by Dianne Young
readability 2, read aloud kindergarten
A whole town is surprised to overhear that there’s a baby in Mrs. Della Ragon’s belly that has purple hair, and many other odd characteristics. But, Mrs. Della Ragon will love her baby no matter what. This book became a such a favourite of my class that by the end of the year they were able to recite it without looking at the words! The repetition and rhythm of this book is wonderful for beginning readers and the surprise ending still is a surprise no matter how many times you read it.
- Read aloud the book.
- Before you get to the last page where the surprise is revealed, ask your students to draw a picture of how they think Mrs. Della Ragon’s baby will look like considering the clues they were given.
- Compare all of the drawings, are they accurate to the clues?
- Read the last page, was any one close?