Pistes d'exploration

Talk about libraries. What can you do in a library? Many libraries are supposed to be quiet places; what are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

Discuss the concept of rules and why we have them. Who should make the rules, who should follow them, and who should enforce them?

Make a set of class rules. Try to write them in the affirmative (e.g. You may . . . , Always . . . , Be sure to . . . .)

Decide upon rules for your classroom. Make and decorate posters and put them up in your classroom.

Talk about the activities that take place in the library and in the ESL classroom. How are library rules different from those in the classroom?

Role play a school rule with a partner and have others guess what it is.

Compare library rules and ESL classroom rules. Use a Venn diagram to show the differences and similarities.

No, David!, The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Lions, Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children, The Fox in the Library

Mots-clés

Picture book , acceptance , libraries , lions , prejudice , rules

Commentaire descriptif

A lion wanders into a library, past the circulation desk and into the stacks. Nobody knows what to do, but he is allowed to stay because he isn't breaking any rules. In fact, he is just perfect for the odd jobs the head librarian finds for him, like dusting the encyclopedias and licking envelopes for the overdue notices. Every day he joins the children for story hour. But when something goes terribly wrong, the lion must decide whether or not to break the rules and risk the consequences. Brown font and muted pencil-and-acrylic illustrations give this story a retro feel. The lion's wide-ranging anthropomorphic expressions depict his compassion for people and profound respect for the library. They also stand in vivid contrast to the ferocity young readers normally associate with lions, making him a cuddly, lovable hero. An interesting lesson, culminating in a visit to the school library, could be built around this book to teach how libraries work and what appropriate library behaviour entails. The book's longish text and value as a teaching tool make it an obvious read-aloud choice. The key message, that some circumstances require breaking the rules, will surely spark discussion.