question that is related to the story such as, Chibi is shy at school. Have you ever
felt shy? Encourage a discussion so the children can comment, ask questions, ...
Crow Boy by Taro Yashima
Caldecott Honor Book, 1956. A shy young boy is bullied until a teacher helps show the school his talents.
R.E.D. Zone
Read
Before:
Introduce the book and tell the children a little bit about it. Follow that with a comment or question that is related to the story such as, Chibi is shy at school. Have you ever felt shy? Encourage a discussion so the children can comment, ask questions, and express their feelings. Set the stage for listening by asking an “I wonder” statement based on the cover illustration. • I wonder who Crow Boy is?
During:
Encourage the children to comment on the illustrations, ask questions, and predict what will happen next in the story. Children gain confidence and a sense of achievement through being able to correctly predict how a story will end. Introduce the concepts of comparison, perspective and persuasion to help the children relate to their meaning in a way that makes sense to them.
Rare Words in Crow Boy • • • • • • • • • • • •
nicknamed- a substitute name norlorn-lonely and sad tag-along- follows someone else’s lead amuse- entertain grubs- young insects slowpoke- a sluggish person trudging- difficult or tiring walking tacked- hung up with a tack talent- a special natural ability imitate- to act like someone else hatched- born from an egg dawn- Sunrise, beginning
• • • • •
sunset- End of the day graduation- celebration of completion of school honored – respected attendance- to go to an event charcoal- a burnt piece of wood used to heat or cook
After:
Discuss the story. Ask questions… • How does Chibi act at the beginning of the story? • What does Chibi mean? What language is it in? • How do the other children treat Chibi? • What does Chibi do at school? • Who is Mr. Isobe? • How does Mr. Isobe treat Chibi? • What is Chibi good at? List some of his talents. • How did the rest of the children feel after the talent show? • What award did Chibi win? • What was Chibi’s nickname? • How does Chibi act after graduation from school?
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Do
Chibi spends his school time looking around the classroom and his play time listening to the world around him. Have the children close their eyes and listen. Ask them to imitate the sounds they hear around the school and what they think makes those sounds. This can be done in different parts of the school and even outside.
www.bookitprogram.com/redzone
Visit the R.E.D. Zone for more reading-readiness, printables, read-aloud tips, resources and more!