Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Title: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus 

Author: Mo Willems is a three time Caldecott winner. He has written a number of children's books since he started writing in 2000. Before writing children's book Mo was an animator and writer for the children's show Sesame Street. While a writer for the beloved children's show he won six Emmys. 

Genre: Picture Book 

Grades: K-2

Subject Area:  ELA

Summary: Throughout this story all the pigeon wants is to drive the bus. However, the bus driver has left the readers with one task DON'T let the pigeon drive the bus! The pigeon tries everything to get to drive the bus. This story will have children of all ages laughing. 

Pre Reading Activity: Have students close their eyes and picture they are on the bus. Have students describe what being on the bus sounds like, feels like, what they see while they are on the bus. This will allow them to make a connection with the book before reading. This will make the story more enjoyable for all students. 

Post Reading Activity:  Have students do a short writing piece. Students will write about if they would allow the pigeon to drive the bus. Talk to the students about using details why the would or wouldn't let the pigeon drive the bus. Then have students draw a picture to go along with their writing piece. 

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Title: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

Author: Bill Martin Jr. was born in 1916. One of the most famous books that he wrote was Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See. Bill was a writer for 30 years. During his life he wrote over 300 children's books. In 2004 Bill passed away. 

Genre: Picture Book/Fiction 

Grades: K-2

Subject Area: ELA

Summary: This book follows a class when they go to the zoo on a class trip. Students talk about what type of animals sounds they hear well at the zoo. Students learn how to make animal sound throughout the story. It is a great way to learn about animals and the sounds they make. 

Pre Reading Activity: Create a graph that documents the different types of sounds children hear both in and out of the classroom over the course of a week. Create categories for each column, such as transportation, human sounds, machines, animals, and weather. Invite children to list the types of sounds they hear. Compare the different categories. Which column on the graph had the most sounds? Which had the least? (http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3746658)

Post Reading Activity: Have students make a puppet of their favorite animal in the book. Put the kids in order of the animals in the story and act out the story and noise there animals make. Students will say Polar Bear, Polar Bear, what do you see? Polar Bear puppets will say I hear a lion roaring in my eye...this will continue for the whole story.