Hello, Door
A delightful twist on the traditional tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Hello, Door introduces the reader to a thieving fox, who slinks his way through an empty house, greeting the goodies he snatches along the way. With simple yet humorous text and rhyme, readers witness Fox successfully collecting his treasures, until he unexpectedly comes face-to-face with the homeowners. Does Fox learn his lesson when caught in the act? Hello, cliffhanger!
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Allow children time to peruse the pictures as you read this story. Let them enjoy the rhymes and join in with the reader wherever they can. At the end of the story, ask children to compare Hello, Door to Goldilocks by identifying both similarities and differences. Don’t forget to ask if they think Fox learned his lesson as Goldilocks did. Is there a picture clue to this answer?
This book can also lead into a fine arts discussion, while building visual literacy abilities. On a rereading, point out the framed pictures on the inside cover. They reference many famous paintings. Some are easy to find online, e.g., Vermeer’s The Girl with the Pearl Earring and Grant Wood’s American Gothic. Children can compare the real pictures to the ones in the book. Maybe one of the children will point out that on the back endpapers, after Mr. Fox’s visit, the frames are empty!
Parents and children alike will enjoy Fox’s antics as he breaks into the bears’ home. This is a great story for inspiring children to join in the read-aloud by using picture clues and filling in the rhyming words. Most double-page spreads contain a rhyming couplet, e.g., “Hello, clubs, Hello, clocks. HELLO, LITTLE JEWELRY BOX!”Ask parents to reread the story to think about which words their children may be able to guess, and hence “read.” Remind parents to pause before the rhyming word to give the child a moment to think: JEWELRY……BOX! During repeated readings, children are apt to supply whole sentences!