WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY: Toad Weather by Sandra Markle
ABOUT THE BOOK
There's nothing to do on a rainy day, Ally thinks. But Mama says shes seen something amazing, so despite Ally's misgivings, she sets out with her mother and grandmother. On her journey, she sees all sorts of things: dripping awnings, splashing cars, storm drain geysers, and oil slick patterns. They turn the corner, just in time to see a big crowd. Whats happening?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandra Markle is the author of more than two hundred children's books, which have won numerous awards, including Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book,
IRA/CBC Children's Choice, NSTA/CBC Outstanding Trade Books for
Children, NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended, and ALA Notable Books for
Children. She lives in New Zealand.
You can visit Sandra Markle’s website here.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
You can visit Sandra Markle’s website here.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Thomas Gonzalez was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to the United States as a child. An artist and painter, he also illustrated The House on Dirty-third Street and the New York Times bestseller 14 Cows for America. He lives in Georgia.
You can visit Thomas Gonzalez’s website here.
REVIEW
Sandra Markle has written another fun environmentally friendly tale. What makes this one particularly interesting is that it occurs within a city and it's based on a real yearly event (see author's end note). Not only does the author provide a sweet story about a mother, grandmother, and daughter enjoying the rainy weather but they also help out the toads trying to cross the road to get to the pond to mate and reproduce. And the road is really closed to allow the toads to make their journey safely. Just proves to me that humans and wildlife can adapt to each other. I especially loved how well the text and illustrations complement each other. It's nice to read something in the text and see it reinforced in the illustrations (which are gorgeous).
ACTIVITY
The activity ideas for a book like Toad Weather are endless. The easiest activity would be to wait for a rainy day and then go for a stroll just to see what can be seen. This book would also make a great opening for investigating unusual natural events that might occur in your own area or doing research on toads or another animal. The book would work well for a unit on rain or on how animals adapt to the weather.
You can visit Thomas Gonzalez’s website here.
REVIEW
Sandra Markle has written another fun environmentally friendly tale. What makes this one particularly interesting is that it occurs within a city and it's based on a real yearly event (see author's end note). Not only does the author provide a sweet story about a mother, grandmother, and daughter enjoying the rainy weather but they also help out the toads trying to cross the road to get to the pond to mate and reproduce. And the road is really closed to allow the toads to make their journey safely. Just proves to me that humans and wildlife can adapt to each other. I especially loved how well the text and illustrations complement each other. It's nice to read something in the text and see it reinforced in the illustrations (which are gorgeous).
ACTIVITY
The activity ideas for a book like Toad Weather are endless. The easiest activity would be to wait for a rainy day and then go for a stroll just to see what can be seen. This book would also make a great opening for investigating unusual natural events that might occur in your own area or doing research on toads or another animal. The book would work well for a unit on rain or on how animals adapt to the weather.
Comments
Post a Comment