Wednesday, November 17, 2010

One is a Feast for a Mouse

In the spirit of giving thanks, my *favorite* holiday, I am hoping to find some inspiration. This book certainly provides me with lots of food for thought - and thanks to the encouragement of my teammate...I am going to make this the start of staying on track. First up, a new one to my collection by Judy Cox.

This is a great tale about a leftover feast and a hungry mouse. Although one is a feast for a mouse, this mouse has eyes that are "bigger than his stomach." He carefully balances leftovers for a feast. But after greed, and the family cat, get the best of him, he is left with nothing more than a morsel - but one is a feast for a mouse. A great lesson about being thankful for what you have that is exceptionally timely!

Tons of great cross content ideas come to mind when reading this story:

The first is the wealth of vocabulary and literary language Cox uses. Words like dozed, scampered, balanced and surrounded combined with imagery like "cranberries glowing like rubies" and "pirouetting like a ballerina" it's evident there is plenty to discuss and illustrate.

My favorite part of this book is the perspective that the illustrations create. The images of the mouse small on the kitchen table and the plate with leftover that appears enormous in comparison to a mouse. It's a unique way to discuss how things seem from another point of view.

A great social studies tie in is wants and needs - which can make a great connection when discussing the lesson you can learn from reading the text.

For early readers - sequencing events in the story by using pictures of the food items can make this a great book to retell.

And for those like me who are like to encourage readers to think beyond the text - just before the book closes the ellipses (...) offer a great opportunity to make during reading predictions about what the mouse will do now that he's left with nothing - make sure you paperclip down the last page so curious readers to not turn to page or sneak a peek!

Any perspective you take, this is a memorable story to share!

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