Bert and Beth Go Far, Far Away (pages 6 to 9)
- Before reading the story, ask children to talk about what happens when they are sick.
- After reading the story, ask how Bert and Grandpa helped Beth feel better.
- Turn back to page 7, and discuss the pictures. You may need to help children understand that these pictures show what Bert is imagining.
Talking together about how they feel when they are sick helps children identify with Beth. It also helps children develop empathy for the character.
Riddle Me (pages 24 and 25)
- Before reading the text, ask children to describe what they see. Then introduce the riddles by asking: "What object in the picture could have said this?" and read the first riddle.
- If children need help answering the second riddle, ask: "What do you use when you want to see yourself?"
- If the third riddle is difficult, walk them through it by saying something like: "The first line tells us 'we're hiding in your closet,' so let's see what's in the closet. The second line says that the object is 'wearing all your clothes,' and the clothes are on hangers, so the answer must be the hangers!"
Help children make up their own riddles by imagining what other objects in the picture might say. For example, "I'm on the dresser and wearing a shade. What am I?" or "I'm lying on the floor in a long and twisty shape. What am I?" Creating riddles will stretch children's imaginations.
Going Away (pages 30 and 31)
- Before you read the questions, have children describe what they see.
- As they answer the questions, encourage children to point to the cars, trucks, bikes, kids, and dogs as they count together.
- To help children visualize how the number of objects will change when things go away, cover the blue cars, the garbage truck, the kids on or near the bicycles, and the dogs in the crosswalk.
Children can use sets of objects to tell their own "Going Away" stories. For example, "I have four pencils. Two are red, and two are blue. When I take the blue pencils away, how many pencils will be left?"