My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks

My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks

By Hanoch Piven

Schwartz & Wade Books, 2007

 

Grades: 1, 2, 3

Synopsis: When asked to draw a picture of her family, a young girl decides that just drawing them with a pencil is not enough - she needs to really make people understand what her family is all about. So for her very playful dad, she adds a top for a nose. Her big brother, who is sneaky, has a snake for a mouth. And of course, her smelly dog has tuna fish cans for feet and an onion for tail!

Jump: Students can be introduced to the similes that are everywhere in this book. Then, they can write about a family member or classmate and think of their characteristics, using a simile to describe each. If time allows, students can also emulate the illustrator to create 3-D portraits to match the writing.

The Shape of Things

The Shape of Things

By Dayle Ann Dodds

Candlewick Press, 1996

Grades: PreK, K

Synopsis: Each page starts with a shape and asks readers what it could become. The square turns into a house, the triangle into a boat, and the oval into an egg. At the end a carnival and beach scene are shown and readers are invited to find as many shapes as they can.

Jump: Aside from introducing the basic shapes and their names, students can be encouraged to look for shapes in their own environment. After looking around the room, the class can take go on a shape hunt and walk through the school or outside to find particular shapes or as many as they can. This activity correlates with the Common Core State Standard K.G.A.1.