Pistes d'exploration

What makes you grumpy or sad? Why do you think the characters in this story – Pete, Squirrel, Turtle and Alligator – might be glum?

Read the dialogue together. Use appropriate expression to convey the emotions of the characters.

Pete uses his “cool, blue, magic” sunglasses to cheer up his friends. Write and draw to show a way that you brighten a friend’s day.

Wise Old Owl tells Pete, “Just remember to look for the good in every day.” Make a list of good things for you and your classmates to notice every day. Post it in the classroom to refer to when you are feeling grumpy or sad.

As the story is read aloud, join in at the recurrent passages and the coloured sentences. Use appropriate expression to convey the emotions of the characters.

Discuss what makes you grumpy or sad. Make a class list.

Role play the story sentences in an inside-outside circle cooperative structure. One of you asks: “What’s wrong?” The other answers: “I’m so ___. Nothing is going my way. I’m ___ today.”

Wise Old Owl tells Pete, “Just remember to look for the good in every day.” Make a list of good things for you and your classmates to notice every day. Post it in the classroom to refer to when you are feeling grumpy or sad. Write your own three to five ideas that make you personally feel better.

My Blue Is Happy, Boo Hoo Bird

Mots-clés

Picture book , cats , feelings , happiness , optimism , stories in rhyme

Commentaire descriptif

Pete the Cat is back, but this time he has the “blue cat blues.” Luckily, Toad arrives with a pair of “COOL, BLUE, MAGIC sunglasses” that help him see the world “in a whole new way.” Miraculously, they work! The sun is brighter and the birds are happier. Overjoyed, Pete spreads the word to his grumpy friends. But when a stumble knocks his glasses off and breaks them, Pete has no idea how he will go on without them. Thankfully, Wise Old Owl steps in with some wise, timeless advice that will benefit readers, young and old. Simple, rhymed text with recurrent passages (e.g. “The birds are singing.The sky is bright.The sun is shining.I’m feeling ALRIGHT!”) could readily invite a choral reading. Bright mixed media illustrations partner well with a text that supports “rockin’,” “awesome,” “too cool” and “far out” feelings while downplaying negative ones. The optimistic, transformative descriptors stand out in the text in colourful, capitalized font. Another in the Pete the Cat series, this upbeat read-aloud with its positive message is also available as an animated video on the publisher’s website.