I love the stories Jan Brett tells. Stories that take us into nature, to foreign lands and times. I love rereading about mischievous trolls and Hedgie the hedgehog, both reoccurring characters in Jan Brett books. I find myself lost in her magical illustrations. I especially enjoy the boarders Jan Brett includes in many of her stories. The illustration themselves tell a story or lend themselves to predictions of what is to come. For beginning struggling readers this feature allows for tremendous practice of using pictures when reading a story.
This month we have used Jan Brett's books to delve into characters. Talking about characters and building on what we can write about characters. We have asked ourselves: What do they want? What do they like? How do they act? These questions have helped us expand on what students say about characters and what they write about characters.
We have also enjoyed reading Three Snow Bears, a version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We have used this book to practice retelling a story. This version takes place in the arctic with polar bears and an Inuit girl who rides with a sled dog team. It was a perfect opportunity for me to bring out my toy sled dog team and little figurines along with my Inuit doll from the Fairbanks University Museum in Alaska.
I am anxiously awaiting the arrive of Jan Brett's new book Animals Santa. I am sure I will find myself lost in the pictures of this new book, as I have with all her other books.
