Carl and the Meaning of Life (Deborah Freedman)

Title:  Carl and the Meaning of Life 

Author:  Deborah Freedman  

Illustrator: Deborah Freedman

Target Ages:  5 and up

Genre:  Picture Book

Publisher Summary: 

This is Carl.

Carl is an earthworm.

He spends his days happily digging, tunneling, turning dirt into soil, until one day, when a field mouse asks him…Why?

Carl does not know why he does what he does, but now he needs to find out!

First Lines:

Carl was not a bird.

Carl was not a bear, or a beaver.

Carl was…an earthworm.

Memorable Moment:

All of them (the animals) are able to do what they do…

How?

Well, why not ask Carl?

Evaluation:

As a child, I often wondered: What is my gift?  What makes me special?  I did not have any talents or skills that stood out.  I was pretty average.  However, through hard work and divine direction, I found my—what makes me special. It is likely that many children (and adults) have similar questions about their significance. 

Carl and the Meaning of Life is an excellent springboard for that conversation.  Though a seemingly insignificant living creature, Carl realizes he has a vital purpose. His story reveals how small actions and roles in life are the foundation of a great organization or society.  On a deeper level: If an earthworm has a purpose, how much more does a human being have one? As the image-bearers of God, all people have a purpose and an opportunity to glorify their creator with their actions—no matter how seemingly small the actions.

Freedman’s soft watercolor illustrations are vibrant and warm.  They help capture how Carl feels as he is pictured small and insignificant compared to the other animals.  However, as he has his epiphany and grows in his understanding, he becomes more prominent.  On the last page, he is equal or greater in size to the other creatures.

One of the highlights of the book is Carl’s quest to answer the tough questions.  He does not stop until he finds the answer.  Multiple questions are presented—How? What? Who? and Why?  Teaching children to ask questions and to pursue the answers is the foundation of true education and understanding.  Carl symbolizes the internal quest within each person.

Carl and the Meaning of Life is a perfect picture book, ripe for many questioning and thinking opportunities.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Writing:  Answer the question How? through Carl's perspective at the end of the story.
• Science:  Read one or more non-fiction picture books about the earthworm.
• Drawing:  Create a flow chart to show how the animals in the story are connected.  Read and/or brainstorm another flow chart of interconnectedness, such as related to bees or plankton. 
• Creative Writing:  What is the meaning of life?
• Characterization: What motivates Carl to answer mouse’s initial question: Why?  How does Carl change over the course of the story?
• Character:  Create a poster with pictures, drawings, and words that show why you are special.
• Community Outreach:  Work together as a class or family to do a small action that has big consequences, like recycling, picking up trash outside, or setting up for an event. 
• Grammar:  Discuss the difference between a question and a statement.   Identify examples of both in the story.

 Perfect Picture Book Friday

 

 
 

Nothing Can Frighten a Bear (Elizabeth Dale)

Title:  Nothing Can Frighten a Bear

Author:  Elizabeth Dale

Illustrator:  Paula Metcalf

Target Ages:  3-8

Genre:  Picture Book Fiction

Publisher Summary: 

Daddy Bear insists that nothing can frighten a bear – but when there’s a noise in the night, Baby Bear isn’t convinced. The bears set out to make sure there aren’t any monsters but, as they vanish one by one, it looks like Daddy Bear might not be so brave after all!

First Lines:

Deep, deep in the woods, with the moon shining bright, some bears snuggled up in their beds for the night. 

There was Mommy Bear, Daddy Bear…Grace, and then Ben…and Baby Bear, too, who lay dreaming but then…

Memorable Moment:

When Baby Bear realizes the source of the roar (I won’t spoil it though).

Evaluation

In this up-side-down bear “hunting” narrative, the bears are the ones searching for the monster after Baby Bear is awoken by a loud noise.  The story is full of suspense and nighttime adventure.

During the hunt, various family members get caught in the forest (in a tree, a stream, and some mud).  Initially, Father Bear and Baby Bear are oblivious that the others have gone missing.  When they finally realize it, they panic. For a moment, both wonder---Did the monster get them?  

Out of the darkness appear not one, not two, but three fierce looking dark creatures.  As they are about to flee, they hear the “monsters” say “Hey.”

Baby Bear realizes it is his mother and siblings!  They are a mess because they got caught in forest brush.  The family ventures back home—deep, deep in the woods—to go back to sleep.

A roar awakens baby Bear again.  He is certain it is a monster.  His family—who are still awake—know the source though…and it is not a monster.

Nothing Can Frighten a Bear is an amusing bedtime story that assures children what they hear go “bump” in the night is not a monster or any other scary creature.  It is the imagination rather than real danger that frightens us.   With some gentle encouragement from this storybook, young “bears” learn to be “brave as can be.”   

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Nighttime Walk:  Go on a dusk or night walk together to observe what comes out during that time.  Investigate the noises and discover their origins. 
• Fears: Use the book to discuss and dispel nighttime fears. 
• Science:  Learn more about bears and their habits. 
• Math:  As each bear gets caught in the forest, explain it as a math problem.  There were 5 bears and 1 is caught in the forest.  How many are left?  Count them together.
• Literature:  Compare and contrast the story with other bear hunt stories like We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear? (Ashley Wolff)

Title:  Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear?

Author:  Ashley Wolff

Illustrator:  Ashley Wolff

Target Ages: 2-8

Genre:  Picture Book

Publisher Summary: 

Where, oh where, is Baby Bear? 

Inside the log? 

Behind the waterfall?

Between the cattails? 

Join him and Mama Bear for a cozy moonlit game of hide and seek.

First Lines:

One by one, bats fly out of the deep, dark den.

“Where are they going?” asks Baby Bear.

“They are going to look for food,” says Mama Bear.

“Can we go look for food too?” asks Baby Bear.

“Yes,” says Mama.  “Let’s go.”

Memorable Moment:

“Where, oh where, is Mama Bear?” he calls.

“Here I am, Baby Bear,” says Mama, “right beside you.”

Evaluation:

I had my own game of where, oh where, is Baby Bear.  I spotted a young bear in my yard a couple weeks ago.  He was quite a neighborhood sensation as many others saw him too—getting into items on a patio and peaking into a shed while one man was working.  I caught a glimpse of him a week later running across a lawn. Then he climbed a tree. He apparently found his way back to the wild because there have not been any recent spottings. He was so cute though.  Here is a picture one of my neighbors took of him.  

I came across Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear? at the library this week.  From the cover picture to the last scene, I became smitten with this book.  (It probably helps that I LOVE bears!).  

The illustrations are absolutely adorable!  The vibrant blues and blacks contrast with the sprinkles and brushes of whites, neutrals, and yellows.  Baby Bear’s playful personality is captured as he hides from his mother, but always close by.  Along the way, young readers learn about bear habits like foraging for berries and catching fish in streams.  Other busy nocturnal creatures are also shown, such as raccoons, frogs, bats, owls, deer, and rabbits. 

The focus of the narrative is a back and forth—Where are you?... Here I am.  This predictable technique invites children to “read along.”  In addition, they can find Baby Bear and explain where he is, such as behind the waterfall and between the cattails. 

The rhythmic language is soothing, and the mother-child dynamic is comforting, which makes Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear? a perfect addition to bedtime reading.  Let’s be honest, children will enjoy it anytime of day though! 

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Science:  Study more about bears and their habits.
• Categorization:  Explain how some animals are primarily active at night (nocturnal) while others are in the daytime (diurnal). Print out pictures (or use some you already have).  Together put all the animals that primarily come out during the day in one spot (like under a sun picture or word like “day”) and those that like the night in another spot (like under a moon picture or word like “night”).  Here is an online activity.  
• Choral Reading:  Because of the repetitive pattern--where are you...here I am--and predictable responses (based on the pictures) use in a class or at home to prompt listeners to chime in for the question/answer and even responses like "behind the waterfall." 
• Characterization: Identify Baby Bear’s primarily personality trait (playful, mischievous).  Identify ways that character quality is depicted (illustrations like climbing a tree or hiding behind something, his desire to play games, his interactions with is mother).
• Survival:  Discuss how to act if a bear ever crosses your path. 
• Pretend Play:  Play your own game of hide and seek or a variation by hiding a stuffed bear.  
• Story Time: Listen to this read-aloud if you don't have access to the book.

Daylight Starlight Wild Life (by Wendell Minor)

Title: Daylight Starlight Wild Life

Author:  Wendell Minor

Illustrator:  Wendell Minor

Target Ages: 3-7

First Lines:  “The sun shines on Earth, bringing the light and warmth of day.  Do you know these daylight visitors?  Then Earth spins away from the sun, bringing darkness and cool of night.  Do you know these starlight visitors?”

Publisher Summary:  “In amazing lifelike, luminous paintings, Wendell Minor, one of America’s finest wildlife and landscape painters, reveals the variety of wildlife that surrounds us when we are sleeping and when we are awake.  He invites readers to experience the movements, sounds, colors, and texture of diurnal and nocturnal creatures.”

Evaluation and Learning Activities:

The first 2-page spread previews all the animals that will be covered in this day/night comparison.  Children get a visual of the two types of animals—diurnal and nocturnal—grouped together.  Parents and educators can begin by teaching or reviewing the animals.  Then, see how many the children can identify as you read together.

The scope of the pictures varies. Two-page spreads with a single animal like the red tailed hawk and wide-eyed owl give readers a feeling of the wide expanse as well as the majesty of the creatures and nature.  Then, there are also landscape split screens with different animals, such as woodchucks in the day (top) and skunks at night (bottom), which prompt a sense of movement and connectedness.  Many of the others give a side-by-side comparison of similar animals, such as white-tailed deer—red fox, chipmunk—deer mouse, and tiger swallowtail butterfly—Luna moth.  The illustrations in all their forms are fantastic!  Worth the trip to the bookstore or library to see!

The text is straightforward, just one descriptive line per animal.  Adult readers can point out the key ideas in the words and pictures.  For instance, the cottontail rabbit and opossum are on facing pages.  Both have a trio of young.  Discuss the difference in how the two species travel and interact with their environments.  The opossum “plods” through the field and forages with her babies on her back.  However, the rabbit is more cautious as her babies follow her lead.  Similarly, the grey squirrel and flying squirrel are contrasted.  Discuss similarities and difference in how they look and act.

For older children, introduce animal classification—mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and insects.  The author includes some additional “Fun Facts” on each animal.  Copy the pages.  Cut the pictures out. May also want to paste on to small notecards or halved index cards for durability. Work together to classify between nocturnal and diurnal categories or based on the aforementioned animal classifications.

After reading, parents can accompany children on a walk during the day and at dusk/night in a place where animals are likely to be spotted. See how many of the creatures from the book you can find together as well as others not mentioned.  Classroom teachers are not likely to be able to take kids on an evening walk, but they can encourage children to do one with their families. Students can share their experiences during circle or other group time.  Make a chart with the name and/or picture of each animal.  As a child shares an experience seeing one, add a check mark.  Af the close of the unit, complete math problems with the data.  

Daylight Starlight Wild Life is an outstanding introduction to animal habits and classification.  Readers of all age will love the amazing illustrations and enjoy the insightful journey the book takes you on. 

Other Book Connections:

I also recommend Divya Srinivasan’s Little Owl’s Day. A noisy squirrel wakes up Little Owl.  Fascinated by the sun and the creatures moving around during the day, he explores the woods in a new light.  Traveling around he meets butterflies flittering, dragonflies skimming, wolf pups playing, and many other daytime animals.  As the day comes to a close, he observes the diurnal animals settling down and the nocturnal ones waking up.  The adorable cartoon animals and dynamic illustrations are ideal for the 2-5 age group.