Mother Goose- Numbers on the Loose!

Book Title: Mother Goose, Numbers on the Loose	Author: Leo and Diane Dillon
Illustrator: Leo and Diane Dillon	Awards
Book Type:  Picture	Approx. Reading Level:  2
Age of Content Appropriateness: K and up	Date Published: 2007
Genre and Topic:  Folktales/ Mother Goose	Personal Rating of the Book:  5
ISBN: (13 or 10 digit) 978-0152056766

Summary This retelling of traditional Mother Goose rhymes has been chosen by Leo and Diane Dillion to focus on numbers.   There are many familiar rhymes as well as some that are less so.  The illustrations are bright and large and the numbers themselves are brought to life with arms and legs as they go marching through the pages.  The book is full of number focused poems without feeling like a number book.  It is great way to introduce children to Mother Goose and help them with number identification. 

Using this book in the Classroom

·         Here is the Harcourt website where there are numerous activity files to download including dancing numbers to print and color, mini books and more.

·         This would be a great book to use when introducing number words- these poems could be rewritten to show number names or have the students match number words to poems using small cards with the number words printed on them.

·         These also make great poems to use for movement breaks- they all have a great rhythm to them so they could easily be danced to or have a series of moves to.

Vocabulary

·         dame –page 5- A married woman

·         gig- page 12- a cart that is pulled by a horse or mule

·         mirth- page 16- happiness and good feelings

6+1 Traits to Highlight I would focus on word choice with this book.  There are so many wonderful words that students may not hear often if ever but they are the perfect word for a Mother Goose poem.   The way the words rhyme is a great way to look at the word choice. 

page 16 “1 for anger, 2 for mirth, 3 for a wedding, 4 for a birth” focus on mirth and birth and how these words go together.

page 23 “Hickety, picket, my black hen,

                  She lays eggs for gentlemen;”   Hickety and pickety are just plain fun to say.  I think it is great to look at nonsense words that are chosen to make a poem work.

Concerns with This Book: (if any)- none