Components of children's books that may affect ELL’s comprehension

Blog Entry #5

If You Give a Moose a Muffin

By Laura Joffe Numeroff

Illustrated by Felicia Bond

Continuing with the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie series, this jovial sequel tells the outcomes of giving a moose a muffin. In this book, the young host gives a moose a muffin to help him feel at home and starts a chain reaction of complicated events that eventually come full circle.

Numeroff, L. J. (1991). If you give a moose a muffin. United States: Harper Collins Publishing.

So, what exactly is a moose, and what is a muffin? Depending on where your student has immigrated from, this book may pose a few cultural challenges. Students from warmer weather climates have probably never seen a moose. Once they know facts about a moose, students may find it odd that in this book, the moose needs a sweater because it is chilly outside. Also, quickbreads are common in all cultures, but a muffin is quite specific. How is this quickbread different from pancakes, injera, or naan? Also, what is jam? Do your students use other sweets such as chutneys or pastes on their breads? Students native to the central to northern parts of Africa may be intrigued by the idea of going to the “store.” American stores are unlike the open-air markets still prevalent in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and many other countries. Finally, Numeroff references Halloween. If students have never heard of such a “holiday,” how could this be explained? What is the purpose of Halloween, and how does it relate to other religious holidays?

            Realia is the best way to introduce ELLs to foods. It would be easy to have a lesson where students share different types of familiar breads. ELLs would have an opportunity to introduce American students to breads they eat, and ELLS would also be able to sample all sorts of breads including muffins. While most countries have honey, they may not have dairy products such as butter or preserves like jam. The teacher should bring in some of these items so students can try different spreads on the different breads. During this time, teachers should also lead a discussion about the grocery store and talk about differences between the shopping mall, the grocery store, specialty stores, and market styles familiar to their ELL students.

A short research project on North American cold-weather climates and the animals that live there would introduce students not only to moose, but also to gray wolves, black bears, deer, and elk. Pictures must be included in the project to make it meaningful to students.

Finally, students should have an opportunity to explore different types of holidays including Halloween. How did this holiday originate? Why do people dress up in costumes and go “trick or treating?” Why would the moose want to dress as a ghost? Students should have opportunities to share stories about their favorite holiday, the origin of the holiday, and the traditions that occur with that holiday.

Squids will be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables

By Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith

Designed by Molly Leach

This book contains several humorous fable-style stories that address modern topics like homework, curfews, and television commercials. All animals (and plants) are personified, and the illustrations seem to follow the style of Tim Burton.

Scieszka, J. and Smith, L. (1998). Squids will be squids: Fresh morals, beastly fables. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

This book should only be used for English language learners that are intermediate or advanced fluency; students who are at the preproduction or early production stages of English language acquisition will have difficulty with both the pictures and the text. This witty book tells a short fable and then states their silly, nonsensical moral. Students should study classic fables to become familiar with this genre of story telling. Then and only then should they attempt to find the humor in these modern-day fables.

The introduction of the book uses satire to educate the reader on the history of fables. Scieszka introduces Aesop in the first sentence, and then uses the remainder of the paragraph to make fun of Aesop’s physical attributes. This is funny only if one understands satire and parody.

  

            Each of the modern-day fables uses living things other than people. The reader is introduced to elephants, skunks, fleas, termites, cabbage, squid, mice, hand, foot, tongue, bacteria, and an echidna. Because of the style of the illustrations, the true forms of many of the organisms and body parts are not easily recognizable. If students are unfamiliar with some of the characters, students should find true images of the characters and learn a little bit about them. This knowledge would make the fables much more humorous.