Pistes d'exploration

Discuss the similarities and differences between the fiction and non-fiction components. List them on a T-chart. 

Refer to a Lost and Found ad in a newspaper, then create one for something you have lost or misplaced. What important features need to be included in your ad?

Discuss the pros and cons of Alfred’s organization system. What recommendations would you offer him? Do you think his system works? How do you organize your toys, books, etc.?

In pairs, debate whether you think Alfred is a hoarder or simply disorganized. Justify your answers with examples from the text.

Why did Alfred choose to bring a cargo ship on vacation? Compare your own list of important items with that of a friend. Note what you have in common.

Discuss the objects on each page. How does Alfred Crabtree organize his belongings? Why is it important to be organized?

Create an inventory of the contents of your pencil case. Write a short description of each item. 

Discuss a time when you lost something. How did you find it? 

List the strategies that Alfred Crabtree uses to find his false teeth. 

Write a set of instructions to help someone find a lost object. What steps should a person take to locate the object as quickly as possible?

Write about something that you collect (e.g. photos, shells, video games). 

Mr. King's Things

Mots-clés

Humour , Picture book , collecting , collections , everyday life , lost and found , sorting , visual dictionary

Commentaire descriptif

In this hilarious ode to hoarding, Alfred Crabtree searches for his false teeth among his many possessions. His sisters offer him advice over the phone: “Put everything you have into categories. Anything left over will be your missing teeth.” Children will enjoy playful language that describes objects (real ducks, decoys), homonyms “most of my aunts, most of my ants), and Alfred’s odd system of organization (“He put everything that started with S in a box”). Every object is labeled, making this a fine vocabulary resource for readers new to English. Quirky graphic illustrations crowd the pages, perfectly suiting the book’s spirit and theme. Investigative young readers will unfold the book jacket to uncover a sprawling design: “I have no idea what this thing is.” The search ends when Alfred finds the teeth in his “TEETH CLOSET”—with a saw, a narwhal tusk and much, much more. There is the opportunity to discuss whether we all have more belongings than we really need. Children may have different views from Alfred, who fills a cargo ship with his boxes, so they may all go on holiday: “He brought only the most important things.”