Passing Notes

Notes from a Parent/Teacher to Parents and Teachers

Aug
1

By

Must Read: The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Category: Must Reads Tags: , , , Leave a Comment

This is a modern classic.  A must read for all ages, for the book-lover OR the reticent reader.  By what criteria you ask?  Well both types of readers can connect with the content.  Boy loves books so much he literally eats them.  Or, Boy finds the illustrations wacky and alluring and the content just plain fun.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers is a visual feast.  Jeffers captures Henry, – the protagonist’s, – obession with obtaining his smarts through his tummy by using mixed media; his hand-drawn illustrations combined with the torn pages of real book pages and covers, and library cards breathe life into the muted colours of this fabulous read.  The cover has an actual bite taken out of the back. That alone is worth the CA$10!

Kids seem to love that Henry’s capacity to think and reason decreases with each book that he ingests.  What is a boy to do when his only obsession leads to his, uh ,stupidity?  Well, you’ll have to pick the book up to find out!

 

How can you use the book with your kids?

  • This book lends itself to creating a mixed media collage along the same lines as the book.  Old newspaper pages and thrift store books combined with your own children’s illustrations can lead to a short book written by your kids or to some pretty stunning art work.  You can even use Jeffers art as a springboard to making cards for gift giving.
  • You can read up until Henry needs to decide how to deal with his eating problem and have your child come up with possible solutions.  Then return to the book and find out out Jeffers decides to end the narrative.
  • This book is especially great for young readers and for determining what the elements of narrative are:  For example, the problem and the solution are clearly noticeable for children.
  • Encourage your child to ask question as you read, the text provides many opportunities for that
  • Kids who are so inclined can try to find out, through some detective work, how books or paper are made, from start to finish

 

And as always, you and your kids can just enjoy eating, err, I mean reading it!

 

Daniela

 

 

Mar
12

By

The Way Back Home

Category: Must Reads Tags: , , , , , 4 Comments

 

A knot in my throat.  That’s how I feel at the end of this picture book, each time I read it. The Way Back Home offers insights into friendship, the fear of loneliness, and the value of helping a fellow martian.  Or human.  Its author, the very talented Oliver Jeffers delivers the story beautifully in words and captures our hearts with his brilliant illustrations.

 

Want to make like a teacher and take the story further?

The story lends itself to using our “schematic knowledge” which is fancy for making connections.  Try sharing some connections you’ve made, – if any, – with your child and ask them to share any they may have.  Not everyone can connect with an event in every book they read, but who hasn’t dealt with friendship before?  Exactly, so there’ll be lots to talk about.

For children who have a hard time comprehending what they read, give them more support with the way they “make meaning” when they read.  So what you can do to help your child if understanding what they read is not their strength, is have them notice the many words in the book which are not part of the Canadian lexicon.  Because the author is Irish, you’ll find words like, torch which may have different meanings to Canadians.  So a good strategy here (or anytime they come across an unknown word) is to ask your child what they think a particular unknown word to them means by having them re-read and look around the page for clues (such as the pictures and the context of the story).  They might be able to make  a reasonable guess, if they don’t it’s helpful for you to talk about its possible meanings and check in that s/he gets it.  That way they wont “lose meaning” or understanding.

Whether, you need to use those strategies or just relax with the book in a comfy chair, I hope you enjoy the read!

Daniela