Essay on Where's Mr. Lion? - Perfect Storybook for Pre-Nursery to Pre-Kindergarten Kids

Introduction

I believe that the storybook 'Where's Mr. Lion?' is perfectly suitable to be used for children between the ages of zero to three years, which is considered to be the level of pre-nursery, nursery, and pre-kindergarten. In this age, children prefer picture storybooks with illustrations that can satisfy their inquisitiveness. Additionally, children in this grade prefer story books whose storyline is predictable and have specific sentences that are repeated all through the story. Moreover, storybooks that connect with the experiences of young children, such as storybooks about animals that they have most likely watched on the TV, are relatively easy for children of this age to comprehend. The storybook 'Where's Mr. Lion?' is therefore suitable for these learners because it is a picture storybook that has a lot of illustrations on animals such as lion, elephant, and giraffe, which are some of the most common animals in the Zoos and on the TV.

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Book Information

Author: Ingela P Arrhenius

Illustrator: Ingela P Arrhenius

Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd

Cover picture:

Genre: Children's fiction

Book Rationale

The storybook 'Where's Mr. Lion?' is an excellent storybook for very young readers because it relates well with such children's experiences and learning capabilities. The story incorporates repetitive and straightforward sentences that are crucial in enhancing the comprehension abilities of these very young learners. Further, the storybook uses familiar words of common animals such as elephants, lion, and giraffe, which is ideal for maximum engagement of children of this grade level (Rokita-Jaskow, 2015). The ability to engage learners directly in the story by having a mirror at the end of the story where the learners can see themselves in response to the question 'and where are you?' makes the story even more attractive to the learners. In addition to enhancing the interest of the learners towards the storybook, the mirror ensures that the learners are active, both physically and mentally. Studies show that selecting children's storybooks that enhance their activeness, whether physically or in terms of their thought processes, is crucial in teaching very young children how to discover and acquire their knowledge (Ellis & Brewster, 2014).

As the children interact with the various animals illustrated in the storybook, they might ask questions such as why some animals such as the giraffe are taller than the others or why some animals such as the elephant are more significant than the others. Such questions are crucial in helping the learners to develop and enhance their thinking abilities. Moreover, the layout of the storybook is exceptionally creative, in that when the question is asked about where an animal is, the learner can only see a part of the animal's body and not the head and face of the animal. This is an interesting tactic that keeps the learner captivated and in suspense while curious to see how the animal looks like as displayed in the next page of the storybook (Tassoni, 2020). All these features incorporated in the storybook are evidence that the storybook 'Where's Mr. Lion?' is appropriate for use in read-aloud sessions for very young children in their pre-nursery, nursery, and pre-kindergarten levels.

PART 2

Lesson Objectives:

At the end of the read-aloud session from the storybook, learners will be able to differentiate the different kinds of animals featured in the story based on their size, i.e., tall, wide, and body prints, among other physical appearances. Learners will also be expected to identify and name other animals featured in the story, such as the crocodile, birds, and the tortoise.

Introduction (before reading):

At the beginning of the lesson and before the start of the storybook reading, the following step by step instructions will be followed. I will first ask the learners to sit on a rag circularly. I will also join them in sitting on the rag. I will also ask the students to look at me and stop talking immediately. I will then inform the students' that today we will be having a read-aloud session, which will include reading a story aloud so that everyone in the class hears. I will immediately introduce to them the storybook 'Where's Mr. Lion?' and say to them, "this is the wonderful storybook that we are going to read-aloud today. It was written and illustrated by Ingela P Arrhenius." After introducing the book, I will say to them, "every book has a front cover, a back cover, and the spine." I will go ahead and illustrate what the front cover, back cover, and the spine of the storybook are. I will also say to them, "every book has an author and a publisher. Do you know who an author and a publisher are?" I will then explain in detail who the persons are and what their roles are. I will illustrate to the learners who the author and the publisher of the current storybook are. I will then invoke some of the read-aloud strategies and ask the students the following questions while pointing to different illustrations on the front cover "do you know what this is? Have you ever seen it around your surroundings or on the TV or the Zoo?" shortly after, I will then give the learners a chance to give their opinions on what they think the story is about, based on what is illustrated on the cover page. I will ask questions such as "who can predict what the story is going to be about based on the pictures illustrated on the cover page?" I will also ask the learners to name all the animals they have ever seen, whether physically or on the TV. I will say to each one of them "(name of the learner) can you name all the animals you have ever seen around your home or on TV?" This step is critical as it will help the learners to connect their past experiences and their present, which will help them to comprehend more. As a strategy to increase the attention and suspense of the learners, I will use phrases such as "I am curious to know whether all the animals you have named will be illustrated in the storybook." "Who is as curious as I am?" Finally, I will repeat the title of the storybook ('where's Mr. Lion?') and ask the rhetorical question, "where could Mr. Lion be? I will then say, "let's read the story and find Mr. Lion."

Body of the Read Aloud:

In the first step, I will start by opening the page where the story begins, and I will instruct the learners to also open their copies in the first page. I will then begin to read the story, loud and clear while maintaining frequent eye contact with the learners. In the page with the question "where is Mrs. Giraffe?" I will read the question with a clear voice and ask the learners, "can you see Mrs. Giraffe? As expected, the learners will say no, and then I will go ahead and ask them to identify any other animal that they can see on that page. When they finish identifying all the animals in that page, I would say in a calm voice, "let's turn our pages and see whether we will find Mrs. Giraffe. Where could she be hiding?" In the next page, I will read aloud and shout, "Here she is!" I will then say with a joyous voice, "I have found her. Have you found her in your storybook? I will then ask the students to identify the physical features of the giraffe, and before flipping to the next page, I will comment, "Mrs. Giraffe has a beautiful long neck." The students will agree to that comment, and then I will instruct them to turn to the next page. In the next page with the question "where is Mr. Lion?" I will read the question loud and clear, just like in the previous question, and the students will answer that they cannot see Mr. Lion. I will then ask them to identify any animal that they can see from the illustration in that page. After they successfully identify the other animals, I will ask in a calm voice, "where could Mr. Lion be? Do you think we will find him? Let's go to the next page and see!" In the next page, I will read the statement " Here he is!" with excitement and joy, and just like in the previous animal; I will ask the students to identify some of the features that Mr. Lion has. I will comment, " do you see the beautiful thing surrounding the lion's neck? It is called a mane. It makes Mr. Lion look handsome. Do you agree?" the students will then agree with the statement, and then I will say, "I am curious to see whether there are other animals featured in this book. Let's turn our pages and find out!" In the next page, I will read the question with a clear voice say, "Where is Mrs. Elephant? Do you see him? The students will then say no, and I will ask them to identify other animals in that illustration, and after the exercise, I will say, "Mrs. Elephant cannot hide from us! We must find her! Let's turn to the next page and find her." In the next page. I will read the statement, "here she is!" I will then ask the students, "do you see her? What are some of her features can you identify? After the exercise, I will comment, "do you see her beautiful tusk and ears? I think they are incredibly beautiful." The students will agree with the statement, and I will say, "is there any other animal for us to see in this storybook? Let's turn our pages and see!" I will then read the question, "And where are you?" and would later say, "oh... we are no longer finding an animal. Are you an animal? No! You and I are human beings who are beautiful and handsome." I will then ask the students to identify all the animals featured in that page before flipping to the next page. In the next page, I will ask the students to unmask the covered mirror and ask them to look into it. I will say the say with a loud voice, "there you are!" The students will then be excited to see themselves through the mirror, and I will say, "and that is the end of our today's story!"

In the second step, I will ask the learners to give their opinion about the story. I will say, "if you like the story, raise your hands, and if you did not like it, do not raise your hand." I will then ask the students individually what they liked or did not like about the story. I will then ask the students to draw their favorite animal of all the three animals that have been discussed in the story. I will then name each student's drawing and write a note to their parents, indicating what the student has learned and explained that the picture was the learner's most favorite animal.

Materials/Activities:

Copies of the 'Where's Mr. Lion?' storybook

Desks and chairs for the students and myself

Papers and coloring pencils for drawing the students' favorite animal from the storybook.

Wrap-up (After reading):

I will ask the students to sit on their desks and chairs, and I will ask them, "who can remember the title of our today's story?" I will listen to all of the students' responses to make sure that every student understood, and then I will ask them, "who can name one of the animals we have talked about today?" I will then show the students their artwork and ask them to put them in their bags and give the artworks to their parents, first thing after arriving at home. I will, in the end, commend every learner for their job well done and encourage them to continue working hard.

References

Ellis, G., & Brewster, J. (2014). Tell it again!: the storytelling handbook for primary English language teachers. London: British Council. http://elta.org.rs/kio/nl/08-2014/serbia-elta-newsletter-2014-august_Borrowed_from_Avgust_2014_TeachingEnglish.pdf

Rokita-Jaskow, J. (2015). Using Storybooks as a Catalyst for Negotiating Meaning and Enhancing Speaking Among Very Young Learners of L2: Evidence from a Case Study. In Issues in Teaching, Learning, and Testing Speaking in a Second Language (pp. 2...