To allow the brain to focus on the information in the illustrations this reading will look only at the illustrations and the information they provide the young reader. There are no right or wrong answers in this reading. If the pages are not numbered page 1 is the first page of text.
During the First Reading, we’ll be looking at both the story line and the science information included in these lovely illustrations. Always encourage your listener to share the evidence from the illustration to support ideas, opinions, and answers.
Pages 1 – 4:
~What season of the year is it? (leaves are turning color……autumn, fall)
~How does the little raccoon seem to be feeling? (Notice the tear.)
~On page 4, who might the big raccoon be? What might be happening between them?
Pages 5 – 6:
~Look at the activities of the little raccoon. Which of the illustrations are true-to-life and which illustrations are fiction (not real)?
Pages 7 – 12:
~Whose hand might the little raccoon be holding?
~On pages 9 and 10, what do you think might be happening?
~On page 12, how do the raccoons seem to be feeling? Discuss.
Pages 13 – 16:
~On page 14, how do the raccoons seem to be feeling?
~On pages 15 and 16, the hearts appear again. What might the hearts mean?
~How does the raccoon seem to be feeling on these pages?
Pages 17 – 22:
~On pages 17 and 18, how does the setting change? (night)
~What animals do you recognize?
On pages 21 and 22, why might these particular animals be out at night? Why do you think the animals are heading toward the tree? What seems different about the big tree? (a lantern and the doorway)
Pages 23 – End:
~On page 24, why do you think that the little raccoon might be climbing the tree? How do both of the raccoons seem to be feeling?
~On pages 25 and 26, what do you think is happening in the full-page illustration?