TR&W Issue 20

One Day at a Time BY RACHEL IP, ILLUS. NATELLE QUEK, HACHETTE Thinking and talking • Which family in this book is most like yours, and why? • How do the families in this book differ? What do they share? • Ask these animals some questions – and make up their answers! Try this… n Draw each member of your family. Collage onto a printed photo backdrop and add a frame. Use to make a class book. n Collect words describing family relationships and display them for reference. How do you think the animals in this book are related? Add labels to the pictures and draw some simple family trees. n What happens when two of the families from the book meet for a day out? Tell the story! 2 FOUNDAT I ON S TAGE www.teachwire.net | 13 BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS Mum and Dad Glue BY KES GRAY, ILLUS. LEE WILDISH, HACHETTE 3 About this book Mum and Dad’s marriage is falling apart and needs a strong repair. Maybe a Glue Shop will have just the thing? Their son feels responsible for the split and is desperate to help, until the shop owner explains that some families and Robin? What stays the same? • Find moments when Poppy and Robin react differently. Why is this? • How do the characters show their love for each other? How do you show people that you care? Try this… n Plant sunflowers and record their growth, noting what’s happening in school. Once your flowers are fully grown, share key diary moments, focusing on the changes that have happened – to your children, and your plants. n “We’ll have two homes instead of one...” Discuss what changes for Poppy and Robin, and what stays the same. Make lists for each category and illustrate them. n “Sometimes their feelings pop out...” What are Poppy and Robin thinking and saying in the park and supermarket? How do their parents respond? Write speech bubbles and add to the spreads. KEY S TAGE 1 will separate, no matter what, but the love parents feel for their children comes with a lifetime guarantee. This picturebook’s charming illustrations and bouncy, rhyming text make it fun to share, but its message is simple, powerful and affecting. Important conversations will follow, in and out of the classroom. Thinking and talking • Why does the boy want to stick his mum and dad together? • What does he learn from the shopkeeper? • Glue doesn’t keep people together. What does? Try this… n Draw pictures of Things that Change . Is change bad or good, or both? n Invent new products to help people. Use empty packaging to make models for a roleplay shop. Create signage and advertising. Who wants to buy something, and why? Take turns at being the customer and shopkeeper. n Should people stay strong and make the best of things, or give up when it gets tough? Talk about resilience and seeking help. What have you found difficult? Did anyone give you good advice? About this book Every year, Poppy and Robin plant sunflowers and watch them grow. But Mummy and Daddy have split up, and the children have two homes instead of one. What will happen to the flowers now? Gently, but with emotional truth and insight, this realistic picturebook addresses the impact of separation. Feelings are recognised and expressed, and the practical impact of living between two homes explored. Sunflowers become a metaphor for continuity amidst change, and the sight of them blooming successfully in two gardens captures the essence of this uplifting book. Thinking and talking • What changes for Poppy “This picturebook’s charming illustrations and bouncy, rhyming text make it fun to share” Illustrations by Lee Wildish Illustrations by Natelle Quek