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| Fantasy Joke/Riddle Book |
Why Do Elephants Wear Purple Suspenders? was written and illustrated by Judy Ziegler. This is a cute joke and riddle book geared to children from preschool through kindergarten that is sure to keep them giggling and interested to see what the next joke is! All of the colorful, cartoon-like and humorous illustrations show all sorts of animals (pigs, tigers, rabbits, etc.) playing out the riddle or joke. One adorable riddle included is "Where do rabbits catch the bus?"--"At the bus hop." The author did a great job including the "answer" on each page, but, as you can see, it is at the bottom of the page, upside down!
The illustrations are all bright and so appealing to the reader, especially as they show the animals' emotions and feelings--the element of wonder, surprise and joy are captured on each page! Children will love seeing the animals performing humanistic activities that they can relate to, such as waiting at the bus stop, taking a bath, eating and playing instruments!
I so enjoyed this amusing book, its clever jokes and silly pictures and, even as an adult, it had me laughing! Therefore, although the book is primarily written for preschool-age children, I believe children in 1st-2nd grade would also enjoy the humor and exciting pictures!
As the jokes are being read to the children, teachers can incorporate a question-and-answer activity:
- What do you think the the answer (punchline) is?
- Does anyone know a joke or can you make up a joke about a zebra, pig, raccoon, etc.?
- Did you ever ride in a train like the bears did in this picture?
Class Activities:
- Tell the children a funny joke, explaining that you chose an elephant based on the title of our story. What do you call an elephant in a phone booth? See if they can guess, then, tell them the punchline--"Stuck!!"
- Draw a picture of an animal doing something silly and tell me about your picture. Then, try to think of a joke about your picture (offering assistance, if asked). Next, write down what the child said he/she drew and the joke, if he/she thought of one. Whatever the child's joke was, be sure to laugh, write it down and praise him/her for being so funny!!
I consider this book, endorsed by Goodreads, excellent to introduce children to jokes and riddles from a young age! It gets their "wheels turning" as they try and figure out the answer and kids will love hearing the responses from the other children as well! In my experience as a parent, preschool teacher and Sunday School teacher, kids just love telling and listening to jokes! It's even more fun, most times, if their jokes don't make a bit of sense--children get the biggest kick out of these!!
Other outstanding books by Judy Ziegler:
- The Shakespeare Alphabet
- Quick, Call Me a Taxi (My First Jokes and Riddles)
Reference
Ziegler, J. (1992). Why Do Elephants Wear Purple Suspenders? Los Angeles: Lowell House.
What a fun read! I think your activities will promote creativity and confidence which is very important. One activity idea is to use one of the jokes to start a poem. It can be free verse, since they are younger children However, this will give them some direction into a writing activity. A second activity would be to have a presentation of each child presenting the joke in front of the class to practice public speaking. They can each create a shadow box, picture, puppet to go along with their joke. By incorporating art, children can really enjoy the fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!