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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

Or email us your photo or video at info@makewayforbooks.org.

Be creative! We can’t wait to see what you loved about Maybe a Bear Ate It!

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This Month’s Book:

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR

Uh-Oh! Is there really a big hungry bear nearby? Let’s find out in the beloved story, The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR, by husband and wife writing duo Don and Audrey Wood. In this book, a clever mouse attempts to keep his strawberry safe from the bear by using many excellent problem solving techniques. You, as the reader, play an important character in the story.

 

 

 

 

 

Activity: The little mouse and the big hungry bear both love strawberries. Ask your child, “What else do mice and bears like to eat?” Then, have a conversation with your child about food you both like to eat, or don’t like to eat. Use descriptive language to describe your favorite food.

(Example)
Parent: I love bananas! They taste and smell sweet. If I squeeze a banana in my hand, it feels squishy. I have to peel it to eat it, and the peel is my favorite color, yellow.

 

 

 

 

Activity: Make up a silly song with your child about food.

(Example)
“Twinkle Twinkle Little PIZZA! How I really want to eats ya!”

Activity: Take turns singing a chant about your favorite foods.

(Example)
Parent: “I like bananas, yes I do! I like bananas, how about you?”
Child: “I like pizza, yes I do! I like pizza, how about you?”

 

 

 

 

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR features beautiful illustrations that help tell the story.

Tip 1: As you read this book with your child, pause at each page to allow you and your child the opportunity to look and talk about the pictures. Here are some examples of questions to ask your child:

• Let’s look at the cover, what do you see?
• What is the little mouse doing?
• Do you think that is a good way to keep the strawberry safe?
• Where would you hide the strawberry?
• Is there really a bear?

Tip 2: Reading books helps your child build their vocabulary skills. In this story, we encounter the word, “tromp,” which may not be a familiar word. Explain to your child that the word “tromp” means to walk heavily.  Invite your child to repeat the part that says, “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” and stomp his/her feet like a bear tromping in the forest.

 

 

 

 

Activity 1: Let’s play pretend!  Once you have finished the book, your child may ask you to read it again. Invite your child to participate in the story by pretending to be the mouse. If available, allow your child to have props, such as a spoon and a pair of sunglasses, to help retell the story. A pillow, or stuffed animal, can be used as a pretend strawberry.

Activity 2: Make a strawberry puzzle. Invite your child to draw a picture of a strawberry, or find a picture of a strawberry in a magazine or food ad. Explain to your child that you will cut the strawberry in half with scissors to make a puzzle. If possible, let your child use the scissors to practice their fine motor skills. Show your child how you can both share the paper strawberry by each taking half. Then place it back together again to make a whole strawberry.

Activity 3: In this story, the mouse and the strawberry both wear a silly disguise. Set your imagination free by playing dress-up with your child! Use old clothes, costumes, or recyclables around the house to create a unique disguise.

 

Join the Conversation!

Share your experience with the book, The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR 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 a video of you sharing the book together.
• Send a picture of you and your child wearing a disguise.

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 loved when the little mouse and the strawberry wore a disguise, so we made our own disguises! #storytime

Or email us your photo or video at info@makewayforbooks.org.

Be creative! We can’t wait to see what you loved about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR!

This Month’s Book:

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is one of Make Way for Books’ favorites! This book features simple, rhythmic language that children love to sing along with. It is a perfect book to read again and again. And we love the moral of Pete’s story: “No matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song…because it’s all good.” This “don’t sweat the small stuff” message is a great one for children to take in. Plus, no one’s groovier than Pete!

 

 

 

 

Activity: Talk to your child about the story! Here are some questions that you can ask your child after your read.

1. How would you feel if you stepped in a pile of strawberries, blueberries, or mud?

2. How do you think the large pile of strawberries/blueberries got there?

3. Which parts of the story did you like? Did you have a favorite part?

Invite your child to join in Pete’s song. Soon, she’ll know it by heart.

 

 

 

 

Activity: Use a shaker and shake along with the rhythm of the song. This could be a maraca or just an empty bottle filled with beans or stones.

 

 

 

 

Tip 1: Encourage your child to study the illustrations. Look for things that are the same color as Pete’s shoes, like coffee or rain. Look for the little yellow bird. He pops up on a lot of the pages!

Tip 2: After you read this book, your child will probably want to hear it again! Pete the Cat is a great book to read repetitively. After a while, your child may be able to “read” it along with you.

 

 

 

 

Activity 1: Color and cut out the Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes “Paper Pete” and use it to tell the story! Put on Pete’s red shoes when he steps in strawberries. Put on his wet shoes when he steps in water.

Activity 2: After you read, use “Paper Pete” to retell the story with your child. See how much he can remember about the order of the story. What came first, the blueberries or the mud?

Activity 3: Let your child draw her own Pete the Cat pictures. Ask lots of questions about what she drew and don’t forget to send her masterpieces to Make Way for Books to be entered into our raffle!

 

Join the Conversation!

Send us a few lines about your child’s favorite part of the book, a Pete the Cat picture that your child drew, a video of you sharing the book together, or any other memory of your Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes experience. You’ll be entered into a raffle to win next month’s C2C Book Club title!

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 loved when Pete the Cat stepped in the large pile of strawberries so we drew this picture! #storytime

Or email us your photo or video at info@makewayforbooks.org.

Be creative! We can’t wait to see what you loved about Pete the Cat!