Show/Hide Details.

Gail Ellis and I (Tatia Gruenbaum) once watched an online awards ceremony, and one of the judges was author / illustrator Nicholas Allan (The Queen’s Knickers, The Giant’s Loo Roll). He said I love writing books which are simply silly and make the reader laugh. So our theme for February is Simply Silly, and our book of the month is Hello Hot Dog! written by Lily Murray, illustrated by Jarvis and published in 2018 by Frances Lincoln Childrens Books.

Here is a read-aloud by Claire Reilly from Sligo Library as part of their Schools Online Storytime which was set up by Sligo Libraries in conjunction with Childrens Book Festival (2020). Now, if you are thinking, why does the name Jarvis ring a bell … well, you might be thinking of Jarvis Cocker who was very successful with a band called Pulp in the 90s. However, they are not the same person. Have a look at this link and find out more about author / illustrator Jarvis. You might recognise his book Alan’s Big Scary Teeth which won several awards.

Visit Here
Show/Hide Description.

Front cover:
Refer to the author and illustrator names and emphasise the fact that the book has been created by two people. “Words  by …” and “Pictures by …”
Back cover:
Read the blurb on the back cover and especially the question “How will you help the hot dog escape?”Half-title page: A bee on the half-title page can be followed through the book… reappears on the title page and throughout the book. The bee is the one who speaks to the hot dog and asks questions. Title page: The illustration shows that someone is preparing for a meal. Which meal and what will be on the menu?

Show/Hide Description.

Literary literacy:
Draw children’s attention to the speech bubbles to help differentiate between the characters.  Draw attention also to the thought bubble that contains Hot Dog’s escape plan.
How does the humanizing technique  or anthropomorphism help children sympathise and empathise with the characters?
Literacy – writing:
Continue the story – imagine another ending.
Rewrite telegraphic speech eg Can’t!  Got no legs!
Emotional literacy:
Children read and identify Hot Dog’s facial expressions which convey emotions.

Show/Hide Description.

Coming Soon …

Show/Hide Description.

Language focus: Interactive reading – sharing a picture book inviting students to predict what is going to happen next. 
Drama activities – performing a dialogue between a hot dog and a bee. Practicing intonation.
Writing short dialogues.
Art education: preparing props (a bee and a hot dog for a performance). Illustrating a poem by Shel Silverstain ‘Everything on It’.