The Wrong Side of the Bed (Lisa M. Bakos)

Title:  The Wrong Side of the Bed

Author:  Lisa M. Bakos

Illustrator:  Anna Raff

Target Ages:  3-8

First Lines:  “One morning, Lucy woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Her hair was tangled, her pajamas were rumpled, and she could only find one bunny slipper.  Apparently, it was going to be a one bunny slipper sort of day.”

Publisher Summary: “When you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, there’s just no getting around it:  the porcupine under the covers will want to snuggle (aww); penguins will make bubbles in your bath (eww); and a crocodile will probably need to borrow your toothbrush (yuck).  It just going to be that sort of day (no thanks).  Unless you decide that it isn’t.”

Evaluation:  

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”


Oscar Wilde

We all have had those moments…when life does not seem to be going our way. I determined long ago to never say, “I am having a bad day.” Instead, I say, “I am having a bad moment.”  Acknowledging frustration is healthy, but dwelling on it is not.  Why let those moments define your whole day?  I cannot think of one “bad” day I have ever had (outside of a few with truly life-changing moments like a death). Bad moments, sure. Bad days, never.  A bad day is a choice.  A picture book is an ideal springboard for a teachable moment on this topic.

In the tradition of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, The Wrong Side of the Bed cleverly presents the bad day scenario in a humorous and profound way through the eyes of a child.  However, this book has a more whimsical approach with adorable animals, silly situations, and soft illustrations. 

Throughout the day, Lucy deals with different occurrences that are out of her control.  Each event builds on the next in the refrain, eventually cumulating in:  

Undoubtedly,

it had been a  

feathers everywhere,

no toothbrush,

smelly bubbles,

eat your broccoli,

late for ballet,

miss the bus, sticky stain,

mismatched socks, very prickly,

one bunny slipper sort of day.

Whether reading together at home or at school, children can join in by reciting the refrain with you.  The refrain can also be used to test reading comprehension by asking what happened in each situation and allowing the children to fill in the details. 

When Lucy wakes up the next morning, it seems it may be another “one bunny slipper sort of day.”  Everything changes when “Lucy decided to put on…galoshes.”  Lucy choses to change her outlook despite the day starting out the same as the one before. It is a perfect opportunity to discuss how our perspective—not our circumstances—determines our day. This lesson is vital to build resilience and emotional intelligence. 

One life-changing technique is to teach gratitude through the frustrating and trying moments of the day.  For instance, Lucy spills syrup all over herself during breakfast.  She could be thankful she had a delicious meal to eat in the morning and a friend to help her clean it up. It may seem simple and even trite to say “be grateful.”  However, I have learned that by listing the things I am thankful for on paper, in my mind, or in prayer, my life has been transformed. This practice is simple but powerful.  Children are capable of starting this practice at a young age. Adults who model it will surely have the biggest impact.  (A life-changing book on this subject is Ann Voskamp’s 1000 Gifts.)

Anna Raff’s ink wash drawings are appealing. Whether it is penguins dancing in the tub or a riotous breakfast, the illustrations are full of energy. Though Lucy is often dismayed, there are plenty of smiling faces on the pages to balance the negative emotions.

The Wrong Side of the Bed is a must-have in every library and in every home with small children.  It can be a gentle reminder that “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it” (Lou Holtz).

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Journal:  Begin a gratitude journal.  Younger children can draw pictures or have an adult transcribe for them.  Older ones can write down what they are thankful for daily or periodically.
• Character Education:  Discuss character qualities that help you have a good day—despite circumstances—and how to apply them in times of need.
• Quotes:  Pick some inspirational quotes or Bible verses.  Hang them around the class or house.  Refer to them often.  Keep the focus on gratitude and positive choices.   Make sure children know that attitude is a choice—always. 
• Literature Connections:  Read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  Compare and contrast the 2 stories.
• Literary Interpretation:  What does it mean to have a one bunny slipper sort of day?  A galoshes day? Why do you think she chose galoshes?  How does your interpretation compare with the final page?
• Sequencing:  On cards, write out the events outlined in the refrain.  Mix them up.  Have the children recall the correct order.  For younger children, add pictures (or have them illustrate them).  In a classroom, stick magnets on the back so the activity can be done on the white board. 
• Choral Reading:  Children can practice “reading along” the refrain as a group.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 6/20/16

This week I finished reading The Wednesday Wars (middle grade fiction) and reviewed Daniel Finds a Poem (excellent poetry introduction for young children).  I am currently listening to The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman on Hoopla. I have to pick a new middle grade fiction out of my stack. 

Here are some of my favorite picture books from this week’s trip to the library.   

The Adventures of Beekle:  The Unimaginary Friend (Caldecott winner)

Dan Santat

This magical story takes a clever and original turn into the world of imaginary friends.  Beekle, the imaginary friend, goes in search of his “perfect” real child.   When they finally meet, they learn about friendship and doing the unimaginable together.

A Brave Bear

Sean Taylor/Emily Hughes

While father and son travel to the river, they must overcome obstacles—some of which are challenging for the little bear.  He wants to prove he is a “big bear” though.  After he slips, his father offers to carry him.  Instead, the little bear chooses bravery over comfort. This sweet father-son picture book will warm your heart.

A Big Surprise for Little Card

Charise Mericle Harper/Anna Raff

Every card has a special job.  When Little Card is chosen as a birthday card, he is thrilled.  However, there is a mix up—causing plans to change.  Little Card embraces his new job with the same enthusiasm he did when he thought he was going to be a birthday card.  This book is perfect for teaching kids about being optimistic in all circumstances and for introducing/building excitement for the library.  

Jack

Tomie DePaola

Setting out to see the world and find his place in it, Jack attracts a following of beloved animals, such as a dog, goose, duck, chick, frog, pig, and cow.  Each ones ask, “Can I (we) come too?”  He always answers, “Yes, please do.”  The repetition allows young readers to join in the storytelling.  The group finally finds a home together in the city.  There are mixed responses from his new neighbors.

Beautiful Bananas

Elizabeth Laird/Liz Pichon
Beatrice sets off through the jungle to take her grandfather some bananas.   A giraffe accidentally knocks them out of her hands.  He replaces them with flowers, but bees swarm them—causing them to be crushed and spoiled.  The bees replace the flowers with honeycomb.  The continuous series of mishaps follows the same pattern.  Children will enjoy this circular tale from East Africa.  It is great for teaching predicting skills and sequencing.

To find out what other are reading around the web, visit Unleashing Readers for IMWAYR.

Down by the Barn (Will Hillenbrand)

Title:  Down by the Barn

Author: Will Hillenbrand

Illustrator: Will Hillenbrand

Target Ages: 0-6

First Lines:

Down by the barn,

early in the morning,

see the little wagons

all in a row!

See the tractor driver

pull his little lever…

Puff, Puff

Clink, Clank,

OFF WE G0!

Amazon Summary:  “Down by the barn, early in the morning, a farmer drives his tractor, stopping along the way to pick up a calf, then a chick, then a pig. The group of animals grows and grows until at last they reach their destination...and find a surprise.”

Evaluation: 

I love the rhythm and repetition of the text, making it ideal for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners.  As each animal joins the parade, a new animal sound is added for a cumulative choral romp. Children will want to mimic and participate as you recite it. 

Midway through there is dramatic tension as a fox jumps out in an attempt to grab the chick. He is quickly and humorously put in his place though.  Another highlight that young readers will anticipate and enjoy is the sweet ending.  

The exuberant mixed-media illustrations are vivid and endearing. Down by the Barn is a perfect read out loud selection.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Practice animal sounds together
• Choral reading
• Dramatic play—act out the reading as a class or using toys/pictures/dress up masks
• Sequencing—anticipate the order of events in follow up readings; after a couple times reading through it, practice putting the events in order using pictures

For more Perfect Picture Books, visit Susanna Hill's blog.  

Lesson Plan: Duddle Puck, The Puddle Duck (Karma Wilson)

Title:  Duddle Puck: The Puddle Duck

Author:  Karma Wilson

Illustrator:  Marcellus Hall

Book Cover Summary:  Little Duddle Puck is a funny puddle duck who…CLUCKS, HONKS, OINKS, NEIGHS…and never, ever quacks! Now it's up to the other farm animals to teach Duddle how a proper puddle duck should sound. 

First Lines:  Silly Duddle Puck was a funny puddle duck. All the critters said he was a very odd duck.        

Grade Levels:  Preschool-Kindergarten

What I Like About It:  The story and illustrations are humorous.  Duddle is a quirky and fun character.  The language is rich.  Children are sure to love hearing it over and over again.  




Possible Teaching Opportunities

Animals Sounds

Prediction Skills

Ordinal Numbers

Story Sequence

Character Education:  Tolerance

Note:  The following lesson plan includes several ideas and activities you might use for teaching this book. Modify for your student abilities. Ideas can be used over a period of 1-3 days.

Pre-Reading

• Show the cover of the book. 
• Who do you think will be the main character? How do you know? (The duck is much larger than the rest of the pictures. Guide students, if needed, to figure out it is a duck.)
• What do you know about ducks?
• What sound do they make?
• This book is called Duddle Puck: The Puddle Duck.  Based on the cover, what do you think might happen in this book?  (Allow children to guess.)

Reading

• Read the book out loud.
• To emphasis prediction skills, you could stop after the first animal encounter and allow students to predict what might happen next.  
• Also, identify 1-2 other places ideal for pausing and guessing like when it says, “Instead he wandered to the barn and bellowed out a..."

Post Reading

• Did any of your predictions come true?
• What surprised you in the story?
• Have a visual (toy, picture, puppet) of each animal—duck, hen, goose, pig, horse, farmer, and rooster.  Tip:  Copy pictures on to heavy card stock.  Cut them out and adhere to craft sticks. 
• Who is the main character of the story?  (Duddle Puck—duck)
• Why were the other animals annoyed with him?  (He refused to say quack, quack.)
• You can introduce, teach, or review ordinal numbers by stressing first, second, third, and so forth as you review the order of events.
• What is the first sound that Duddle Puck makes?  (Cluck, Cluck)
• What animal makes that sound?  (Hen)
• Have a student come up to the front and hold the hen picture.
• Continue a review of the book with the previous line of questions for the honk/goose, oink/pig, neigh/horse, hip-hip hooray/farmer, quack/duck, and cock-a-doodle do/rooster.  
• Collect animals and students return to their seats.

Revisiting the Story 

• Re-Read the story. Ask students to look closely at the illustrations for ways that Duddle Puck also acts like the other animals.  As you read, allow the students to participate in saying the animal sounds. 
• On a large piece of paper, write out the order of events in the story emphasizing the ordinal words.  Use a picture of each animal to give a visual prompt as seen here. Example:

                   First, Duddle says, “Cluck, Cluck” like a hen.

                   Second, he says, “Honk, Honk” like a goose.

Reading Comprehension

• What are some of the ways that Duddle Puck acts like other animals?  Go back and show the pictures if the students need prompting. (In the mud with the pig, on top of the hen house like a rooster, hanging out with the hens in the coop)
• Why do you think Duddle Puck acts like animals other than his own kind?  (Answers may vary.)
• How does Duddle Puck trick the other animals?  (They all say “quack,” but they are not ducks.)

Character Education: Tolerance

• What are some ways people act differently?
• Have you ever met someone who did not act like you expected?
• How did it make you feel?
• Do you always act like people expect?
• How should you treat people who act differently that you expect?

Assessment Options

Teacher Created Worksheet.  Find a free printable with farm animals. Cut out the ones that correspond with the story.  Adhere to a blank sheet.  Make one copy for each student. You can use this worksheet for some of the following assessments or one of your own making.

Ordinal Numbers Teaching & Assessment

• Use large individual pictures of each animal with magnets on the back.  Put them in the correct order.  Ask:  Which animal is first?  Third?  And so forth.  Next, mix them up. Allow individual students or the class to help you put them in the correct order on the board, emphasizing first, second, third, and so forth.  You can mix them up and have volunteers try it.
• Using the Teacher Created Worksheet, instruct students to color and cut out the animals. Then, place and paste them in the correct order on a separate sheet with the ordinal words on it.  Write the word on the board to help students find the correct word on their sheet.
• Student volunteers can stand at the front of the room each with one picture in hand.  One or more students can direct volunteers to move to put them in proper order.  Ask questions:  Which student/animal is first?  Fourth?
• For other ordinal number practice ideas, click here and here.

Animal Sounds/Words Teaching & Assessment

• Show a picture of each animal.  Prompt the class to say the animal sound that goes with the corresponding image.
• First, direct students to color and cut out Teacher Created Worksheet animals.  Next, on a separate sheet have the animal sound written out.  Say the sound. Show it on the board.  Students can put the animal picture next to the corresponding sound and paste it.
• Practice animal sounds by singing “Old MacDonald.”  Sing it with the animals from book in the order they appeared. 
• Students can use the animals from the Teacher Created Worksheet to create their own stick puppets with craft sticks.  Make a sound.  Students can put up their stick puppets to show they know which animal makes the sound.  Bonus:  They can practice telling the story in their own words to another student and/or to their parents using these stick puppets. 

Other Activities

• Use the book and activities to prepare for a trip to a local farm.  Discuss other animals the students may find at the farm and the sounds they make. 
• Discuss rhyming words (lots in this book to identify).
• Extend the story by adding one or more scenes with other farm animals.
• Have students reenact the story in groups.  
• Introduce alliteration. Define it. Give examples from the story (Gilly Goose, Henny Hen, Hank the Horse).  Allow students to create their own alliterative animal names and draw/paint/color a picture to go with it.  Alternative: Give students air dry clay to create their animal.  

Visit Susanna Hill's blog for Perfect Picture Books posts and teaching ideas and The Homeschool Link Up for educational ideas around the web.