Petunia - NHPBS

1 Petuniaby Roger Duvoisin (Knopf)Themes: Reading/Wisdom/Animals & PetsGrade Level:K-2 Length: 10 minutes, animatedSummaryPetunia is the tale of a duck who discovers abook in the meadow. Petunia recalls hearingsomeone say that "he who owns books and lovesthem is wise." Petunia assumes that because shecarries the book under her wing she is suddenlywise, and offers advice to her friends who areeager for her help. Unfortunately, Petunia 'sadvice is consistently inappropriate, and each ofthe animals who receives her help is either madesad or , Petunia 's ineptitude is discoveredalong with a box of firecrackers.

2 When Petunia 'sfriends ask her to read the label on the box, sheconfidently replies that the box says "candy."The box explodes as Petunia 's animal friends tryto open it to get to the candy. The end of thestory finds Petunia discovering that there arewords inside the book, and that one can only bewise when one has knowledge of the book's Children will explore the ways knowledge canbe gained through reading Children will investigate the dangers of makingassumptions and being falsely confident Children will explore the meaning of foolishprideBefore Viewing ActivitiesShare the book Petunia with children.

3 Visit yourschool library with children. Before your visit,work with children to prepare a list of topics theyare interested in knowing more about. Help chil-dren use the library to search for informationabout these with children about their favorite books andthe reasons for their choices. Invite children tobring their favorite books to school and sharethem with their classmates. After Viewing ActivitiesRemind children of the assumptions both Petuniaand her friends made. Ask: Should Petunia haveassumed that she would be wise just by holdingthe book?

4 What should she have done instead?Should Petunia 's friends have assumed that justbecause she looked wise and held a book that shewas really was wise? What should they havethought instead? As children discuss these ques-tions, emphasize the importance of seeking infor-mation and asking questions before makingassumptions about with children about things they have done inthe past that they are proud of. Ask: How didyou learn to do these things? What do you dowhen you want to learn something new? As chil-dren talk, emphasize that a true sense of pridecomes when people have worked hard or discov-ered things by searching for answers to Petunia 's sense of foolish pride.

5 Helpchildren see that Petunia would have been ofgreater help to her friends if she had told themthat although she did not have the answers, shewould help them by asking others, by readingappropriate books, by sharing ideas, children make their own books by staplingpieces of construction paper together. Help chil-dren invent stories and print them on the con-struction paper pages. Encourage children toillustrate their stories. Later, display the storieson a classroom tabletop where they can beenjoyed by book based films and videos about read-ing/wisdom are available from Weston include:ANDY AND THE LION by James DaughertyWINGS: A TALE OF TWO CHICKENS byJames MarshallPETUNIACALL 1-800-243-5020 TO ORDER THESE AND OTHER WESTON WOODS VIDEOS!

6 This guide may be photocopied for free distribution without restriction The Napping Houseby Audrey Wood (Harcourt)Themes: Friendship/LoveGrade Level: Pre-K-3 Running Time: 7 minutes, animatedSummaryTHE NAPPING HOUSE is the simple, yet engagingstory of a napping house, where a granny lies soundasleep and snoring on her cozy bed. Soon she isjoined by a dreaming child, who lies right on top ofthe snoring the story progresses, animals are added to thesleepy people on the cozy bed. A dozing dog sleepson top of the dreaming child. A snoozing cat sleepson top of the dozing dog.

7 A slumbering mouse sleepson top of the snoozing cat. And, finally, a wakefulflea perches on top of the snoozing short order, the flea wakes the mouse, who wakesthe cat, who wakes the dog, who wakes the child,who wakes the snoring granny, which all leads to thebreaking of the cozy bed. The end of the story findseveryone wide awake and enjoying the beautifulmorning in the front yard of the napping Children will learn to follow a sequence of events Children will explore bedtime routines Children will learn how color and weather condi-tions are used to create mood and feeling in a storyBefore Viewing ActivitiesShare the book The Napping House with ask:Why is the house in the story called the "nappinghouse"?

8 What is the weather like in the beginning of the story?How do you feel on rainy days?What other sounds might you hear in a very quiethouse where everyone is napping?How do you think granny and the boy felt when theywoke up?How do you feel when you wake up from a nap?How do you think Granny and the boy were going tospend the rest of the day?What are your favorite things to do on sunny days?Talk with children about their bedtime routines. Ask:What do you do just before going to bed? What kindsof things do you have in your bedroom? How doesyour bed feel when you climb into it at night?

9 Write a different ending to the story. Say: Whatwould happen if the flea fell asleep, too? How longwould everyone sleep? What would happen whenthey woke up?After Viewing ActivitiesTalk about the ending with children. Ask: What doyou think happened to the people in the story whenthey went outdoors after their nap? Encourage chil-dren to create their own follow-up chapters to TheNapping House. Children can also illustrate their sto-ries and display them along with their stories in children help in recalling a sequence of if children can remember the order of the peo-ple/animals napping on granny's bed.

10 Then give chil-dren a sequence of activities to perform. Tell childrento listen carefully. Then tell them to, "Walk to theclassroom door, go back to your seats, take out a pen-cil from your desk." Continue the exercise by addingactivities you are asking children to some rainy day music in the children to think about how the musicmakes them feel as they listen. Then play some verylively, up-beat music. Once again, have childrendescribe how the music makes them feel. Later, asyou play different types of music, supply childrenwith paper and poster paints.