My stint as a guest reader in Kindergarten

I had the pleasure of joining my son’s Kindergarten class as a guest reader yesterday afternoon.  It was the end of the day, after their last recess, when the kids were all packed up and enjoying a bit of quiet time before dismissing for the day.  They gathered on their spots on the rug, and my son sat in a kid-size chair next to where I sat in a brightly-decorated adult-size chair. 

The first book I read was Memoirs of a Goldfish, written by Devin Scillian and illustrated by Tim Bowers.  I explained that memoirs are memories that are written down, like a diary or a journal, and that this book tells what happened to the goldfish each day over two weeks.

Memoirs of a Goldfish is very entertaining, and got lots of laugh-out-loud response from the class.  The story starts with a goldfish who lives a fairly dull life:

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  Day One:  I swam around my bowl.

  Day Two:  I swam around my bowl.  Twice.

Things change, however, on Day Three, when a filter shaped like a deep sea diver is added to the tank.  From that day forward, the tank gets more and more crowded as plants, fish, and a slime-eating snail are added.  The goldfish can’t stand it any more, “Get me outta here!” he cries. 

Alone again in a small bowl, the goldfish discovers that he’s lonely.  Sure, a little quiet time is nice every once in a while, but he misses his friends (even the crab).  All is well when the goldfish is reunited with the Mervin (the deep sea diver), the crab, the snail, the guppies, and one very special goldfish friend in a new, larger tank.

Tim Bowers’ illustrations give real personality to the tank-bound creatures, showing expressions that range from surprise, to anger, to happiness.  The kids enjoyed finding the new residents of the bowl as they were added each day (sometimes only a fin or eye would peek out from behind a row of plants).

It’s a fun story, and yes, it has a bit of a lesson.

The second book I read was Moose on the Loose, written by Kathy-jo Wargin, illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello.  I told the class that it was a rhyming book, and they might be able to help me fill in some of the blanks.

“What would you do with a moose on the loose?” the book opens, with subsequent pages asking about a moose “in the yard,” “in the house,” “in your room,” etc., and giving possible scenarios for each:

What if that moose started wearing your socks?

Would you cry?

Would you yell?

Would you tell him they smell?

Would you give him two more and then bid him farewell?

They loved when I paused to give them the opportunity to guess the rhyme, and were tickled by the thought of a moose in the bathtub or wearing pajamas.

Illustrations by John Bendall-Brunello add to the hilarity – the kitchen chaos involved with a moose sitting down to eat some pie had the kids doubled over with laughter.

I loved the tongue-in-cheek message at the end of this book.  When the moose indicates “I think I will stay,” readers are instructed to “go ask your mother – she has the last say.”  (No, I really don’t get my parental confidence from picture books, but it is nice to know that someone thinks I’m in charge!)

Both books are highly recommended; they passed the “read it again” test at home, so I was happy to bring them along when I read to the class.  I brought in three books to share, but was able to finish only these two before the end-of-day bell rang.  I hope I’m invited back to read again!