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A Giraffe and a Half



Last updated Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Author: Shel Silverstein
Date of Publication: 1964
ISBN: 0060256559
Grade Level: Kindergarten    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Jan. 2024

Synopsis: Featuring rhythmic verse and iconic illustrations, this classic captures Silverstein’s signature humor and style.

If you had a giraffe and he stretched another half, you would have a giraffe and a half. But what happens if you glue a rose to the tip of his nose? Or if you used a chair to comb his hair?

Join this giraffe on a rollicking and ridiculous journey that will charm readers from beginning to end.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  How can there be half of a giraffe?
•  What would you do with a giraffe and a half?

Vocabulary:

•  toot - to make a sound resembling that of a horn, whistle, or the like.
•  spike - a long thick nail used to fasten or tie heavy logs.
•  blubbery - puffy, swollen.
•  mole - a small animal with tiny eyes and soft skin that lives underground in tunnels.

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  How do you think the giraffe put on the suit?
•  The giraffe plays the flute. Do you play any musical instruments?
•  Where do you think the rat in the hat is going?

Craft ideas:
•  The children can draw giraffes using construction paper.
•  The children can make bicycles out of coffee filters. Image of a bicycle using coffee filters as wheels: https://images.app.goo.gl/iG6VtypLbiZAnDxE6/

Special activities:
•  lThe class can play a rhyming game such as saying words that rhyme with half. Llink to a giraffe and a half rhyming kit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/300263500158109333/feedback/?invite_code=531688c384ac4da8b2056b53e25ade22&sender_id=451345331313987012/
•  The children can be tested on what happens after the giraffe turns into a giraffe and a half.

*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!