tells
how each life was
lost. For nine,
children can depict
Comet’s happy new
home.
60
The Umbrella
I
( G . P. P U T N A M ’ S S O N S , 2 0 0 4 )
C arlos heads to the cloud forest with his tropical

umbrella in search of animals. When he climbs a
tree for a better view, the animals find his umbrella
and use it as a resting place.
Umbrella Reports
This book includes some animals that may be
unfamiliar to children, such as the kinkajou, tapir,
and quetzal. Divide the class into small groups and
assign each group an animal from the book. (Clip
art of each animal is available at www.janbrett.com.)
Ask children to research their animal and organize
findings using an “umbrella organizer” containing
several different spokes, one for each category of
information.
El Paraguas (The Umbrella)

Throughout this book, Jan Brett introduces
children to several Spanish words and phrases, such
as buena suerte and no problema. Challenge children
to figure out what the words mean by using the
context of the sentence. Consult an English-Spanish
dictionary to check for accuracy.
61

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What is the purpose of this book?

What is the purpose of this book?

What animals are mentioned in the book?

What animals are mentioned in the book?

Teaching With Favorite Jan Brett Books © Jacqueline Clarke, Scholastic Teaching Resources

NEW YORK • TORONTO • LONDON • AUCKLAND • SYDNEY

Edited by Joan Novelli

an Brett was a shy child who spent much of her time

J drawing and daydreaming. The pictures she drew became

Connections to the Language Arts Standards

{ books written, retold, and illustrated by the author-illustrator

Introduce the Author

Create a Time Line

Mark this on the map. ideas for launching and

Create a mini-dictionary to familiarize

mane: the hair

children with the horse-related Name from the head

vocabulary used in the book. Review

the words. hoof

coat: the oute

{ Give each child a copy of the r covering

mini-dictionary (page 11), and Teaching With Favorite

review the words.

Use the story to further explore the concept of beautiful and

{ Ask students to decide whether they think Fritz is beautiful based on

Fritz is beautiful because ________________________________ .

{ Discuss Fritz’s character as it relates to the theme of the story. Ask:

Beauty Boxes (Social Studies and Language Arts)

{ Elicit adjectives from students that describe Fritz,

A horse’s height is measured by the width of a

Learn about the breeds,

Teaching With Favorite

Jan Brett Books

measurements for a pony and a horse: Measure the

pony: fewer than 14.2 hands 12

{ Give each child a copy of the record sheet (page 12).

coat: the outer covering hoof: the hard covering

Before Reading J animals

Use the story to explore character development and to examine

{ How did Annie feel at the beginning of the book?

Sometimes I Feel Lonely (Social Studies and Language Arts)

“Missing” and “Wanted” Posters

Encourage students to identify with Annie’s

peanut butter, birdseed, string or yarn, and scissors.

T his traditional retelling of a favorite tale is accompanied by lavish illustrations

tape it to the chalkboard. Can students guess the next

students are able to guess? Children can use the

Use this story to help students make inferences based on what

style, he discovers bowls,

Lost and Found Stories

How Do You Say Grandma? (Language Arts and Social Studies)

Tip The Mitten Tree (Social Studies and Math)

dog for a walk in the snow.

Word Study: Move Like the Animals (Language Arts)

Follow up reading with an examination of cumulative story

in the blanks on the right side of the paper.

Imaginations Take Flight (Music, Art, and Language Arts)

Word Study: Sound Hunt (Language Arts)

All About All About Me