The focus of this reading is to read the story and talk about new vocabulary. There will be opportunities in this reading to connect the information in the illustrations to the information in the text.
Elliot’s mature comments versus his father’s innocence makes this book appealing to both the adult and the child. Ms. Buzzeo’s writes the dialogue between father and son in several different ways. Point out the difference between the speech bubbles and the thought bubbles to your listeners. Also, as you read the text you’ll notice that the text sparks additional humor within the illustrations.
*Read the pages before you ask the questions.
Page 1 – 3:
~On page 1, proper: having excellent behavior and manners. By looking at Elliot, what about him is proper? (carefully and neatly dressed)
~On page 3, masses: very large number of something.
~What does Elliot say that shows he is “a very proper young man?”
~Would you want to go to the aquarium on Family Fun Day?
Pages 4 – 7:
~On page 4, What word means the same as sat? (settled)
~Do you think that it is safe for Elliot to go into the aquarium alone? Why or why not?
~On page 6, posture: the way that a body stands. What do you think is meant by proper posture? (standing straight and tall)
~Why does Elliot like the penguins and Ferdinand Magellan? (how each is dressed, very neat, proper posture)
Pages 8 – 13:
~On pages 8 and 9, why does Elliot’s dad agree to let him buy a penguin? (He thinks Elliot is going to buy a stuffed penguin in the gift shop.)
~On page 13, who is Magellan? Why did Elliot name the penguin Magellan?
~Why would Elliot think that Magellan might like to skate?
~Does Magellan understand what Elliot is asking?
Pages 14 – 19:
~On page 14, fed: moved equipment toward something.
~On page 15, inconvenience: something that causes trouble. What is the inconvenience that Elliot might be causing?
~On pages 16 and 17, what work did the air conditioner do? Find additional evidence in the illustration that the air conditioner has done its work.
~On page 18, research: to do a great deal of studying about a topic. Do you think that Elliot’s father knows about which Magellan Elliot is researching, the explorer or the penguin?
~On page 18, Captain Cook: an English explorer who traveled and studied the Antarctic Ocean and the coast of Australia.
Pages 20 – END:
~On page 21, atlas: a collection of maps. What does Elliot mean when he says, “Magellan was perfect?”
~On page 22, anchovy: a small fish found in the Mediterranean Sea, often canned and used in food dishes.
~On page 25, longing: wishing.
~On page 25, drew: provided.
~What makes the last page so humorous? (Both Elliot and his father had secret animals, named after explorers.