APA Citation: Helakoski, L. (2008). Woolbur. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
Summary: Woolbur is the kind of sheep that marches to the beat of his "own" drum. His parents worry all night long about his insistence to be different and Grandpa just keeps telling to not worry. Woolbur starts our running with the dogs instead of grazing with the sheep and day to day he just keeps doing his own rituals. When his parents question him about his differences his only reply to them is, "I know, isn't that great". His parents keep insisting that Woolbur needs to be like everybody else so he encourages all the other sheep to be like him. Soon all the sheep are marching to the beat of Woolbur's drum.
Read Alike: I wouldn't really consider this a read-alike, but when I read this book to the students I also read them The Ugly Duckling by Rachel Isadora. I did that because we did a comparison activity. One book has a character that wants to be "like" everybody else and the other book has a book has a character that wants to be "different" than everybody else. I thought they complimented each other well.
Discussion Questions:
Discuss how it is important for a person to have individual characteristics. What would it be like if everyone looked the same and did everything the same?
On a piece of paper, list three things that Woolbur does different from his herd. After you have identified those three things, list three things that you do differently than your friends. Share those findings with your classmates.
Author Website: http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/aifolder/aipages/ai_h/helakoski.html
I loved the Reader's Theater we did in class for this book. I teach 1st grade and I am always telling my students that it is okay to be different. I will definitely use this book in the future.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your questions for this book. The idea of discussing the different characteristics of each person sound like a great way to emphasize our differences in a positive way.
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