Sunday, September 26, 2010

Llama Llama Misses Mama

Title: Llama Llama Misses Mama
Author and Illustrator: Anna Dewdney
Type: Picture Book
Grade Level: Pre-1
Rating: 4 out of 5

It is Llama's first day of school and she is feeling overwhelmed and lonely.  Eventually Llama is having so much fun she forgets to miss her Mama!

This is a very cute story.  As a reader I could relate with Llama because I remember my first day of school, or even other events that were new to me.  I was shy and unsure and once I opened up to the new setting I completely forgot to be sad or lonely or shy.  The story rhymed and had a great flow to it.  As I read it aloud I caught myself thinking that Tunnel and Jacob's term "music in language" best described the text.  The illustrations were also very cute and work great alongside the text.

For pretty obvious reasons this book would be great for the first day of school, especially for kindergarten.  Llama is experiencing exactly what you're students are going through so they can relate to him very well.  You could start the day off with reading the book aloud so your students understand they are not alone in their feelings and that it is natural.  You could also use this book for a rhyming unit for beginners.  The rhyming is simple but gets the point across.

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