This post has been a long time coming… Let’s just say life keeps getting in the way. I’m sure you know how that is. Especially these days!
In any case, for the past several weeks, I have been planning to share a recent book favorite with you all, and I’m finally doing it today. So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Jasper & Ollie by Alex Willan.
What’s it about?
When a fast fox and a slow sloth decide to race to the pool, these mismatched friends approach the task and the journey in very different ways. Jasper (the fox) beats Ollie so handily, that Ollie is nowhere in sight, and Jasper’s speedy search for his friend gets him into a little trouble with the other pool patrons.
Why I love it:
One of my favorite things about this book is that it was a great discussion starter for me and my three-year-old. Our little guy is a fast-moving fellow with big feelings, a little like Jasper. We read this book together several times, and I took each opportunity to raise different questions. I love hearing what kids think and seeing the connections they make, and this book led to some particularly fun conversation and can act as a good reference point for us going forward.
How can you use it?
I’m going to share some questions you can use as you read through this book with your own kiddos or your students below. I would recommend choosing a few questions you want to focus on for each reading.
For example, you might want to use the first reading to work on making predictions and inferencing. After reading, you could go back to specific scenes to ask follow-up questions that move kids toward more personal connections and new ideas.
Sample Questions to Ask:
Cover & Title Page
- Who wrote the words in this book? Who drew the pictures? (Point out that Alex Willan is an author-illustrator. That means he wrote the words and made the pictures for this book.)
- What do you think this book might be about? Why do you think that? (What clues do you see?)
- What characters do you think might be in this book? What do you think the characters might be like?
- What do you think might happen?
While Reading
- What do you think might happen next? Why do you think that? (Encourage kids to share the clues they heard/spotted.)
- How do you think (character) felt about what just happened? (There are several times where Jasper’s or Ollie’s actions have an obvious effect on the characters they encounter.)
After Reading
- What happened in the story? (Encourage kids to summarize. You can prompt them by asking questions like “Then what happened?”)
- Why did Jasper get thrown out of the pool? Do you think he should have gotten thrown out? Why or why not?
- Did any of the characters in the story change from the beginning to the end of the story? If yes, how?
Consideration and Connection Questions
- How are Jasper and Ollie the same? How are they different?
- Which character do you think you are more like? Why?
- How did Jasper treat the other animals in the story? How did Ollie treat the other animals? What do you think about the way Jasper and Ollie treated the other characters in the story?
- Does this book remind you of any other books or stories that you know?
- Does this story remind you of anything you have seen or experienced in your own life?
I’d love to know what you think of Jasper & Ollie, and if you like these characters as much as I do, be sure to check out Jasper & Ollie Build a Fort later this Spring.
Your turn! What questions do you like to ask when you read aloud?
P.S. Celebrate life. Even today. Especially today!