Heave Ho!
It only takes 12 sentences for a lot of mischief to occur in this rollicking picture book! Encouraging young readers to count each sentence, each page spread advances the line-by-line story of a hungry (and inventive) group—a dog, a cat, and three mice. Though it’s over far too soon, the humorous tale and light-hearted, cartoon-like illustrations reveal the essential, enumerated elements of a story.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Help your child look for and identify the number words on each page spread (twelve, first, second, etc.) For each number word, write out its numeric equivalent (12, 1, 2, etc.) and discuss with your child.
Involve family members in encouraging children to invent their own stories in sentences, and in writing down each sentence for the children. Then, help the children count the number of sentences in their stories. Talk about the basic elements of a story, and ask children to help identify the beginning, middle, and end of their tales.