Elementary Library

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers (E JEF) Floyd's kite gets stuck in a tree, and he tries to knock it down with increasingly larger and more outrageous things. Discussion prompts: ●​ Floyd has a problem to solve. What is his problem? Can you phrase his problem as a question? ●​ Make a prediction about what happens next in the story ●​ What ideas do you have to get everything unstuck? ●​ What questions does this page make you think? ●​ How many times does Floyd try to solve his problem. What does this show about Floyd’s personality? The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca (BIO GRA) A brief rhyming account of the childhood and work of Temple Grandin, an animal scientist who lives with high-functioning autism. Discussion prompts: ●​ Look at the images on the cover. What do you think this book will be about? ●​ What do you think it was like to be the victim of teasing for being herself in school? ●​ Look at the pages showing her designs that solve problems with cows on farms. What did her attention to detail help her do? How is that like empathy? ●​ How will you use your talents and uniqueness to make the world better? ●​ Read the note from Temple Grandid and the pages about her at the end. What did you learn or how did she inspire you? ●​ The world needs your ideas. What skills would you like to develop that you are already interested in or good at? The Smart Cookie by Jory John (E JOH) This cookie has never felt like a smart cookie no matter how hard she tries, especially in comparison to all the clever cupcakes and brilliant rolls in the bakery. Will a dash of creativity and a sprinkle of confidence be enough to help her learn that perfect scores and having all the answers aren't the only ingredients for intelligence?

Discussion prompts: ●​ What does it mean to be a “smart cookie”?

●​ What does the smart cookie believe about being smart? ●​ Why did the smart cookie feel like a raft lost at sea? ●​ What causes the smart cookie’s nervousness after school? ●​ How does the illustrator show the smart cookie’s change? ●​ What has the smart cookie learned about itself after the homework assignment?

86