Frog's Riddle and Other Draw-and-Tell Stories

Description

95 pages
Contains Illustrations
$19.95
ISBN 1-55037-138-X
DDC 372.4'14

Publisher

Year

1990

Contributor

Reviewed by Agnes C. Farrell

Agnes C. Farrell is an elementary-school teacher in Richmond, British
Columbia.

Review

Thompson here offers a second selection of stories that can easily be
drawn as they are told. Children tend to be fascinated by the drawings
that evolve while the story develops; and, once they are familiar with
this style, they love to predict what the drawing will become by the end
of the story. Some figures are easily recognizable, but others must be
flipped or turned before they can be identified. Older children,
especially, like these surprises: “It’s like trying to solve a
mystery,” one enthusiastic eight-year-old said.

Even parents or teachers who are convinced they cannot draw can be
successful with these stories. The book’s illustrations are simple
enough for even the most graphically illiterate person to follow. The
figures are based on circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and
free-form lines. The completed drawings may be somewhat surrealistic,
but they are completely recognizable. People with artistic skill can
have fun embellishing these drawings or developing their own.

The combination of words and graphics helps develop children’s
listening skills, as well as enabling them to remember the stories. Even
children who have problems with sequencing can often correctly retell a
story by mapping it onto the illustration. They can experience success,
often for the first time, by sharing a draw-and-tell story with others.

The author tells each of the 12 stories with step-by-step drawings, and
offers several suggestions as to how to extend the learning experience.
Some of these activities will interest preschool children, while many
will be challenging for children of all ages. Most important, children
of all ages will have fun with them.

This book offers a strategy that will develop listening and speaking
skills while simultaneously encouraging imaginative thinking. It offers
yet another way for teachers to engage their students’ interest in
listening to stories.

Citation

Thompson, Richard., “Frog's Riddle and Other Draw-and-Tell Stories,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed November 22, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/22910.