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| These discussion questions are intended to assist the mother, father, grandparent, or other adult who might be reading one of our Deans’ List recommendations with a young child. They are not meant as “test” questions but instead can be discussion starters and ways of extending the content of these books. Discussion questions can provide additional ways for young listeners to respond—to make these books their very own. We hope they will be helpful and that you will add your own questions. The main thing to remember is that just by reading one of these books with a young child you are opening a new world to that listener and sharing your enjoyment in the wonder of reading. |
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The Lemonade Club
1. From a careful look through the book, what were the many ways by which Marilyn’s classmates welcomed her back to school? Both the text and the illustrations show what they did and how they acted.
2. Ask the child if she/he ever had a classmate, friend or family member who was seriously ill? If so, discuss the things the child was able to do to brighten their days.
3. Discuss what it means to turn lemons into lemonade. What do “lemons” stand for in the story? What does “lemonade” stand for in the story? |
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The Bossy Gallito—El Gallo de Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale
1. The Bossy Gallito, or bossy little rooster, is in a big hurry at the beginning of the story. Where is her going? (to his Uncle’s wedding)
2. How does the Gallito look in preparation for attending his Uncle’s wedding? (very elegant and clean)
3. What tempts him along the way and could cause problems with his clean and elegant appearance? (Two kernels of corn near a mud puddle tempt him, but if he eats them his beak could get dirty.)
4. The Gallito has a solution to his temptation about the kernels of corn. What is his solution? (that others will clean his beak)
5. See how many you can name of the others the Bossy Gallito tries to force to clean his beak. (the grass, the goat, the stick, the fire, the stream, the sun)
6. What is the response of each of those whom the Gallito tries to boss into helping him? Why do you think everyone except the sun refuses to help him—how does he make them feel? (unhappy at being bossed around) How would you have felt? Would you have helped the bossy Gallito?
7. Why does the sun finally assist him? (because the Gallito sings to wake him up every morning) What does the sun say? (“With pleasure, my friend!”) Now what do the others say? (Pardon me, I will help.) Why do you think they have changed their minds? (They are following the sun’s good example.)
8. What moral or lesson do you think the little rooster should learn from this experience? (to be polite when asking for assistance rather than bossy) Do you think this is something that works in daily life? Why or why not?
9. Look at the “Glossary” in the back of the book. A number of Spanish words are listed that are used in the story both in its English and Spanish versions. Why not try learning some of these for yourself and use them with friends? |
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Ladybug Girl
- In Lulu’s bedroom can you spy the following items?
- A jump rope
- Binoculars
- A guitar
- A dinosaur
- Three teddy bears
- A toy car
- A lady bug doll
- An apron
- Have you ever been told you are too little to do something? If so, what was it and what did you do about it?
- On the inside of both the front and back cover the artist has drawn Lulu in 16 different costumes. Can you identify who she is pretending to be in each case? Give her a name in each case that fits the costume character. Be imaginative and have fun.
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Tuesday
1. Looking at the first full page spread of the flying frogs, how do you think the turtle is feeling? How do you think the fish are feeling? Are the turtle and fish noticing anything strange in the pond? If you were living in the pond, what would you be thinking or feeling?
2. As the frogs begin to soar among the birds, how would you describe the frogs’ facial expressions? Are they enjoying chasing the birds? How can you tell?
3. How would you feel if you were the man eating the sandwich as the frogs fly by his window?
4. How do the frogs use the laundry they find on a clothes line? How does it make them look?
5. How do they get into the sleeping woman’s home? How are they able to use her remote control? What do you think the woman would do if she suddenly woke up? If she sleeps through their visit, do you think she will be able to tell that the frogs have been to visit her home?
6. Why do you think the frogs have to return to the pond? Do they seem happy to return? What helps you guess how they are feeling about their return?
7. Who do you think called the police? What kind of clues are the police examining? What other clues do you think they will find about the frogs’ visit? Do you think they will ever be able to solve the case? Will people really believe the man who was eating his sandwich and saw them?
8. Some people from a television news show are filming an interview with the man who saw the frogs. What do you think he is telling them? If you were the news reporter, how would you tell about this event?
9. The next Tuesday, what animals are flying around the town? Can you predict the kinds of things they might do? Can you write a story about their evening of fun as flying pigs, or can you write or tell a story about other creatures who might suddenly be able to fly through the air one Tuesday evening?
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First the Egg
Ask the young child the following questions and discuss his/her answers:
- Have you ever planted a seed and watched it sprout into a flower?
- What does a tadpole sound like after it transforms into a frog?
- What is the difference between how a caterpillar moves and how a butterfly moves?
- Have you ever seen a chicken hatch from an egg? If so, please describe what happened. If not, have you seen any baby animals born? If so, tell what kind of animal it was and what happened.
- Can you think of other things in nature that transform from one shape to another?
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Max's Words
1. How do you think Max feels about his brothers’ collections? (envious, wishes for some attention for himself)
2. Do you have a collection? If so, what do you collect, and why did you decide on this as an item to collect?
3. Why do you think Max decided to collect words?
4. How does his word collection change with time? (goes from just a few tiny words to longer descriptive words that could form sentences)
5. When Max creates his sentence about the blue crocodile and the green iguana, in what special manner does he arrange his letters? (to look like the creatures)
6. While Max’s brothers’ collections just formed a “bunch of stamps” or a “pile of money,” what special thing was Max able to form through his word collection? (a thought)
7. What is Max finally able to create with his words? (a story) Can you tell me that story?
8. How do you think Max’s brothers feel about his word collection by the end of the story? (envious, wanting some of their own so that they can tell creative stories)
9. As an adult, share with your young readers or listeners something you collected as a child or collect now as an adult. Discuss why you decided on this collection and how it has brought you enjoyment. |
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Until We Meet Again
1.Discuss the memories that the little boy in the story has with his Grandpa. Ask the child if he/she are gathering memories with their grandparents or other family member. If so, what are those “good times”?
2.In the story what did the little boy learn from his Grandpa about playing games, about how not to be sad, about winking and about where memories live?
3.
Ask the child to look at the pictures and discuss how they show that the little boy and his Grandpa love each other. What is your favorite picture? Why? |
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Hey, Al
1. What do you think Al and Eddie are bringing home in their little containers on the story’s opening pages? (perhaps Chinese food?)
2. How can you tell Eddie is dissatisfied with their current life? (He complains to Al about their apartment—wanting a house and yard.)
3. How does Al first find about their opportunity for a new life? (A large bird sticks its head in the bathroom window and offers them a trip to a great place for a new life.)
4. Describe life on their new “island in the sky.” (colorful birds, waterfalls, etc.)
5. What makes Eddie and Al decide to leave the island? (They are turning into birds.) Would you have stayed on the island anyway? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the other birds on the island had come to live there? (Perhaps they also had been people before?)
7. How do you think Al and Eddie feel about their life together when they return home? What do they start to do? (fix up their apartment)
8. Explain the book’s moral, “Paradise lost is sometimes Heaven found.” What do you think it means? |
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Puff the Magic Dragon
1. Ask the child if he/she knows who Puff’s new playmate could be? Do the illustrations give you a clue?
2. Ask the child if she/he knows why Jackie Paper left Puff and never returned. Discuss growing up and out of childhood.
3. Discuss imaginary playmates. Ask the child if he/she has ever had one. If so:
A.Who were they?
B.
What were their names?
C.
Where did they live?
Share your own imaginary friend with the child |
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| Fever 1793
1. Fever 1793 takes place in the city of Philadelphia. Why was that a particularly significant setting in the United States at that time? (It was the capital.)
2. Name at least two authentic historical figures who appear in the book. (George Washington, Dolly Madison, etc.)
3. There were two major schools of thought as to how to treat yellow fever—the French school and the American school. Describe them both, and explain which was more successful. (American procedure was to “bleed” and purge the patient. French procedure was fresh air, rest, the drinking of fluids. French procedure was more successful.) Why do you think the more successful approach was, in fact, so successful? (It didn’t weaken patients and allowed them to heal more naturally.)
4. How many people died as a result of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia? (nearly 5,000 – 10% of the city’s population)
5. Where did some of the wealthier inhabitants of Philadelphia go to escape the fever? (to their farmlands outside the city)
6. While the fever was raging, describe how many of the citizens of Philadelphia behaved. (Bandits roamed the streets looting individuals and businesses.) Can you think of any comparable situations in the United States in which populations have faced some of these same dangers? (New Orleans after hurricane Katrina)
7. Dr. Benjamin Rush, who helped care for the sick in Philadelphia, wrote that “There is great distress in the city for want of cash. Friendship is nearly entirely banished from our city.” What do you think he means by this? What would banish friendship, and how do you see that happening in the book?
8. Dr. Rush credits “a change in the weather” for the lessening of the fever. What was that change, and how did it impact the fever? (A frost set in.)
9. Thomas Jefferson predicted that “the yellow fever will discourage the growth of great cities in our nation.” Why do you think this has not actually been the case?
10. Whose return to the city of Philadelphia particularly signaled to the people that the city was free of the pestilence? (George Washington returning from his farmland) |
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Truck Stuck
What gave the little girl the solution for getting the truck unstuck?
Ask the child if he/she has ever been in a traffic jam. Encourage a discussion about where it was, when it was and what caused it?
The pictures are full of details that are not in the story. Ask the child to find the following items as they appear in this order:
- A horn
- A bird
- A dog
- A motorcycle
- A whistle
- Sunglasses
- A guitar
- A skateboard
- A game
- A lawn mower
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Heart to Heart
1. In the poem “Down by the Riverside,” who do you think is narrating this poem? (the young boy pictured) How can you tell?
2. In the poem “Woman at the Piano,” the poet is exaggerating details. Give some examples of his exaggerations. (fish came flying, mountains knelt) This poem uses at least two types of figurative language. Can you identify and define them? (hyperbole, personification)
3. In “A Provocation,” whose voice do you think is speaking in the poem? (maybe one of the glass pieces?) Imagine you are a fragile object in your own home and write a poem or a story from that perspective.
4. In the poem “Grant Wood: American Gothic,” what do you think Jane Yolen means by the closing lines, “We are not what we own. We own what we would be.” What do you think she wants the viewer to see and consider in this painting?
5. How does the poem “On Lichtenstein’s ‘Bananas & Grapefruit’” make you feel? Is it a happy or sad feeling—serious or humorous? Why? Can you add more rhyming words to this poem?
6. The poem “Ladies and Gentlemen, Step Right Up, The Drawer is Open!” takes its title from words used in what kind of setting? (carnival, circus) Different meanings of the noun “drawer” in this poem are made through the use of different description adjectives in the painting and poem. Can you identify and explain three of these uses? (Top Drawer = finest; Right Drawer = a location; Open Drawer = Disclosed) Can you think of any other meanings you could make using additional adjectives attached to the noun “drawer”?
7. Encourage the reader to locate art—perhaps in a gallery, in a book, in other public spaces, or on the internet. Next ask the reader to respond in one or more of the four ways –stories, voices, impressions, expressions—used in this collection. |
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The Butter Man
1. On the first page of the story Nora describes how her Baba (father) prepares couscous on Saturdays. Ask the child if he/she has a favorite dish. Encourage the child to share how it is prepared, how it smells and how it tastes.
2. Ask the child to share their ideas about the butter man. Who was he? Why did the little boy’s mother send him outside to wait for the butter man? Did he ever come?
3. There are a total of 14 words from the Berber language included in the Author’s Note and the Glossary. Study them with the child and speak them out loud together by following the pronunciation guides.
4. The illustrations are created and painted in the folk art style. Ask the child to study the pictures and select a detail, pattern or design they particularly like and share why it is attractive to them. |
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The Tale of Despereaux
1. This book, The Tale of Despereaux, has a much longer subtitle—Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread. Can you describe the importance of each of these four items to the tale?
2. What happens to the Princess, and who saves her? (captured by the rats and held in the dungeon—rescued by Despereaux)
3. What do the castle mice think is wrong with Despereaux? (He should not read, he should not love music, he should definitely not love the Princess.) How do they punish him?
4. What kind of stories does Despereaux find to read, and how do they affect him? (fairy tales of knights and princesses—make him even more romantic)
5. What are some words you would use to describe Despereaux? (unusually tiny, romantic, loving, brave, etc.)
6. What creature causes the death of the Queen? (a rat) By what means does he cause this death? (his fascination with the light)
7. For what three items had the servant girl Miggery Sow been sold? (a handful of cigarettes, a red tablecloth, and a hen)
8. How is The Tale of Despereaux like the stories the little mouse had read? (romantic, happy ending, bravery required, etc.) |
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The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
After the student has read the book discuss the following questions:
1.Who first coined the phrase “Iron Curtain”? What could that mean?
2.Who were the Young Pioneers?
3.When was the wall erected and why?
4.According to the diary entries, how does the boy (Peter Sis) first leave for the West?
5.According to the Afterward, when did the boy (an adult film maker) decide to stay in the West and not return to Prague?
After the student has studied the pictures/illustrations discuss the following questions:
1.What is the role of the color red in this book?
2.What is the role of the image of wings throughout this book?
3.Why is the picture showing Russian tanks everywhere effective? Discuss the use of red, the shape of the city and the face of the boy (based on Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”).
4.Why is the face of each policeman, informant, governmental official the same? What does it signify?
5.How many ways do the illustrations show the boy planning to escape? Find the train, the tunnel, the bicycle ramp, the hot air balloon, the glider and the vaulting pole. |
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Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman
1. Where does this story begin? What is happening? (South Side of Chicago, at a wake attended by those mourning the death of Bessie Coleman)
2. Do you think Bessie is really speaking to them from her photograph? (probably not—they are just imagining what she might have said)
3. How do the attendees at the wake respond at this time? (speak out loud about things they remember especially well about Bessie and her life, including regrets they feel)
4. What had happened with her father? (had left the family in Texas to move to Oklahoma)
5. What kinds of responsibilities did Bessie take on after her father left? (taking care of the children)
6. How does her teacher describe her? (greedy to learn, determined to gather knowledge)
7. What happened when she went to college? (ran out of money after a semester)
8. What did Bessie have to do to realize her dream of flying? (learn French and move to France to study)
9. What are some things that show how determined she was, even when after she was able to learn to fly? (got back in the plane after her first crash)
10. When she returned to the United States, what kinds of plans did Bessie have? (to start a flight school)
11. What were the two blessings that Bessie counted from her life? (to have “experienced the joy of flight” and to have “shared” it with others of her race)
12. You might discuss with your young listeners or readers what they dream about accomplishing and what might be blocking their dreams, as well as how they still might be able to realize their dreams.
13. What kinds of honors did she receive after her death? (an access road to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport named for her, a U. S. commemorative stamp)
14. You might encourage older listeners or readers to do an internet search about Bessie Coleman to see what else they can learn and to find pictures of her and her commemorative stamp and other such items. |
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Henrietta and the Golden Eggs
1. What animal do you see lurking outside the barnyard early in the book? (fox) What do you think he is hoping to find? (a chicken to eat)
2. Describe the conditions in which Henrietta and the other chickens live. (Stinky and crowded) How does it affect them all? (coughing, losing feathers, pecking one another)
3. How many chickens are there? (3,333 + Henrietta)
4. In the beginning, what is Henrietta too little to do? (lay an egg) What does she plan to do about that? (lay a golden egg)
5. How does Henrietta change the lives of the chickens the first time? (pecks out under the fence and finds a world of colors)
6. What are some of the animals they encounter? (cows and sheep) How do these animals look when they first see all of Henrietta and all of her friends? (surprised)
7. What are some of the surprising things Henrietta wants to learn to do? (fly, swim, sing)
8. How do Henrietta’s actions change the lives of all the chickens at the book’s end? (The farmer builds them a much larger, cleaner, and nicer place to live.)
9. Is Henrietta’s first egg golden? (No) Did you think it would be?
10. Can you think of any new plans and dreams Henrietta may have for the future?
11. On the closing pages, what do you think the shadowy drawing of Henrietta means? (more of her dreams—to learn to fly) |
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the bunnies are not in their beds
1. Discuss the sounds that come from the bunnies’ bedroom. Look at the illustration on the double-page spread and find other sounds. For instance, what would a horse sound like; what song could the bunnies be playing; what does a train engineer say when he is calling for people to get on the train; what does an ordinary car sound like as compared to a racing car?
2. Ask the child to give each of the bunnies a name and tell why they selected that name. Ask the child if he/she ever had a pet bunny.
3. From all of the pictures of Mama and Papa bunny, list the things they like to do in the evening when the bunnies are in their beds. (Touch on reading, writing letters, having tea and eating cake.) |
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365 Penguins
1. Do you think this story could actually happen in real life? Why or why not? On what day does it begin?
2. When the first penguin comes out of the box, look at the faces of each member of the family and describe how you think they feel. (children excited and parents concerned/puzzled)
3. What are some of the names the family gives to the penguins? (Alfred, Dopey, Moose) What names would you give to penguins if you suddenly received a week’s worth in the mail?
4. When there are 60 penguins, where are some of the places they find to sit in the house? (piano, bookcases, sofa, TV)
5. What were some of the solutions to the family’s problem, “What should we do with all these penguins?” What solutions would you have suggested?
6. How expensive was it to feed all of those penguins?
7. What kind of noises did the penguins make?
8. When does the solution to the mysterious penguins arrive? (New Year’s Eve) What is it? (Mommy’s Uncle Victor, the ecologist, relocating penguins from the South Pole to the North Pole)
9. What is the final surprise? (polar bear in an unlabeled box) What do you think will happen next? |
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