Book Lesson Plans
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Book Review & Lesson Plan: This “Bad Dog” Will Leave Your Kiddos Howling
(This post contains affiliate links. A purchase through these links supports Preschooligans at no additional cost to you and helps us continue to provide free educational resources. Thank you!) I stumbled across Bad Dog by Mike Boldt (find at your local library or purchase on Amazon) at a local bookstore early last year. I’m always in search of new books for our various themes, and I had our “Pets” unit on the brain. When I found myself giggling out loud page after page, I knew I had to add this one to our school library.
This adorable book stars a gap-toothed little girl and her new “dog” Rocky (spoiler alert: Rocky is actually a cat). She proceeds to explain why Rocky is not a good dog. Rocky won’t go on walks, Rocky won’t sit or listen or do tricks. Rocky is just a bad dog.
What makes the book so funny are the joyful and frustrated looks on her face as she earnestly details Rocky’s failings as a dog. And equally hilarious are the expressions of abject exasperation and irritation on the face of Rocky, who cannot explain the obvious to her new owner — that she’s not actually a dog, thus, why she is so bad at being a dog.
This is a good one for a pet unit because it invites the questions of what qualities make a “Good Dog” and a “Good Cat” and we’ve created an enrichment activity below that you can use to track your kiddos’ responses.
This one had our kiddos howling with delight as once again they found themselves smarter than a book character — this is a common theme in favorite books in our classroom. I like that they get to learn about cats vs. dogs, and I like that it starts them talking about their own pets. Anything that gets them talking and sharing is a plus in my book.
(Below please find a list of reading comprehension questions and vocabulary words. This list is not exhaustive, and it may spark additional questions from your kiddos. As always, we recommend that you scaffold based on your age group and the wigglies of your kiddos.)
*Downloadable/printable copy of the book/lesson plan below*
Reading Comprehension Questions
Before you read: Show the cover, “What do you think this book is about?” You will get a lot of answers that it’s about a cat. Then read the title. “What do you think this book is about now?”
As you read: On the first page, where the little girl says she got a pet dog for her birthday, point to the cat — “What do you think Rocky the cat is thinking here? What does her face make you think she’s feeling? Why do you think Rocky doesn’t like other dogs? Why do you think Rocky likes sticking her paws in the fish tank? Why do you think Rocky likes playing in the fish tank but doesn’t like bath time?”
After you read: Why do you think the little girl thinks Rocky is a bad dog? What is the actual reason that Rocky is a bad dog? What makes a good dog? What makes a good cat? Do you think Rocky would make a good cat? What do you think the little girl means at the end when she says that Rocky would make a good cat “most of the time”?
Vocabulary Words
- fur
- pointy
- listen
- fetch
- shake (as in a hand)
- paw
- delivered
Enrichment Activities
Literacy: Good dogs? Good cats? What exactly makes a good dog or good cat? Encourage your preschoolers to think about what qualities make a good dog or cat with our free Good dogs & Good cats can/have/are printouts you can download below.
Art (and Math): Our “Bad Dog” cat face art activity is constructed from common shapes. Download the template below. You have several options for this project: Print the template on white paper and have children color, cut out and assemble the pieces; print the templates on assorted colored papers, cut, and mix the different-colored pieces up; or print the template onto cardstock, cut and trace the shapes onto various colors of paper. Or, if you have a die cutter, you can also use your own shapes to create the cat face using the template as a guide.
- Blog, Book Lesson Plans, Books About Animals, Books About Seasons/Holidays, Counting, Literacy, Math, Measurement, Reading, Small Groups, Writing
Book Review & Lesson Plan: You Get A Tree! And You Get A Tree! In “Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree”
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry, (purchase a copy on Amazon or find at your local library) is quite possibly my all-time favorite Christmas book to read to my pre-k kiddos. It’s chock-full of flowery, descriptive vocabulary words (glistening! splendid! magnificent! mincemeat!) and jaunty rhyming prose. It’s long, for sure, but so worth it as the illustrations are super cute, and there are many comprehension activities you can do to extend the learning.
(This post contains affiliate links. A purchase through these links supports Preschooligans at no additional cost to you and helps us continue to provide free educational resources. Thank you!) Fair warning, though, you may have to explain some high-brow terms like “parlor” and “butler,” to your kiddos, but Mr. W’s bougie environs notwithstanding, this book rules.
Anyway…back to our story. Mr. Willowby has a giant tree trucked in, but oops, he failed to pre-measure and lo and behold, that big boy is scraping his 19-ft parlor ceiling.
So, like a man who knows he better act fast or he’s going to find himself in a tux atop a Little Giant ladder scraping off pine sap and applying a coat of touch-up paint, Baxter the Butler lops off the top of the tree. The ceiling is no longer in jeopardy, the tree looks lovely, and Mr. W goes on his merry way.
But that’s just where the story and the fun begins. This little lopped-off tree top makes its way through assorted residents of Mr. Willowby’s town — human and animal alike. First Baxter takes it to sweet Miss Adelaide, the aforementioned upstairs maid, but it proves to be too big, so she lops off the top and tosses it out. Gardener Timm ambles by the trashcan, picks up the discarded treetop and takes it home to Mrs. Timm, where, yes, they find it’s just a wee bit too big. The top is chopped off and tossed out, and that’s when the animals get involved. Gradually the tree top works its way to the home of the tiny mice who live in Mr. Willowby’s parlor (how is it Baxter hasn’t found them yet?), and it ends with everyone getting to enjoy a bit of Mr. W’s tree.
The treetop wends its way through six families after it leaves Mr. Willowby, so the book does get a little long. But it’s a heart-warming story, and it does encourage sharing, even though no one in the story is aware they are actually sharing (except Baxter, of course. That must be why he let those mice stay, he’s a softie at heart.)
We love this story for older 3s, 4s & 5s!
The subtle theme of reducing, reusing and recycling also gets a nod here — ahead of its time since the story was originally written in the mid-20th century. And finally, the animals demonstrate sheer joy at being together in the holiday season, as they celebrate finding the bits of the tree. That’s the best part of the story in my opinion, because it truly captures the holiday spirit of being with the ones you love.
So much to love about this wonderful story!
We’ve put together a packet of learning extension activities you can download below. And the downloadable version of the lesson plan is there as well. Enjoy!
(Below please find a list of reading comprehension questions and vocabulary words. This list is not exhaustive, and it may spark additional questions from your kiddos. As always, we recommend that you scaffold based on your age group and the wigglies of your kiddos.)
*Downloadable/printable copy of the book lesson plan below*
Reading Comprehension Questions
Before reading: Show the cover. What do you think this story is about? Can you figure out what is going on in the picture? What do you think this character (point to Mr. Willowby) is thinking? Why do you think he’s making this face? What is a “character” in a story? How about a “main character?”
After reading title: Point out Mr. Willowby. What do you think is going on with his Christmas tree?
While reading: I usually say “Uh oh, what happened when they put up their tree?” as each of characters find their tree is too big for their space. I also ask “What should they do?” each time, so the children can interact, and they get the hang of it as each character’s tree gets lopped off and put out for another. There are also a number of complex words that may need to be defined to your students depending on their ages (some suggested ones are listed below).
After reading: How would you have fixed Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree? Would you chop off the top too? What’s another way to make the tree smaller? If you chop off the bottom or trunk instead, would others be able to share in the tree as well? What’s a way you like to share at the holidays? How about the rest of the year? Did you notice that the characters were reducing, reusing and recycling? How were they doing that? Since a tree was cut down in the beginning, what would be a good way to ensure there are more trees in the future? What are other ways we can reduce, reuse and recycle at Christmas? How about the rest of the year?
Vocabulary Words
- glistening
- dashed
- magnificent
- splendid
- parlor
- terrible
- butler
- glee
- trim/trimming (as in “decorate”)
- delighted
- snipped
- snug
- padding (as in “walking”)
- drowsily
- hunk (as in a large piece, not the “attractive person” kind)
- tinsel
- spied
- scampered
- mincemeat
- den
- merrymaking
- nook
- mistletoe
- grand
Enrichment Activities:
We have created a whole package of reading and math activities to go with this wonderful story. Our Companion/Extension Activities pack includes beginning/middle/end, count & color, cutting & ordering, and patterning activities to name a few. It’s free to download below.
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Book Review & Lesson Plan: Catch That Thumpin’ Bumpin’ Runaway Pumpkin!
(This post contains affiliate links. A purchase through these links supports Preschooligans at no additional cost to you and helps us continue to provide free educational resources. Thank you!) ‘Round and ’round, across the ground, makin’ a thumpin’ bumpin’ sound, came that thumpety bumpety, thumpin’ bumpin’, round and roll-y Runaway Pumpkin!”
— The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis & S.D. SchindlerOkay, so, I admit it, I love saying the thumpety-bumpety rhyme, and it’s probably 80 percent of the reason why Kevin Lewis’ modern classic, The Runaway Pumpkin (buy a used copy or Kindle version on Amazon or find at your local library), is my all-time favorite Halloween book.
This gem is sadly out of print at this time (update: as of 2/18/21 it appears it may be back in print on Amazon), but it is still fairly easily found in local libraries and online, and it is already present in many preschool and kindergarten book stashes. I feel confident that if you don’t have a copy already, you can get your hands on one without much difficulty (some links are above). I wanted to talk about it today and share some of the many fun activities and learning experiences we do with this story because our kiddos love it as much as we do.
The snappy rhythm and rhyme of the story, S.D. Schindler’s colorful illustrations, and the complex words it uses that aren’t everyday words for most preschoolers and kindergartners, combine to place this one permanently on our go-to list of October favorites.
Our protagonist is Little Lil Baxter, who follows her mischievous brothers Buck and Billy up a hill on Halloween.
The group comes across an enormous pumpkin and against Lil’s better judgment, the boys decide to free it from its vine. (There’s a side tangent here about woman’s intuition, but this is best saved for another day.)
Well, predictably — I mean, as always, we wouldn’t have a story without it — the giant pumpkin immediately begins a “thumpin’ bumpin'” tumble down the hill, and as is the case with great children’s books — hilarity ensues.
The pumpkin mows through civilization on its way down the hill, while also stimulating the appetites of the adults it passes and perfectly illustrating what truly becomes important to us adults in our advanced age — food. The pumpkin busts through Momma Baxter’s pig sty, but she’s only got pumpkin pie on her mind.
As it barrels down the hill, it next crosses paths with Grampa Baxter. Now, Grampa Baxter’s about to lose the fence around his chicken coop and get knocked on his keister, but he’s thinking exactly what we all would think: “Mmm, pumpkin soup!”
We love this book for 3s, Pre-K & Kindergarten!
Finally, as it approaches the bottom of the hill, Poppa Baxter is facing a certain painful end as he sits squarely in the path of the supersonic gourd. He’s understandably thinking of Granny’s pumpkin bread, but he’s also got self-preservation on his mind, so with some quick thinking, he stops that crazy pumpkin by plowing a flat bed with his tractor.
At last, with a stationary pumpkin and Granny, who is evidently quite the prolific chef, the Baxters do what anyone would do — they gut that giant orange fruit, cook it and eat it.
And for good measure, they carve a happy jack-o-lantern face in that pumpkin and set it on the dining room table while they eat its innards. Yum, this adult approves.
(Below please find a list of reading comprehension questions and vocabulary words. This list is not exhaustive, and it may spark additional questions from your kiddos. As always, we recommend that you scaffold based on your age group and the wigglies of your kiddos.)
*Downloadable copy of book/lesson plan below
Reading Comprehension Questions:
Before reading: Show the cover. What is happening on the cover? What do you think this book might be about?
After reading title: What do you think it’s about now? What does “runaway” mean? Have you seen a pumpkin this big before? Look at the faces of the animals on the cover, what do you think they are thinking?
While reading: When you read the part where Lil foresees “disaster,” point to the illustration of her face. What do you think Lil is thinking here? Is she happy? Scared? Nervous? Worried? Why do you think she is worried/nervous/scared?
As you read the repeated rhyme, “‘Round and ’round across the ground, makin’ a thumpin’ bumpin’ sound, came that thumpety bumpety, thumpin’ bumpin’, round and roll-y Runaway Pumpkin!” have a small pumpkin available. I like to tap the pumpkin with my hand to make the “thumpin’ bumpin'” sounds.
Point out any of the many rhyming words (like “thumpin’ bumpin'” and “coop” and “loop”) for an enrichment activity afterwards.
As you read about the adults thinking of pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup and pumpkin bread, ask the children if they’ve ever tasted those things. Did they like them? Are there other pumpkin treats you can think of?
After you read: What pumpkin dish would you eat first? How would you stop a giant runaway pumpkin?
Vocabulary Words:
- bumbling
- cautious
- foresaw
- disaster
- zooming
- mucking
- sty
- coop
- plowed
- bed (the garden kind)
- proud
- sup
- twinkle
Enrichment Activities:
Thumpin’ Bumpin’ Rhyming — Ask children to sit in a wide circle. Using a small pumpkin, repeat the book’s rhyme: “‘Round and ’round across the ground, makin’ a thumpin’ bumpin’ sound, came that thumpety bumpety, thumpin’ bumpin’, round and roll-y Runaway Pumpkin!”
For Pre-K & Kindergarten: Explain that we are going to name some rhyming words. You can give the children word families, like “-at” or “-in” words and encourage them to come up with different rhyming words, or you can give each child a different word to rhyme with. Then you name your rhyming words and roll the pumpkin across to a child who names two rhyming words. Then the child rolls the pumpkin to another child, who repeats the process. If rhyming words are a bit too complex for your children, try words that begin with the “P” sound like “pumpkin”.
For 3s: When playing this game with our 3s, we roll and name our favorite color. It benefits them in so many ways, including getting them listening to and following multi-step directions, taking turns and waiting for a turn, and getting more comfortable speaking in front of classmates.
Stop That Pumpkin!: Ask children how they would stop a giant runaway pumpkin. Record answers — you’ll get some interesting ones!
Pumpkin Investigations Freebie: The STEM Laboratory has an adorable Pumpkin Investigation freebie for some hands-on pumpkin exploration. Kiddos can investigate their pumpkin’s vital statistics, including height, weight, diameter, sink/float-ability, etc.
Watch Toadstools And Fairy Dust read The Runaway Pumpkin on Youtube.
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Book Review & Lesson Plan: Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!
(This post contains affiliate links. A purchase through these links supports Preschooligans at no additional cost to you and helps us continue to provide free educational resources. Thank you!) We’re pretty sure, if you spend any time around preschoolers, you already know Pigeon. And those who know Pigeon, love Pigeon. Yes, we’re talking about Pigeon from Mo Willems’ Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus (find at your local library or purchase from Amazon) and many other Pigeon stories. We love Pigeon here, and we love Pigeon books, and hey, we love pretty much ANY Mo Willems book, but those are blogs for other days.
Back to Pigeon, if you aren’t familiar with him, Pigeon is a slightly cranky, slightly self-absorbed, very persistent protagonist who really just wants to drive a bus. Never mind that Pigeon doesn’t have opposable thumbs, isn’t in possession of a valid Class B Commercial Driver’s License, and that his feet don’t reach the pedals. None of this matters to Pigeon, who simply wants to drive the bus.
Now Bus Driver has been down this road before. Clearly, he has had run-ins with Pidge and knows that as soon as he leaves to get his cup of coffee or whatever he has to go do, Pidge is gonna show up and try to go all Sandra Bullock and commandeer the bus. So to head off this eventuality, Bus Driver asks us, your friendly and conveniently located onlookers, to make sure that Pidge doesn’t try to drive the bus.
It’s a simple request, right? We will probably just sit here and chat and only half pay attention to the bus. Kinda like when mom asks you to watch her purse while she runs to the ladies room, right? Sure, Bus Driver, you got it. Now where were we?
Heh heh. Well now, if that’s what happened, we’d have no story, would we?
Opportunistic Pigeon recognizes a tenderfoot when he sees one. And he is all over that in a heartbeat. In fact, he’s probably been lying in wait all this time. First he tries to be coy, chummies up to us readers, and delicately asks if he can drive the bus. This question is generally met with an explosion of “NOs” from your real-life audience. And so it begins.
We love this book for 3s and Pre-K!
Pigeon, affronted at being shut down so unceremoniously, proceeds to throw at us a litany of wheedling preschoolisms: “Pleeeease, I’ll be careful!”/”I’ll be your best friend!”/”Just one time around the block!” before he desperately resorts to cash-money bribery, followed by threats of going over our heads to mom, rounds it out with a healthy dose of good old-fashioned guilt, and finally ends with the full-blown mother-of-all-toddler-reactions — the screaming tantrum.
All the while, your joyous and raucous audience is generally howling in amusement at his gradual descent into full, unfettered, completely unhinged meltdown. (Because they’ve certainly never been the ones to do this before, right?) And this is the hook. Pigeon displays all of the reactions, feelings, emotions and unfiltered angst that every preschooler can relate to.
It’s why Pigeon books are so popular with the preschool crowd. Pigeon displays a slightly-lower-than-the-average-preschooler’s sensibility, so the preschool crowd instantly recognizes “Hey, I’ve got it together way more than this guy.” They see the fallacy in his logic and they’re empowered to tell him what to do and what not to do.
And man, he’s funny. He makes us laugh. His failures and frustrations make us laugh. He’s also a little bit naughty. And he doesn’t listen so well. And he’s fairly confident that he’s right (when he’s not). Plus, he’s totes adorbs. And all of that, folks, is a winning combination.
*Downloadable/printable copy of lesson plan below
Reading comprehension questions:
Before reading: Show the cover. What is happening on the cover? What do you think this book might be about?
After reading title: What do you think it’s about now? What is a pigeon? Have you seen a pigeon before? Did it look like this pigeon? Did it talk? Do you think it could drive a bus? Why or why not?
While reading: Whenever Pigeon asks a question, encourage the children to answer him. Encouraging the dialog puts the children in control and empowers them as rules enforcers. Draw parallels between Pigeon and the children. When Pigeon says “I never get to do anything!” ask the students if they ever feel that way? What made them feel better?
After reading: Did this book turn out the way you thought it would? How was it different? How was it the same? What was your favorite part?
I like to do an enrichment activity immediately after this book is done and ask the children “Why do you think the Bus Driver didn’t want the pigeon to drive the bus?” It’s a question that’s never really answered in the story, so we answer it on our own. The key here is asking them separately so they can’t hear others’ answers and parrot. So, I generally do it as a transition activity, for example, if we read the book and then go wash hands for lunch, I’ll call each one up individually and ask them quietly, record their answers, then dismiss them to go wash hands.
Another enrichment activity that gets the kiddos thinking and talking, is asking them “What would be a better choice for the pigeon rather than driving the bus?” It gets them thinking about things birds do, things that are safer for birds and non-adults to do, and again it empowers them to make “better choices” for the Pigeon. A free downloadable copy of the “Better Pigeon Choices” enrichment activity and other follow-up activities are below.
Vocabulary words:
- pigeon
- careful
- steer
- cousin
- almost
- block (as in a city block)
- five bucks
Enrichment Activities:
Better Pigeon Choices Freebie Literacy & Reading Comprehension: “Better Pigeon Choices” — What do you think would be a better choice for the pigeon to do instead of driving the bus? Free downloadable pages (below) for recording and displaying dictation. In this freebie, we’ve included a one-pager with a built-in headline and lines/spaces to write in children’s names and responses. The second page is just the headline question in large font so you can print & cut it out and affix it to a large sheet of paper to create your own dictation record.
Art: The Best Children’s Books has an adorable Pigeon directed drawing activity, check it out here.
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Book Review & Lesson Plan: The Book With No Pictures
(This post contains affiliate links. A purchase through these links supports Preschooligans at no additional cost to you and helps us continue to provide free educational resources. Thank you!) The Book With No Pictures (find at your local library or purchase from Amazon) is exactly what the title says — page after page of nothing but words. But what it lacks in illustrations, it more than makes up for in gut-clutching preschool- and kindergarten-level humor. Long story short, even if your head is made of blueberry pizza, you’ll still love this book.
To be certain, the “silly” is the best part of this book, but amidst it all, there are lessons here for kiddos. First and foremost is that even before you can read, you can still enjoy a book that doesn’t have illustrations. And a couple of deeper lessons that kiddos may not realize they’re learning from this book are the importance of listening, and that words are powerful for eliciting emotions.
Words can make you happy, sad, scared, excited, surprised. And in the case of this book, they can make you laugh. A lot. They can make grownups say funny things. Against their will. It’s more of an (air quotes) “Against their will,” but you get the idea.
It’s funny to watch kids’ faces when you first start reading this book. When you explain to them that this book has no pictures and that might seem like “no fun” as the story says. The faces droop a little and glaze over a bit. You can see in their expressions, they’re sure this book is gonna be bleh. And then you read that line that goes like this:
“Here is how books work:
Everything the words say, the person reading the book has to say.”
So now, we have a set of rules laid out that our reader is unswervingly required to follow, because of this on the next page:
“No matter what.”
Well now the deal is sealed with those three foreboding words. The fate of the reader has been set and mass chaos will certainly follow, because “no matter what,” you now know you’re about to make a monkey of yourself. (And you’re going to be admitting that you are a monkey, one who taught itself to read, and you are reading this book with your monkey mouth in your monkey voice. And then there’s robots. But I digress.)
This hilarious story is from the mind of BJ Novak, who you may recall as “Ryan” on the U.S. adaptation of the television show The Office. All throughout the story the reader is required to read hysterical words and sounds, and then must immediately lament the craziness of those words. And beg to stop reading — which, as you’d expect, the roaring children listening to the story, will not allow.
It puts the children in the audience in the delicious position of watching an authority figure essentially self destruct. And that is glorious.
This fabulous read doesn’t particularly fit into any curriculum, it’s just plain fun. We read it during down times or slow days, or as an end-of-the-school-year “fun” book. We have read it after large-group, centers or movement activities and it helps that transition perfectly. But honestly, there’s really no bad time for a full-fledged belly laugh, so it’s a good read any time.
We love this book for 3s and Pre-K on up to adult!
(Below please find a list of reading comprehension questions and vocabulary words. This list is not exhaustive, and it may spark additional questions from your kiddos. As always, we recommend that you scaffold based on your age group and the wigglies of your kiddos.)
* Downloadable/printable copy of lesson plan below
Reading comprehension questions:
Before reading: Show the cover. What is happening on the cover? Are there any pictures? What do you think this book might be about?
After reading title: What do you think it’s about now? Is that the same as what you thought before we read the title? Do you think this sounds like it will be an interesting book? Do you think you will like this book? Explain that when we read books with no pictures, we have to imagine the pictures in our heads.
After reading: Did this book turn out the way you thought it would? How was it different? How was it the same? What was your favorite part? At the end, why do you think the reader asks the kids to choose a book with pictures next time? How did the book make you feel? What did you imagine as you listened to the words? (This is a great segue into our enrichment activity, “Illustrating The Book With No Pictures,” below).
Vocabulary words:
- boring
- serious
- trick
- ridiculous
- hippo
- history
- entire
- utterly
- preposterous
Enrichment Activities:
Art: Encourage your kiddos to illustrate lines from The Book With No Pictures with our free printables. (Combine for a fun class book!) Download “I am a Robot Monkey” and “My head is made of Blueberry Pizza” below.
