by Tracey Campbell Pearson

Synopsis

After the farm cat tells Bob he needs to crow like a rooster instead of cluck like a chicken, Bob sets out to find someone to teach him how to crow.

Why I like this for a read aloud book:

*Watercolor illustrations
*Bob’s handsome coloring and pattern
*Fun twist on the “figuring out who you are” story line

Family Fun

Bob lived with a bunch of chickens who clucked. Sing Bob the Rooster Had Some Friends.

Using the song, “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” as your tune, try these modified words:

Bob the rooster had some friends, E-I-E-I-O.
And some of Bob’s friends were a bunch of chickens, E-I-E-I-O.
With a “Cluck, cluck” here and a “Cluck, cluck” there.
Here a “Cluck” there a “Cluck” everywhere a “Cluck, cluck.”
Bob the rooster had some friends, E-I-E-I-O.

And one of Bob’s friends was Henrietta, E-I-E-I-O.
With a “Meow, meow” here and a “Meow, meow” there.
Here a “Meow” there a “Meow” everywhere a “Meow, meow.”
A “Cluck, cluck” here and a “Cluck, cluck” there.
Here a “Cluck” there a “Cluck” everywhere a “Cluck, cluck.”
Bob the rooster had some friends, E-I-E-I-O.

And one of Bob’s friends was a happy dog, E-I-E-I-O.
With a “Woof-wag” here and a “Woof-wag” there.
Here a “Woof” there a “Wag” everywhere a “Woof-wag.”
With a “Meow, meow” here and a “Meow, meow” there.
Here a “Meow” there a “Meow” everywhere a “Meow, meow.”
A “Cluck, cluck” here and a “Cluck, cluck” there.
Here a “Cluck” there a “Cluck” everywhere a “Cluck, cluck.”
Bob the rooster had some friends, E-I-E-I-O.

And some of Bob’s friends were frogs in a pond, E-I-E-I-O.
With a “Ribbet-ribbet-hop-hop” here and a “Ribbet-ribbet-hop-hop” there.
Here a “Ribbet” there a “hop-hop” everywhere a “Ribbet-ribbet-hop-hop.”
With a “Woof-wag” here and a “Woof-wag” there.
Here a “Woof” there a “Wag” everywhere a “Woof-wag.”
With a “Meow, meow” here and a “Meow, meow” there.
Here a “Meow” there a “Meow” everywhere a “Meow, meow.”
A “Cluck, cluck” here and a “Cluck, cluck” there.
Here a “Cluck” there a “Cluck” everywhere a “Cluck, cluck.”
Bob the rooster had some friends, E-I-E-I-O.

And some of Bob’s friends were cows in a field, E-I-E-I-O.
With a “Moo moo” here and a “Moo moo” there.
Here a “Moo” there a “Moo” everywhere a “Yum-yum-bugs!”
With a “Ribbet-ribbet-hop-hop” here and a “Ribbet-ribbet-hop-hop” there.
Here a “Ribbet” there a “hop-hop” everywhere a “Ribbet-ribbet-hop-hop.”
With a “Woof-wag” here and a “Woof-wag” there.
Here a “Woof” there a “Wag” everywhere a “Woof-wag.”
With a “Meow, meow” here and a “Meow, meow” there.
Here a “Meow” there a “Meow” everywhere a “Meow, meow.”
A “Cluck, cluck” here and a “Cluck, cluck” there.
Here a “Cluck” there a “Cluck” everywhere a “Cluck, cluck.”
Bob the rooster had some friends, E-I-E-I-O.

Don’t sing, just say:
And “Whooo” else was Bob’s friend?
The fox was NOT Bob’s friend. “YUM-YUM-FOX!!”
Run, Fox, run!

If you aren’t familiar with the tune to “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” here is a version:

Before you begin singing, you may designate someone as the “Fox” and when you get to “Run, Fox, run!” the Fox runs away and the other singers/players give chase.

More Family Fun

Bob is a beautiful black and white rooster. Make a Bob Rooster.

Draw your own Bob Rooster if you like (there is a great tutorial here) or click here and print this template:
Cut Bob’s body from black construction paper.
I fit all four black parts on two pieces of construction paper. You could also just print the template and color it.

Cut his comb and wattle from red paper. Cut his beak and feet from yellow paper. (Or just color them!)

Assemble Bob using the dotted lines to help position the parts. The head and neck part sits on top of the front body. The back body part is to the right of the front body part. The tail attaches to the top of the back body part. The legs go on the bottom of the front body part. The wattle and comb go on the head, and the beak attaches under the head. Use this picture for reference:
I put the parts in place and then used a glue stick to glue the parts together.

Now for the fun part. Tear up, or use scissors, little pieces of white paper. (My listener LOVES to cut paper into little, tiny pieces so I’m guessing yours will too!) You could also use white holes from a hole punch or a white crayon or piece of chalk. Do what works best for you and your listener!

Cut strips of white paper which can then be cut into small pieces. Dot Bob with glue and sprinkle on the small pieces of paper. Reposition any papers you like and press gently to get them to stick.
Bob’s neck is already spotted. His front body part has dots of glue ready for the cut pieces of paper.
There’s Bob Rooster! (Remember: you can use the materials shown here or whatever you have available. The end result isn’t as important as doing the activity together!)

Animal Sound Fun

Each of the animals says something different. Play the Animal Sound Game.

*If you have a large group of players, play this game:

Whisper to each player an animal (either from the book or other animals of your choice.) At least two players will have the same animal. If you have lots of players, several of them may have the same animal.

Make sure you are in a safe spot, and have all the players close their eyes. Now each player makes the sound of his animal and with his eyes closed tries to find the other player/s making the same sound.

The goal is to have all of the same “animals” end up together.

*If you only have two or three players, play this game:

Write animal names on slips of paper.
Put them in a bowl.
One player draws a name. He silently acts out what the animal might do.

The guessing player guesses by saying the animal sound. For example, if the first player picked “cat,” he might crawl on all fours and rub his head against the other player’s knee. The second player would guess, “Meow?”

Take turns acting and guessing.

Fun Facts

*Cows have one stomach with four parts.

*Cows eat grass which is very hard to digest. The grass goes into the cow’s stomach almost unchewed, is mixed with stomach fluids which help break it down a little, comes back up into the cow’s mouth in a clump (called a cud) for another chew to break it down into smaller pieces, and then returns to the stomach for further digestion.

*Only cows and other ruminants chew their cud. That’s why Bob couldn’t chew his cud–he didn’t have one!

*Roosters eat bugs, seeds, plants, special pellet food, and even table scraps.

*Bob appears to be a Plymouth Rock rooster. Here is a picture of one:
*These kinds of chickens/roosters are very docile and calm. Does that remind you of Bob?

*Plymouth Rock chickens lay large brown eggs, can withstand cold weather, and are beautiful too!

Reading Reinforcement

*Be enthusiastic when you make the animal sounds and include motions where indicated. For example, wiggle your bottom as if wagging a tail when you read “Woof-wag” even if you are sitting down. Your listener will love the actions with the sounds. Encourage your listener to make the sound and the action with you.

*Find who was asking Bob, “Whooo? Whooo? Whooo?” Did Bob ever figure out who was talking to him?

*Bob and the chickens clucked all day. What sound do you make all day?

*Look for insects. There are some on almost every page! What kind of insects are they? What sound would that kind of insect make?

*Bob was scared in the dark. What did he do? Did he panic? What do you do when you are scared?

 

Find this book at your local library or buy it here. (This links to a paperback book.)

by Ian Fleming

Synopsis

An unusual family’s adventures with their unusual car.

Why I like this for a read aloud book:

*Conversational tone of the author
*The Pott family isn’t afraid to do things differently
*Who wouldn’t love having a car like Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang?!

Family Fun

Commander Pott invents Crackpot Whistling Sweets. Try this Crackpot Whistling Trick.

Candies like Commander Pott invented aren’t available as far as I know, but I remember this fun whistling trick.

Go outside and find a wide blade of grass.
Place the grass vertically between your two thumbs pressed together.
Blow through the hole between your knuckles and the base of your thumbs and across the blade of grass. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get the grass situated and to get the right amount of air blowing past.  Eventually, you will make a loud whistling sound as the air vibrates the blade of grass.

You are a Crackpot Whistler!

More Family Fun

As the Potts drove through the cave, they were shocked by the sight of a skeleton hung from the ceiling, swaying in the breeze. Make a Skeleton.

You will need paper plates, scissors, a hole punch, string or brads, and markers.

Click here to print my template or go to this site.
The wiggly edges are the edge of the plate. The dotted line on the ribs is the center line. You’ll need to trace it, flip it over, and trace the other half of the ribs.

Trace and cut the skull, neck and shoulders, ribs, hips, 10 bones (3 for each leg, 2 for each arm), and your listener’s hands and feet. Use a marker to color in the details of the skull.
Punch holes in the marked spots. Lay your pieces on the floor in order.
You can sing “The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone…” song as you put the pieces in order. (The original song was titled “Dry Bones.”)

If you aren’t familiar with the words or tune, here is a fun version:

Tie the parts together with string, or use brads to connect the parts. After you have connected all your dry bones, hang your skeleton on a wall or somewhere it can sway in the breeze!

Fun Bone Facts

*Your bones provide form and structure to your body. Without bones you would be a limp puddle.

*Bones protect important organs like your brain, lungs, and spinal cord.

*You are born with 300 bones, but as you grow some bones grow together leaving an adult with 206 bones.

*Muscles attached to your bones contract and your bones act as levers moving your body parts.

*Joints are where the bones connect. There are different kinds of joints for different body parts. Your knees and elbows are like hinges and only bend in one direction. The joints in your neck and shoulder allow much greater movement. Try moving different body parts and determine what kind of joint connects the bones. (You have more than 230 joints!)

*Bones are alive! Because they are alive, bones can grow and repair themselves. That’s why a broken bone can heal.

*Bones have an outside layer that contains nerves and blood vessels, a hard part, a spongy porous part, and in the very middle a thick jelly-like part. Check this website for more details.

*Giraffes and humans have the same number of neck bones. The giraffe’s neck bones are just much longer!

*The femur (the bone between your knee and your hip) is the longest bone in your body. It is about one fourth as long as you are tall.

*The smallest bone in your body is in your ear. It’s half the size of a grain of salt and helps you hear.

Food Fun

Monsieur Bon-Bon’s Secret “Fooj” recipe is at the end of the book. Make Fudge.

Combine in a large pot:

2 c. sugar
4 T. cocoa
1 T. light corn syrup
1 T. water
1/4 lb. butter
1 small can evaporated milk (about 2/3 c.)
Melt on low until mixture is smooth. Increase the heat and boil very quickly until it forms a soft ball when dropped into cold water. (About 235 degrees Fahrenheit.) Remove from heat and beat with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken slightly. Pour into a buttered 8″ x 8″ pan. Cut into squares.
As you know, once it is cool, you should DEVOUR it!
Yum! (I’ve had trouble with candy recipes in the past even though I’m a fairly accomplished cook and baker. This recipe worked easily for me–hope it’s the same for you!)

Reading Reinforcement

*In the note at the beginning, the author gives you the exchange rate for English pounds to United States dollars in 1964. For a more current exchange rate, check this site.

*The Potts didn’t have enough money to buy a car, but nevertheless “enjoyed their lives…and were not in the least sorry for themselves.” Are there things you don’t have money for that you would like? Are you happy anyway? Do you feel sorry for yourself when your friends have what you want and you don’t have? Why weren’t the Potts sorry for themselves?

*Because he dreamed of inventions and adventures, the Commander was known as Commander Crackpott. Why wasn’t he mad about such a rude nickname? How did he react? What did he do about it? What can you do if you acquire a nickname you don’t like?

*The man who sells the Potts their car almost has “tears of happiness” and tells them they will never regret buying the car. Why did he nearly have tears of happiness? How much do you think he knew about the car?

*The license plate reminds Jemima of the story of the Bottle Imp by Robert Louis Stevenson. If you are interested in knowing more about that story, check Wikipedia for a summary or click here for the complete story.

*The author defines lots of the unusual words (like conglomeration on the first page), but what is a klaxon? Or a golliwog? Or an M.T.B.? Or confabulation? Knowing the meaning of the words creates a clearer picture of what the author was describing. For example, “Jeremy’s black mop blew about like a golliwog in a hurricane” makes more sense when you know what a golliwog is, whether you like what it is or not.

*The first thing the family did after Chitty Chitty Bang Bang safely delivered them to the Goodwin Sands was thank her and compliment her. She seemed to “let out a long sort of metallic sigh of contentment.” How can you remember to be grateful when someone helps you or compliment someone when they do something good?

*When the children asked Commander Pott if he was going the wrong way he “put on his ‘secret’ face–the face he wore around Christmas time.” Do your parents get that kind of face? When? Why? Is it usually a sign of something good? What was Commander Pott up to?

*Commander Pott tells the children “Never say ‘no’ to adventures.” What was his reason? Do you agree with him or not? Why?

*Here is a map of Dover, England and Calais, France. They are quite close even though they are in different countries.

*After the family passed the skeleton in the cave, they heard an eerie moaning. It turned out to be an aeolian harp which is designed to play when the wind blows over the strings. They might have heard something like this:

Kind of scary, huh?

*When Chitty Chitty Bang Bang woke Commander Pott with her powerful klaxon, he leaped out of bed with a “very powerful swear word (it was “Dash My Wig and Whiskers,” if you want to know.)” My sister used to say, “Crummy buttons!” when she was upset or surprised. What imaginative “swear words” can you use that don’t include any bad words? It’s fun to be creative!

*If you had a car like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, where would you like her to take you? Would you say “yes” to adventure?

 

Find this book at your local library or buy it here.

 

 

 

 

 

by Peter Bently

Synopsis

King Jack and his knights protect their castle from dragons and beasts until…

Why I like this for a read aloud book:

*Brave, rhyming text
*Friendship and imagination
*Told from child’s perspective

Family Fun

King Jack and his men make a mighty great fort. Build a Fort.

Jack used a box, a sheet, sticks, bags and bricks. If you build your fort inside you may want to modify your supplies. Use what you have and improvise where necessary.

My fort uses chairs, a sheet, and part of a moving box for the drawbridge. Use whatever you have! Here’s the drawbridge up:
Here’s the drawbridge down:
Look out for dragons and beasts while in your mighty fort!

More Family Fun

King Jack wears a crown, and has a sword with which to fight the dragons and beasts. Make a Crown and Sword.

The Crown:

Jack’s crown is very simple. Use construction paper, regular paper, or if you want it stronger, cereal box cardboard.

I used construction paper. You will need two sheets of construction paper. First I pinched the middle to mark it. Then I folded each outside edge to the middle and pinched about halfway down:
Using my pinch marks for guidelines, I cut a triangle. I used the cut triangle as a pattern to cut the other side:
Cut a second piece of construction paper exactly the same way. I decided the crown was too tall so I cut off the bottom three inches or so and then taped two of the ends together:
Measure your listener’s head to get the perfect fit. Staple or tape the other two ends together:
Leave the crown plain or decorate it if you prefer.

The Sword:

Because you can be sure your listener will use the sword to hit things, it needs to be relatively flexible/soft. Use an empty paper towel roll or wrapping paper roll or cereal box cardboard.

I used a big cereal box. I used the top flap for the cross piece and drew the sword section along the corrugation lines:
An adult may need to cut out the pieces if the cardboard is too stiff. Staple or tape the crosspiece to the sword:
This doesn’t need to be fancy because your listener is using his imagination to make the sword everything it needs to be to defend the fort from whatever dragons or beasts may come to attack. (Although feel free to decorate or embellish the sword if you want. These ideas are just springboards for your imagination!)

Game Fun

King Jack and his men fight dragons. Wear your crown and use your sword to Play Three Sticks.

*For the traditional method of play, divide the players into two teams.

Each team builds a pyramid or teepee shape with three sticks leaning against each other (or a stack of blocks or whatever you have) which represents the fort.
The tree divides the area in my playing area. There is a “fort” on either side of the tree.
You have to look hard to see both forts, but they are there!

When a player is on his own side, he is a King Jack player defending the fort. When he advances to the other team’s side, he becomes a dragon trying to knock down their fort with his cardboard sword.

If an opposing player is tagged in the other team’s territory, he becomes a member of that team.

Dragon players may use their swords to knock down the fort, but not to make contact with a King Jack player/s. If a dragon touches a King Jack player with his sword, he is out of that game. King Jack players may block dragons or try to tag them, but also may not make contact with a dragon with their swords. If they do, they are out.

Roaring is allowed.

*If you have two or three players, just build one fort. One player will be King Jack defending the fort and the other player/s will be the dragon/s trying to knock down the fort. Roaring and causing distractions are key strategies for the dragon player/s.

Reading Reinforcement

*King Jack was able to pull up his drawbridge so he could stay safe in his castle. My listener was not familiar with a drawbridge.

While being able to close any door makes sense, a drawbridge wouldn’t be needed unless there was a moat. A moat is a ditch around the castle that is usually filled with water to make entrance more difficult.

*The dragons and beasts look pretty scary, but King Jack and his men scare them away. How?

*Who are the giants?

*Did you know what the THING was? Did you guess?

 

Find this book at your local library or buy it here.