Baker's Dozen Selections: Prehistoric
From towering T. rexes to ancient mammoths, young readers explore prehistoric worlds while developing vocabulary and storytelling skills in engaging, standards-based activities.
| I Did See a Mammoth! By Alex Willmore Kane Miller, a division of EDC Publishing, 2022 Dino-GRO by Matt Myers Random House Studios, an imprint of RH Children’s Books, 2021 Roar: A Dinosaur Tour by Michael Paul Cassava Republic Press, 2019 Dave’s Cave by Frann Preston-Gannon Nosy Crow, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 2018 Charlotte and the Rock by Stephen W. Martin, Illustrated by Samantha Cotterill Dial Books for Young Readers, 2017 |
Chalk by Bill Thomson Marshall Cavendish Children, 2010 Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea Hyperion Books for Children, 2008 Me Hungry! by Jeremy Tankard Candlewick Press, 2008 Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs by Ian Whybrow Random House Children's Books, 2003 |
Pennsylvania Department of Education. Academic Standards for English Language Arts: Grades PreK-5 (2014)
Pennsylvania Learning Standards for Early Childhood: Kindergarten (2016)
I Did See a Mammoth!
As part of a group on an expedition to look for penguins in the Antarctic, this book’s main character is instead bundled up and eager to spot the legendary woolly mammoth. Although these ancient relatives of elephants are believed to be extinct (as shared in a facts page at the end of the story), readers will share the excitement when a tutu-wearing, skateboarding mammoth enters the picture. Young readers will enjoy chiming in the repetitive shout of “Mammoth!” and the earnest pleas of the young child to the adults in the group, insisting that there are indeed more than penguins on this icy terrain. The detailed illustrations offer engaging talking points, and the humorous reactions of the offended penguins, upset that the main character is more interested in mammoths, add an amusing touch. The unexpected twist at the end will assure readers that this young explorer was telling the truth and was not just crying “mammoth.”
Before reading, obtain photographs of elephants and wooly mammoths. Show children pictures of each of them comparing their similarities and differences. Tell children that woolly mammoths are ancient relatives of today’s elephants. Introduce the term "extinction," clarifying that it means no longer in existence, and use dinosaurs as an example of animals that are extinct. This introduction to the story provides the children with prior knowledge to enjoy this humorous story even more. In another reading of the story, children can spend time looking at the double-page spreads with the hundreds of penguins and search for other fantastical happenings. For example, the penguins with fishing poles, the penguins making snowmen and so on. The book would lend itself well to a game of “I Spy.”
Humorous stories are always a joy for children to listen to—this silly book about a skateboarding mammoth is just such a book. There is built-in suspense. The suspense is enhanced by dramatic pauses and using your voice to exaggerate the excitement, for example when a mammoth appears! A funny story like I Did See a Mammoth will help children develop positive feelings about books and pleasure reading.
CC.1.2.K.A: With prompting and support, identify the main idea and retell key details of text.
CC.1.2.K.G: Answers questions to describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear.
Dino-GRO
In this funny story, Cole is disappointed that his new dinosaur toy is so tiny, but his mother reassures him that Dino-Gro will grow when he becomes wet. Once Dino-Gro discovers a glass of water, a stream, the aquarium, the sprinkler, and the shower—grow he does! Big, bigger and biggest—so big that he doesn’t fit in the house! Hilarious antics and a rescue follow as the family figures out how to manage a giant blue dinosaur.
Dino-Gro is a fantasy story that provides children with humor and the idea that stories can be fun. When children engage with fantasy they are given opportunities to stimulate their creativity and boost vocabulary. After reading, invite children to imagine one of their favorite toys having the ability to grow big or talk. Provide the children with crayons and paper to draw their toy with an imaginative ability. Children can share their pictures with family or friends recalling at the same time the story of Dino-Gro.
Share with families that very young children may have difficulty following more than one character action on a page. It’s helpful to point to each picture depicting a new action to show the sequence of events and talk through what is happening. The page that shows Dino-Gro looking at a glass of water to ending up in the glass of water is an example of a page with more than one character action. Pointing to the pictures and discussing the actions help children to better understand the story.
CC.1.4.K.M: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose narratives that describe real or imagined experiences or events.
Roar: A Dinosaur Tour
Prepare to tour the world of dinosaurs! This book will delight readers with simple text and interesting facts about these prehistoric creatures. With endpapers that provide a pronunciation guide and nicknames for each dinosaur, young readers will devour this book over and over. Which dinosaurs walked on two legs? Which ones shook the ground when they walked? Was an Iguanodon slow-moving or fast? You can find the answers to these wonders and more when you embark on the dinosaur tour!
Before reading, show the children the inside cover of the book with pictures of dinosaurs and information about how to pronounce their names. Point to each dinosaur, say its name, and invite children to repeat it with you. Flip to the back page, point to each dinosaur’s nickname, read them aloud and again, invite children to say them with you. During reading, discuss the characteristics of the dinosaurs that the children see in the images (for example, some have spikes, long tails, short snouts, skinny bodies, big teeth, horns, and so on). This deceptively simple, nonfiction text compares the many types of dinosaurs with each other and gives the youngest dinosaur lovers the pleasure of adding to their “dinosaur expertise.” After reading, the children may be invited to share which dinosaur they find the most interesting, find more books about that species, be that dinosaur in dramatic play, and/or write and draw their own small dinosaur books.
Ask parents about their children’s interest in dinosaurs. Do they have a child who likes to find out everything they possibly can about dinosaurs? Is their child a “dinosaur expert”? Tell parents that a sustained, intense interest in a topic such as dinosaurs helps children to develop their knowledge, improve their attention span, and deepen cognitive growth. Discuss the ways families can support a child’s curiosity about dinosaurs. Some suggestions may be: finding the dinosaur section at the local library, visiting a dinosaur museum, watching specials about dinosaurs on television nature channels, and encouraging children to write about and draw their own dinosaurs. Point out to parents that Roar: A Dinosaur Tour is a book that contains a helpful pronunciation key for dinosaur names in the front inside cover.
CC.1.2.K.C: With prompting and support, make a connection between two individual, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
CC.1.2.K.L: Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Dave’s Cave
Dave is a likeable caveman who loves the green grass and big comfy rocks that make his home. That is, unless, there is a better cave out there with greener grass and bigger rocks. In humorous caveman language, this story follows Dave as he seeks out a better home. Readers can relate as Dave explores the characteristics of different caves and realizes, at long last, that there just may be no place like home. This book is perfect for a fun read with a meaningful message.
Dave’s Cave is a fun read aloud. Children can practice their cave person voices. On a repeated reading, invite the children to join in. On some pages, point to the words to direct children’s eyes to the print. Be sure to help the children notice and read the drawings on the cave wall. As an extension activity, children can draw pictures of what they would like on the walls of their perfect cave homes.
Talk about questions that parents may want to ask the children while reading about Dave’s journey to find the perfect cave. Why didn’t he like his own cave? What did Dave take with him, and what would you take with you? Engage the children in a discussion about what isn’t quite right about each cave that Dave considers. Parents and children may also discuss Dave’s cave-person speech and have fun acting it out together.
CC.1.3.K.G: Make connections between the illustrations and the text in a story (read or read aloud).
Charlotte and the Rock
Charlotte has always wanted a pet, so when her parents decide to surprise her with one on her birthday, she should be thrilled. However, Dennis the pet rock is not entirely what she expected. He is a good listener and hypoallergenic…but is a challenge to walk and has a poor appetite. Charlotte looks on the bright side of things, however, and gives Dennis the love and attention he needs until one day, he is finally able to return her affection!
Return to the story and investigate the method Charlotte uses to choose Dennis’ name. How did she choose? A story extension could be to use chalk to draw a hopscotch game outdoors. Players can toss beanie bags onto the hopscotch squares when it is their turn to determine which square they need to skip over when hopping from one end to the other. Adults can role model the game and join in the fun as children toss, count, and jump.
Pet rocks were very popular in the 1970s and could even be purchased in stores! When reading this story to children, adults can ask children what types of activities they would do with a pet rock. Adults can connect the story to personal experiences by talking with children about their favorite animals or pets. Predicting is an important literacy skill that families can practice while reading this book together. Just by looking at the cover of the book, adults and children can make predictions about what they think will happen in the story. At the end of the story, revisit the predictions to see if the end of the story was a surprise!
CC.1.3.PK.C: With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
CC.1.2.PK.G: Answer questions to make predictions based on illustrations or portions of a text.
Chalk
Imagine a world where whatever you draw with a piece of chalk springs to life. A shining sun and beautiful butterflies fill the pages of this wonderfully illustrated story as children on a playground realize that the bag of chalk they found contains some magic. But what happens when one of the children decides to draw a ferocious dinosaur on the pavement? Discover the creativity within this wordless picture book as you watch your children’s vivid expressions and allow their imaginations to guide them in telling the story. It’s an adventure you don’t want to miss!
Allow children’s imaginations (and vocabulary) to soar as they invent words to accompany the illustrations in this book. Children will love to tell the story in their own way. A fun extension activity is to ask children to imagine that they are with the other children in the story. How would they stop the dinosaur? What would they draw with their piece of chalk? Provide chalk, and allow children to draw a picture and describe what might happen if their drawing came to life. The pictures could be collected into a special book designed by the children.
Before sharing this story with a child, families may want to preview the book and think of some questions that they want to ask their child when reading. Questions like “What did the children find?” and “How do you think they felt when the dinosaur came to life?” will help spark children’s storytelling. Families can set the stage for children by asking them to think about times they have drawn with chalk outside. In what ways can chalk drawings be erased? It might be a good idea to talk with children about the ending of the story, too. For example, families can ask children what they think will happen next. These questions can help to fill the pages of a wordless picture book with a LOT of interesting conversation!
CC.1.2.PK.G: Answer questions to make predictions based on illustrations or portions of a text.
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime
Dinosaur elevates everyday activities into triumphant battles. Dinosaur vs A pile of leaves? Of course, Dinosaur wins! A bowl of spaghetti, a big slide, and even a group of talking grownups are no match for Dinosaur’s awesome power. That is, until Bedtime enters the picture! Young readers will enjoy this exuberant, easy to read (and shout!) story, matched with energetic illustrations of paper, paint, photo collage, and crayons.
Act out Dinosaur vs. Bedtime! Pretend you’re Dinosaur and come up with a new Dinosaur challenge. What will you battle against and win?
Suggest that families invite their children to join in when they read the word “Roar” matching their voice to the size of the word.
CC.1.3.K.K: Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Me Hungry!
In a story that children will want to hear read over and over again, an engaging little cave boy named Edwin declares, “Me hungry!” Both of his parents are too busy to get him something to eat. Edwin takes matters into his own hands and sets out on a journey to hunt for his own food. He not only finds food, but makes a new friend. When Edwin’s father finally calls him for dinner, Edwin responds, “We busy!” With very little text, simple illustrations, and brightly colored backgrounds, this funny story is sure to be a hit with children who have experienced busy parents.
Have fun with this story! Talk with children about prehistoric times, comparing them to children’s lives today. Do you or your family have to go hunting to get food? How do you get your food? On repeated readings invite children to join in.
Talk with families about the importance of language play. Edwin’s use of “Me” instead of “I” might provide a good opportunity to point out how clever your child is to know how to talk like a modern boy/girl instead of a cave boy! Your children will enjoy dramatizing Edwin’s story. Families will sympathize with Edwin’s busy parents.
CC.1.1.K.E: Read emergent-reader text with purpose and understanding.
Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs
(Originally published as Sammy and the Dinosaurs by Orchard, © 1999).
Children who love dinosaurs will love this story about Harry and the dinosaur friends he discovers in Gran’s attic. Readers learn the real names of their favorite dinos, and parents will appreciate the handy pronunciation guide at the back of the book. The story has special appeal for children who personify their toys or talk with “imaginary” friends.
This book may be used to engage children in discussions about getting along with siblings and other family members who upset them. Ask children, “What were some things that Sam did in the book that made Harry upset? What is something nice Sam could have said to make Harry feel better?”
Discuss with families ways to use toys for learning. In this book, Harry researched the names of his dinosaur toys. Encourage children to choose a stuffed animal or animal toy they would like to learn more about. Bring the toy to the library and find nonfiction children’s books to read together.
CC.1.4.PK.V: Ask questions about topics of personal interest to gain information; with teacher guidance and support, locate information on the chosen topic.