Turtle and Snake's Day at the Beach Book

Personal Reaction - I thought this was a great book for beginning readers, as it was a very easy read. The book was also very vividly illustrated, and the pictures would help a new reader understand the story better. Even though the story was very simple, it was a very fun story, and I think new readers would definitely find it entertaining and enjoyable.

Classroom Purposes:
Curricular Connection: This book would make an excellent read aloud, because as the teacher, I could give Turtle and Snake character in order to help bring them to life. This book has very simple sentences, and even though it is a beginner book, it includes a small amount of dialogue. I would use this to introduce the concept of dialogue in a story to my students, and that dialogue occurs when a character is speaking. This concept is most likely difficult for younger students to understand, so this would be an excellent book to use to begin discussing this idea with them.

Independent Reading: This book is relatively short, and it's one that I think younger students would be able to read quickly on their own. The vocabulary is simple to understand, and the pictures help define difficult words, so I think the students would be able to read this without needed too much help. I would give this book to a kindergartner or first grader, as that is the age when students really begin to read independently.

Narrative: I would use this book to teach the importance of setting to my students. This book centers around Turtle and Snake going to the beach, and I would discuss with my students how to the story would be completely different if it took place in another setting. I would have them come up with different settings that would make the book different as well.

Overall I thought this was an excellent beginner book. The language and vocabulary in the book is very simple and easy to understand, and there is also a great deal of repetition in the book, making it even easier to read. The sentences are short, and most of the pages are taken up by pictures, which help to clarify the meaning of some of the more difficult words. I would definitely keep this book on a shelf in my classroom if I were to teach K-2.