This Month’s Book: Should I Share My Ice Cream?
Our Cover to Cover Book of the Month for July is Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems. This wonderful Piggie and Gerald book explores the process of sharing and what a dilemma it can be. Do you think Gerald will share his ice cream? Read the book and find out!!
Sharing is caring! But sharing can also be hard, especially when deciding whether to share delicious ice cream with a best friend! Should I Share My Ice Cream? is a fun Mo Willems book that provides a perfect opportunity to talk with your child about empathy. While reading, ask questions that invite your child to think about how the characters feel: “How did Gerald show that he was worried about how Piggie was feeling?” or, “Why was he worried about her feelings?”
Gerald is such a good friend! Let’s celebrate his kindness by singing a song about him! Little Elephants is a cute adaptation of the song Elefantitos. Find the words to the song and a book here: http://canticosworld.com/books/little-elephants/
Print awareness, a child’s ability to understand that written words have meaning, is an important early literacy skill. We can foster this awareness by pointing out the environmental print we see every day, and underlining the words we read in books. Mo Willems uses speech bubbles throughout the book to draw attention to Gerald and Piggie’s words! While reading, point out the words inside the speech bubbles. Talk with your child about which character is saying the words.
Role playing is a wonderful form of play that allows a child to literally put themselves in someone else’s shoes. When children have the chance to experience what it feels like to be someone else, they begin to practice empathy. Empathy is critical to social and emotional development. Invite your child to pretend, role-play, and recreate stories with items from around the house. Kids love dressing up in Mommy or Daddy’s clothes!
Join the Conversation!
Share your experience with Should I Share My Ice Cream? 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 dressing up!
Share your photos and videos with us on Twitter and Instagram and be sure to tag Make Way for Books. For example:
@mwfbaz Walking in Mommy’s heels is a challenge! #storytime
Or email us your photo or video at info@makewayforbooks.org.
Be creative! We can’t wait to see what you loved about Should I Share My Ice Cream?