Book to Boogie: “Quick as a Cricket”

Book to Boogie is a monthly series that pairs picture books with dance and movement activities for preschool story time. The series is curated by Kerry Aradhya of Picture Books & Pirouettes and written by a different guest writer each month. We hope that children’s librarians, as well as classroom teachers and dance educators, will find these activities useful and fun!

by Liz Vacco

Upon first picking up Quick as Cricket , written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by her husband Don Wood, I thought it was quite simple. And I don’t mean simple in a bad way. In fact, when teaching preschoolers, simple can be just what you need. I soon realized, however, that I was somewhat misguided. What led me to this first impression was the repetitive structure of the language, each page comparing the first person narrator to a different animal. And that seemed to be it — short, straightforward sentences accompanied by vibrant illustrations of the child (clearly the narrator) and the mentioned animal.

But here’s the thing. Although the structure of the book is simple — in that lovely, repetitive way that really keeps children engaged — the book also operates on many other, more complex levels. The book touches upon foundational movement elements like space and tempo while also presenting opposites. It also talks about emotions and uses similes. In fact, every sentence in the book is a simile!

With these more complex aspects, the book lends itself to explorations of movement — and literacy — that can be challenging and exciting for students of a wide range of ages. Because of this, I find myself coming back to this book time and again and often revisiting it with the same children as they grow older. Below are some ideas of how to delve into this book with movement. I’ve also included some extension activities for children as they get a bit older.

Animal dances

Each sentence/page introduces a new animal and, well, you can never really go wrong with asking toddlers or preschoolers to move like animals.

• Extension 1: If you choose to just focus on the movements the animal would do (with less emphasis on the quality presented alongside the animal), challenge students to be creative in their approaches. Students might be inclined to crawl as both a lamb and a tiger, but gentle verbal suggestions (e.g., “How much do tigers bend their knees when they move?”) can encourage them to change and refine the quality of their movements.


• Extension 2: When focusing on both the animal and the quality of that animal suggested in the text (e.g., the slowness of the snail), ask students to think of other animals that share that quality. Move like all of the animals — one at a time. Again, be on the lookout for subtle movement differences.

Emotions

On several pages, the similes present emotional states that can be explored (e.g., “I’m as shy as a shrimp.”) On the most basic level, have students make a facial expression that showcases that feeling.

• Extension 1: Add on to facial expressions by taking the emotion into full body movement, traveling through space as a shy shrimp might.


• Extension 2: Go even further by isolating the physical expression of the emotion to a specific body part. Prompt the students to move shy fingers only, for example. You can even ask them to do two body parts at a time while keeping the rest of the body still.


• Extension 3: Allow the story to prompt discussion when appropriate. Brainstorm with the students about times when they feel shy or feel another emotion presented in the book. Just be sure to get back to the text before too much momentum is lost.

Opposites

I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I don’t think it was until the second or third reading that I realized the book was also organized by opposites. For example, the sad basset sits on the page opposite the happy lark. For younger students, you could simply introduce the idea that these are opposites. For slightly older students, you might play around with the idea a bit more.

• Extension 1: Exaggerate the opposing qualities. When students start moving as the sad basset, ask them to make it even sadder. Sometimes I mime that I have a dial, like one would use to control the volume of a car speaker. As I turn the dial, the quality of the movement should become more heightened. (You have to narrate this a bit as you go since students might be moving and have trouble seeing it.) Then use the book to guide them to do the happy lark dance, heightening the happy quality of the movement. Now prompt them to quickly switch from one to the other, challenging them to find the most heightened expression of each.


• Extension 2: This one is probably a good choice for a reflection activity after you have finished the book. Ask students to come up with other sets of opposites, perhaps with associated animals. Choose one child at a time to suggest a set of opposites to his or her classmates and let him or her watch their classmates bring the opposites to life.

Similes

This one is definitely for the older crowd, but start by talking about what a simile is and asking students to keep their eyes and ears out for them as they read.

• Extension 1: Ask students to make up their own similes and, of course, express those through movement, too.

Now that leaves us at the end of the book, where the last two pages diverge from the simple, rhythmic structure to wrap things up in an extremely satisfying conclusion. After the long list of qualities and comparisons to animals, the final illustrations reveal the central character — the child — looking at posters on the wall. Each poster is a version of an illustration seen earlier in the book. The text triumphantly announces “Put it all together, and you’ve got me.” That is to say that all the qualities presented throughout the text, even the opposing ones, can be found in a single person. I love this ending — and the not so simple discussions it can inspire.

If you are looking for a book to pair with Quick as a Cricket, Lisa Brown’s How to Be has many similarities and would be perfect for preschoolers.

Liz Vacco.

With a bachelor’s degree in theatre studies from Yale University, Liz Vacco has been a dance, yoga, theater, and early childhood educator for 12 years in New York City and now Los Angeles. She has taught through the New York City Ballet’s Education Program, the California Dance Institute, and various studios and public schools, while also performing in and choreographing for professional productions. She is a strong believer in arts education and promoting physical well-being and opportunities for artistic expression to people of all backgrounds. She is currently pursuing her multiple subject and kinesiology credentials and M.A. in education at Cal State LA and has joined the dance teaching staff at Gabriella Charter School. For more information about Liz and to learn about her original ballet video for kids, titled Petite Feet, please visit http://ift.tt/WESDAv .

from Library as Incubator Project » Library as Incubator Project | Library as Incubator Project http://ift.tt/WESBso

via IFTTThttp://ift.tt/1s1AfOv