Genre: Favorite Book/Predictive/ Picture Book
The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Alex
Scheffler
Some years there are books that students request to read
over and over again. For my first graders this year, The Gruffalo is it! In this story, a small mouse journeys through
the forest only to come upon a fox, an owl, and a snake who all want to eat
him. The charming little mouse uses his clever thinking to outsmart the other
animals and convinces them to leave him be. Students love the predictive pattern of what the
smart little mouse will say each time it meets a new animal in the forest. In
addition to this fun storyline, the illustrations are wonderful. There is such
character attached to each animal’s face throughout the different scenarios in
this strory which truly help build the plot line. The combination of Donaldson’s
ideas and Scheffler’s illustrations are sure to be a favorite amongt many other
students, in addition to mine!
This text can be in used to practice discussion of opinions
in the classroom. Students can talk about whether or not they think it was okay
for the mouse to deceive the other animals in his attempt to persuade them into
not eating him. Additionally, students can practice creative writing skills and
write an alternate ending to this story or create another clever excuse that
the mouse can use if it comes upon other animals in the forest.
Not only do my students love this book, but it is also one
of my favorite read alouds. My students get so into and now since we have read
it several times, they often read parts of it (especially the repetitive
parts) along with me. We are practicing reading with expression too, so this is
excellent for that! Enjoy! J
This looks like a sweet little book for young children. The illustration on the cover page is enough to make me want to read it! From your review, it sounds like 'The Gruffalo' might be appropriate for even younger children - preschoolers perhaps? My young 3 - 5 year olds love text that is predictive and which follows a rhythmic, easy to memorize, pattern. Books such as 'Three Billy Goats Gruff' and 'The Little Red Hen' are both good examples of class favorites.
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing this one to my attention - I will check it out!
This is one of our family's favorite books from our kids' childhood. We started reading it to them when they were infants! It's a longer board book, but the story and rhythm is so riveting that my boys loved it each and every time. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteAndrea