Every once in a happy while we come across something that elevates one of our books (and our hearts) to unexpected heights. We always loved the possibilities that A Book is a Bee held out, but just look at these responses of children in this Facebook post by Library Consultant and Trainer JoAnne Saldanha! And what a wonderful learning for other parents, teachers and educators in how to evoke and encourage creativity – the sky is no limit at all!
In Myth Aunty’s words…
One of my favourite books to read to children is ‘A Book is a Bee’ by @_lavanyakarthik_ illustrated by Ruchi Shah published by @tulikabooks.
It’s a wonderful way for my students to reflect about what books mean to them. (A side effect is that it serves as a great way to help them practice metaphors and reinforce the difference between simile and metaphors and bring in reasons for the role ‘figures of speech’ play in writing.)
I use this book often...this time with Grades 2-6, as we continued our celebrations for World Book Day on March 4th!
A spread from the picture book A Book is a Bee
Here are a few the wonderful responses by my students.
The emphasis is on them expressing themselves and being able to make the connections. In the library they have the freedom to do so, without bothering about their spellings or grammar. They were free to draw and express or only share their ideas during our online class. A few needed guidance with framing the sentence into a metaphor.
* A book is a forest, enter and it’s an adventure. * A book is like glue, it sticks to you with ideas. (doesn’t it just?!!??) * A book is a bee, I fly when I read one. * A book is a rocket that takes me to another world. * A book is like a cage, when I start reading I’m trapped. (literally!! literally!!) * A book is a bottle of water that quenches my thirst. * A book is a whale, it is so big and long. (This child obviously had a heavy tome in mind!!) * A book is Lego, it gives me imagination, makes me smart and playful. I like it. *A book is a journey that takes you to places you imagine. * A book is a sausage, I want to gobble it up. (a child after my own heart!!) * A book makes you go in a car over an adventurous mountain of words. * A book is life and logic, it teaches you in many ways. (may I grow up to be this kid!!!) *A book is a superhero that saves me from boredom. (Ah!! The Marvel/ DC fan, never fails to make his/her presence felt!)
Just a few of the interesting and wonderful responses that made my heart leap with joy. I prefer to let my sessions flow with the children’s responses, the next session picking up from the previous one. This allows for the ebbing and flowing of the children’s thoughts and ideas, and we always have so much to learn from them. The library offers this space. March 29, 2021
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