That is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems

Recommended Grades: 3-5

One day a very hungry fox meets a very plump goose.  A dinner invitation is offered.  Will dinner go as planned? Or do the plans involve a secret ingredient? 

Lesson Idea:  

Mentor Text, Organization: Read aloud That Is Not a Good Idea! and discuss the craft of the text.  How did Willems craft the story?  What do readers notice?  Point out the surprise ending and use this book as a mentor text for organization when teaching the Six Traits of Writing.

©2013 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Hogwash! by Karma Wilson

Recommended Grades: K-2, 3-5

One warm day in early May, Farmer had a plan.  To spring-clean all his animals, til each was spic-n’-span — so begins Hogwash.  The hogs, of course, had other plans and resisted all of Farmer’s attempts to clean them.  A surprise ending will make readers laugh out loud.   

Lesson Ideas:  

Read Aloud, Grades K-2:  This is a fun read aloud for primary age students.  They will laugh out loud at the antics of the hogs.

Six Traits of Writing: Word Choice, Grades 3-5:  Read aloud Hogwash! and discuss the language the author chose.  Determine the words that are more vibrant than your “everyday” words.  Create an anchor chart that lists vibrant words for students to use in their own writing.

Six Traits of Writing: Organization, Grades 3-5: Read aloud Hogwash! and discuss the surprise ending.  How did the author surprise her readers?  Use this book as a model with other books with surprise endings.  After students have been immersed in a study of surprise endings, ask students to write a piece with a surprise ending

©2012 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo

Recommended Grades: 3-5

What would you do if you met your ideal pet?  Elliot asks his father if he can have a penguin during a visit to the aquarium.  This begins a silly tale of an irresistible friendship. 

Lesson Idea:  

Six Traits Mentor Text/Conventions or Organization: Read aloud One Cool Friend and discuss how the author/illustrator modeled the use of dialogue.  The author actually uses dialogue bubbles embedded within the text.  Additionally, this book would be a great model text for surprise endings.

©2012 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett

Recommended Grades: 4-6

All the birds have laid an egg, except Duck.  Duck wants an egg, too.  He comes upon a huge green spotted egg and makes it his own.  All the other birds make fun of him, telling him it will never hatch and calling it an odd egg.  When it finally does hatch, Duck (and all the other birds) are quite surprised!

Lesson Idea:

Six Traits

Organization, Surprise Ending: Read aloud The Odd Egg and have students predict what they think is in the egg prior to reading the ending.  Read aloud the rest of the story and discuss whether student predictions were correct.  How did the author surprise the reader with the ending?  Share other books with surprise endings and use them as mentor texts when writing in writer’s workshop. 

©2012 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

Recommended Grades: 3-5

A picture book based on the true story of Tony Sarg, the man behind the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.  

Lesson Idea:

Writers Workshop

Organization: Read aloud Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade and discuss how the author organized this picture book.  The information about Tony Sarg is written around his involvement in and design of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Use Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade, as well as other picture book biographies, as a model.  Then, ask students to write a biographical piece based on a special event in our country.

©2012 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.