Rainy season started earlier than I've ever experienced this year. It's been going on and on and on and still no end in sight. The last couple of weeks had rain that was just torrential, and even rain jackets, rubber boots, and umbrellas can't keep my littles from getting soaking wet. Thank goodness for our dryer, because nothing is drying on the line.
My memories of rain in Canada are that they mostly came at night, and in the summer there was almost always lightning and thunder. Here in southern Japan though, there is rarely any lightning, but it's been common over the past few weeks. The word in Japanese, kaminari, commonly means both lightning and thunder, so it's hard for Domba and Spinky to grasp that these are two different events in English. This book helps.
For various reasons, including being four, remembering previous seasons, and the horrible events of 3/11, Spinky has been having some weather-related nerves lately. Not fear, but definitely some worries. Franklin is somewhat of a nervous character, but always seems to, ahem, come out of his shell by the end of the book, so it provides a growing nudge to Spinky as well.
The book he's reading in that picture is Franklin and the Thunderstorm from Paulette Bourgeous. It's a sweet story about a nervous little turtle who ventures out to his friend Fox's house in inclement weather. We got a lot of ideas from this book, including playing flashlight tag, checking out the shapes in the clouds, and building a treehouse, which he did with cardboard in the living room. Franklin has also inspired Spinky to want to learn to tie his own shoes, but unfortunately he doesn't own any shoes with shoelaces!
Did you know Franklin is Canadian? We also have the Thanksgiving book and I had no idea from that book that Franklin is a Canuck. This one seems extremely Canadian though, with the beaver hanging out to play! I especially like the sod house that the Fox family lives in, a historic housing staple on the Prairies from which I hail. It reminds me of the sod houses at the Ukranian Heritage Village, like the one below (photo credit goes to Mpirie on Wikipedia). I hope to take Domba and Spinky here one day!
All three of my children loved the Franklin books and cartoons! If you come across a book titled Too Many Chickens also by Paulette Bourgeois, do grab it! My 10-y.o. daughter(grade 4) was having a hard time with her little reading buddy(grade 1), he just didn't like books and would squirm and protest that books are boring! Book blasphemy to my daughter, she would not accept that someone this young would hate books that much so she told him she had the perfect book for him at home, that she'd bring it to school and he would love it. Of course the little boy replied, NO I WON'T! She brought "No More Chickens", read it and was right, he laughed and loved it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog, Wanda!
ReplyDeleteI'm on the search for Too Many Chickens right now. Sounds great. How fantastic that your daughter loves reading and to share reading so much! It' a comfort to think that book addicts might raise book addicts. ;)