Pistes d'exploration

Discuss the role of the reader and what s/he brings to a book (background knowledge, experiences).

Take note of the elements in the book: beginning, ending, speech bubbles, repetition, etc.

Create a cartoon strip. Think of words that Elephant and Piggie may want to hear and write a short scene for them, using speech bubbles.

Notice the elements in the book: beginning, ending, speech bubbles, repetition, etc.

Discuss the role of the reader and the listener when a book is read aloud.

Create a poster about the different parts of a book. Post in on a bulletin board.

It's a Book

Mots-clés

Humour , Picture book , anxiety , books , circular story , elephants , first-person narration , friendship , pigs , reading , speech bubbles

Commentaire descriptif

This playful and clever deconstruction of the idea of books and reading introduces children to different storybook elements such as text, dialogue, beginning, middle and ending. These are introduced through two characters, Elephant and Piggie, who examine the fact that they are in a book and what this means. The hilarity ramps up as Piggie realizes they can make the reader say things with their own word bubbles. Words, jokes and ideas become tools for Elephant and Piggie. Short, punchy sentences build the story; the use of repetition—and modifications on the repetition—is comical and moves the plot forward. Young readers learn that a story may contain almost anything: it only requires the author’s imagination and a willing reader. Simple and expressive cartoon figure drawings work seamlessly with the book’s theme. Extremely enjoyable as a read-aloud book, the dramatic rendering of the large-size text also encourages beginners who are reading on their own. The greatest achievement of this book, both in word and image, is that it is as surprising, comical and meaningful for adult readers as it is for children.