Tad and Dad by David Ezra Stein

Reviewed by Lori
Tad And Dad


Title: Tad and Dad

Author: David Ezra Stein

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 104589

Description: A growing tadpole loves his frog dad so much he never gives him a moment's peace.


Curriculum Links: 

  • Social Studies: Families
  • Social Studies: Developing a Sense of Self
  • Character Education: Respect
  • Reading: Transforming
  • Science: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
  • Science: Animals
  • Writing: Explanation

Notes: 

Design: This cover is adorable with a little frog bouncing on his somewhat disgruntled father.  The end pages are a dark green like a lily pad and the back of the front end paper has Tad swimming toward his father on the cover.

Content and Illustrations: This is a charming story that many parents - and children - will be able to relate to.  The child that wants to stay up and the parent who just wants them to sleep.  Each day Tad discovers a new skill that is just like his father and each night wants to sleep beside him.  But all of Tad's "wiggling and poking, kicking and croaking" are keeping his father awake.  After hearing that he is keeping his dad awake, Tad decides that it's ok to sleep on his own.  But now the tables are turned and Tad is disturbed by a loud croaking.  Maybe Daddy Toad needs Tad after all!  The greens, blues, and yellows in this story really highlight the pond feeling, with the background and water drawn in thick black lines that seem to lend a movement and sway to the pond fauna.  Father toads facial expressions are reminiscent of every exasperated parent.  I particularly liked the ending of this book.  

Recommended Audience: Kindergarten to Grade 2
  • Good read-aloud title.
  • Good title if you're looking at the life cycle of frogs and/or toads
  • Good titles for self-regulation and social awareness

Inquiries and Activities: 
  • Do some research on Frogs or Toads.  Where do they live?  What is their life cycle?  Do they hibernate?  
  • Talk about bedtime routines.  What do you do before bed?  Who puts you to bed?  Do you sleep alone or do you share a room?  What time do you go to bed?  
  • Use plasticine to create a model of either Tad or Dad.  How can you change the eyes and mouth to show different emotions.
  • Try jumping and croaking like a Toad.  Play a game of Leap Frog.
  • Find a recording of toads/frogs croaking in the evening.  Listen and describe what you hear.
  • Why do frogs and toads make interesting characters in stories?  What other stories do you know that include a frog or toad?

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for Reading!

Popular posts from this blog

The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: The Poet's Dog Author: Patricia MacLachlan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 127678 Description:   An abandoned dog, able to speak only to poets and children, rescues a pair of young children stranded in the forest. Together, they find a way to overcome their losses. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It Why I Read It: Poetry and Dogs... what more can I say.  Notes: This is one of those novels that I absolutely love.  It is written for a younger audience but there are deeper aspects to the story that are very appealing to an adult reader.   The story is encapsulated within 88 pages, and spells out the story of Teddy, the poet's dog, whose master has passed away, and Flora and Nickel, two children he finds lost in a blizzard.   The children are left in a car by their mother as she goes to look for help after getting stuck in the snow.  The children get scared and leave the vehicle and get lost in the woods where they are found by Teddy who brings them home.  Flo
Read more

Brain Jack by Brian Falkner

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: Brain Jack Author: Brian Falkner Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 128664 Description:   In a near-future New York City, computer genius Sam Wilson manages to hack into the AT&T network and sets off a chain of events that have a profound effect on human activity throughout the world. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read It: Interesting write up in the catalogue and a growing interest in tech-related reading. Notes: Sam is a seventeen-year-old Hacker, one of the best around.  So good that he is able to hack into the telecomerica head offices and order a couple of "neuro" headsets for himself and his friend Fargas.  The latest technology that allows you to directly access the computer network using only your brain.  But Sam's hacking brings down services for three days - something that will go down in history.  That's when the CDD (the cyber defence division) start watching him.  It's not long before they hack Sam back and he's arrested.
Read more

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title:  All the Light We Cannot See Author: Anthony Doerr Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 98669 Description:  A blind French girl on the run from the German occupation and a German orphan-turned-Resistance tracker struggle with their respective beliefs after a fortuitous meeting on the Brittany coast. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read it: This book has been on my reading list for awhile and it was recommended to me by several people. Lori's Notes: This was a fantastic novel.  It may seem overwhelming in terms of size but the individual chapters are very short and read almost like mini short stories within the book.  The characters alternate between Marie-Laure a blind Parisian girl, and Werner an orphan German boy. Marie-Laure's father, Daniel LeBlanc, works in a Paris Museum as a key master and designs intricate puzzle boxes for his daughter.  Werner lives in a children's home with his sister Jutta and because of his interest in radios is quickly recruit
Read more