Explore the pictures on the front and back cover together.聽You might say:聽
鈥淟et's look at this book. What do you see on the front of this book? Turn it over. What do you see on the back?鈥
Freight Train
Author: Donald Crews
12 to 17 Months |聽Concept聽|聽Nonfiction
It's hard to watch a train go by without wondering where it is going or what it is carrying. The text in this book is limited to a color and the name of the train car, but when put together, it鈥檚 like a moving rainbow. You can almost hear the 鈥渃lick-clack鈥 on the track, especially in the pictures of the train moving.
Before, During and After Reading
Talk about the pictures and the colors on each page. Ask your child to touch the picture of a certain color. You might say:
鈥淐an you touch the red train car? What sound does a train make?鈥
Provide 鈥渟cribble time鈥 when your toddler can practice her fine motor skills through drawing or painting. Cut a paper into the shapes of different train cars and tape them to a piece of newspaper. Gather crayons, markers or fingerpaint in the same colors as the freight train. Let your child have fun drawing or painting her own freight train.聽聽
Connect the book to your child鈥檚 real life. Take your child to ride the train at a mall or take her to see a real train. Each time you drive over a set of railroad tracks say a silly rhyme, like:
鈥淐lickety Clack! Clickety Clack! We just drove over the railroad track!鈥
As your child grows, try reading more books about trains, like Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo. Browse fun, easy at-home activities for young toddlers.聽