Christmas Cricket



Last updated Monday, July 23, 2007

Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Timothy Bush
Date of Publication: 2002
ISBN: 0618065547
Grade Level: Kindergarten    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Dec. 2004

Synopsis: In a California garden on a rainy night, Cricket feels small and worthless. He hops up some steps and finds himself in a place filled with light and warmth and a tall, sparkling tree. He begins to sing but is scared into silence by two voices, one big and one small. It is then that he makes a marvelous discovery. Eve Bunting's text is filled with her customary tenderness and charm, and Timothy Bush has captured its mood in his luminous illustrations. Together they create a memorable holiday book about a cricket who discovers that though he may be small, he is not insignificant.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  Do you know what a cricket is? What sound does it make? What would a house look like to a cricket?
•  What Christmas songs do you know?
•  What goes on a christmas tree?

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  What was the "something cold," "something slippery," "something fresh as grass," etc?
•  What made the cricket's heart pound? What made him feel better?
•  What did you do for Christmas/Holidays last year?

Craft ideas:
•  Make or draw a christmas tree with a cricket in it.
•  Cut out a circle and color it with a picture from the book; make it into an ornament with string.

Special activities:
•  Act out the cricket's journey through the house, hop-hopping, jump-jumping, etc. End with a sing-along.

*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!