This is the story of JoJo who decides to sleep in her own bedroom rather than with her older sister, Margaret. Margaret assures JoJo that she will be back. As JoJo settles in for the night, she is visited by a variety of animals, and the story of her getting rid of the animals begins.
What the Kindergarten Students Said…
- I loved the lion.
- I loved the tiger!
- I loved the bear!
- I loved how the sister watched JoJo with all the animals at the end of the book.
- I liked how JoJo helped the tiger learn to read.
- I was scared of the monsters.
What the Teacher Said…
The kids loved this book! I showed the kids the entire book jacket before I read it, and we named the animals that would be in the story. When the second animal was introduced the kids predicted what would happen using their knowledge from the first animal. They then predicted what would happen with the third animal, but there was a twist. The book was so relatable because as kindergarten students they all think they can’t read just like the tiger. The story had many lessons that could be discussed: JoJo’s bravery, kindness, sisterly love and advice, friendship, including everyone and I am sure there are more.
I had the kids draw a picture of their favorite part. The pictures are the best I have seen them do so far. I asked them to label their pictures and some made a letter that didn’t match, some wrote a letter that did match, and others sounded out the whole word. The students were motivated and engaged.
