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This Month’s Book:
Maybe a Bear Ate It!
Having a favorite book is wonderful and joyous, but what happens when you can’t find your book? This month’s featured book, Maybe A Bear Ate It!, by Robie H. Harris, shows us the power of imagination, the joy that books can give us, and makes us wonder: do bears eat books?!
Activity: In this story, the little creature imagines what may have happened to a lost precious book! Before you read the story, ask your child, “What do you see on the cover of the book?”
After you read the story, ask your child:
- “How do you think the little creature felt when he lost his book?”
- “Have you ever lost something you really liked? How did you feel?”
Invite your child to talk about books. “Tell me about a book that you like.” Tell your child about your favorite book too!
Activity: Action rhymes help children hear patterns in language while also helping them develop gross motor skills. In a sing-song voice share the following action rhyme with your child:
“Here is my book. I can open it wide (palms together-open wide)
to show you the pictures that are inside.
The end!” (close palms)
“Here is my book. I can open it wide (palms together-open wide)
Let’s read the words that are inside!
The end!” (close palms)
Some of the pages in Maybe a Bear Ate It! are wordless. The fun illustrations help tell the story.
Tip 1: As you read the book, pause at each page and tell your child about what is happening. As the story becomes familiar, let your child narrate.
Have fun reading more books about books! We recommend:
- Again! by Emily Gravett
- The Wonderful Book by Leonid Gore
The little creature loves to read! Help your children discover their favorite books by visiting your local Pima County Public Library!
Activity 1: Invite your child to play pretend! Take turns pretending to be the little creature and animals to retell the story. Be silly and have fun!
Activity 2: Repurpose a discarded shoe box or cereal box into a book box! Let your child decorate the box to add their own pizazz. Having a special place for books will help prevent them from being lost, and keep precious books safe from hungry bears.
Join the Conversation!
Share your experience with the book, Maybe a Bear Ate It! and be entered into a raffle to win next month’s C2C Book Club title! For example, you could:
- Tell us about your child’s favorite part of the story.
- Send us a video of you sharing the book together.
- Send us a picture of you and your child with the book.
- Send us a picture your child drew about the story.
Share your photos and videos with us on Twitter and Instagram and be sure to tag Make Way for Books. For example, you could write:
@mwfbaz We thought it was funny when the elephant fell asleep on the book. We drew a picture of an elephant! #storytime