I'm Quick as a Cricket



Last updated Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Author: Audrey Wood
Illustrator: Don Wood
Date of Publication: 1998
ISBN: 0859536645
Grade Level: Kindergarten    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Aug. 2004

Synopsis: From Amazon.com:
"I'm as quick as a cricket, I'm as slow as a snail. I'm as small as an ant, I'm as large as a whale." Parents and teachers choose this big square book for the message of self-confidence... and Don Wood's large, silly, endearing illustrations, which feature a boy mimicking different kinds of animals. At one point, he is pictured sipping tea formally with a fancy poodle ("I'm as tame as a poodle") and on the very next page he is swinging through trees ("I'm as wild as a chimp"). Whether brave or shy, strong or weak, in the end the young boy celebrates all different, apparently contradictory parts of himself. With a confident grin, he lifts his arms up and declares, "Put it all together and you've got ME!"

Note to readers:
•  *Note that book includes front and back cover.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  What are some animals that are big? Small? Weak? Strong? Etc?
•  What are other things that are big, small, weak, strong, etc?

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  Are you quick as a cricket or slow as a snail? Sometimes both? When?

Craft ideas:
•  Pick one phrase from the book, and (volunteers) write it on the top of a page; have children draw and color what they think the phrase means.
•  Draw your favorite animal and talk about how you resemble it.

Special activities:
•  Read out a page, and have the children act it out.

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!