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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