By: Pamela Duncan Edwards
Illustrated By: Henry Cole
An empty old house wants a family to move inside, but it is
in such disrepair that potential buyers keep turning away. The house’s friends
(some birds, a squirrel, and a tree) try to cheer up the house and tell it to
stand straight and twinkle its windows, but nothing seems to help. And when
they hear the rumble of a bulldozer, they all fear for their lives. Has the old
house seen its last day, or is the rumble coming from a moving truck with a
happy family inside? Edwards tells a delightful read-aloud story that is full
of friendship, empathy, and inspiration. Cole’s illustrations are heartwarming
and bright. And the expressions of feelings he gives the house is truly clever.
Below are some activity ideas and storytelling tips for this
Picture Book Favorite!
Houses Have Feelings, Too?: After reading The Old House, take children on a walk
around a neighborhood. Tell them that they are going to look at houses in a
different way. The house in the book had feelings, and the feelings were
expressed by the houses features. Can they look at the houses in the neighborhood
and decide how the houses feel? Happy? Sad? Excited? Tired? What kind of “personality”
does a particular house have? Maybe a house with interesting architecture would
be “clever”? Maybe a house with multicolored paints and fixtures would be “creative”?
If I Were a House: After reading The Old House, give children a piece of plain paper and some
crayons, markers or colored pencils. Ask them to pretend that they are a house.
What kind of house are they? A castle? A motorhome? A cottage? Ask them to draw
and color a picture of this house. What colors are they going to “paint” it?
What is in the yard? Is their house in a town or in the country? Does the house
have any friends like the house in the book? When children are finished with
their house ask them to share what they came up with. You may want to help them
write a description of the house, too.
Happy Home Makeover: After reading The Old House, ask children to look at their own home. How do they
think their house or apartment feels? Is there anything that they can do to
make their house or apartment happier? Maybe they could give their house or
apartment some friends by planting some flowers outside in the yard or patio.
Could they help put a fresh coat of paint on the front door or porch? Could
they wash the windows to make them twinkle and shine?
Storytelling Tips:
1. Children like to predict what is going to happen during a
story. Before you read the book, ask children to look at the cover and predict
who the main character is going to be? Who might the other characters be? If
nobody guesses the birds and squirrel on the letters of the title, gently draw
their attention there.
2. The illustrator does a great job of personifying the house.
When the house shows the expression of a feeling, pause and ask children what
the house is feeling. Can they show that feeling on their faces?
3. Children will naturally relate themselves to the characters
in stories. In fact there is much learning happening while empathizing with
characters. Ask children if they have ever felt alone like the house? Do they
have friends that help cheer them up? Have they ever helped a lonely person
feel better?
If you would like to buy a copy of this book, there are
plenty of used copies on Amazon. Please follow this link:
And remember, by reading to children, you are cultivating a
literacy culture. You are helping children build a lifelong love of reading and
writing!
With Imagination,
Professor Watermelon
1. What if a person that sunk turned into sea monster.
ReplyDelete2. What if a giant shark ate the titanic.
3. What if the Titanic is the home to the scariest whale.
4. What if the Titanic turned into diamond dust.
5. What if. Howler monkey jumped from South America to Africa.
1 What if a howler monkey weighed 512 LBS.?
ReplyDelete2 What if I turned into a howler monkey?
3 What if howler monkeys could run101 MPH.?
4 What if a howler monkey jumped from Madigascar to South America?
C . J .
1. what if the old house was haunted?
ReplyDelete2. what if the old house was a home to a wolf?
3. what if the old house was a home of a witch?
4. what if the old house had blasted off like a rocket?
5. what if an old house walked over to they other side of the road?
6. what if the old house could howl?
7. what if an old house talked and said mean comments to you?
8. what if an old house talked and said nice comments to you?
9. what if an old house flew into the air?
10. what if an old house became invisible?
11. what if an old house could catch on fire magicly and the fire didn't harm itself?
12. what if an old house played a spooky tune each time you walked past it?
13. what if an old house coughed?
14 what if an old house hiccuped?
15 what if an old house had eyes?
16. what if an old house danced?
17. what if an old house acted like a clown?
18. what if an old house could juggle?
19. what if an old house could make it so that if you wanted to goto japan it would magicaly take you there?
20. what if old houses were more popular than new houses?
JADA
Oh I like things that have to do with old houses or ancient buildings I have a book with things about that!
ReplyDelete-Jada