Clifford's Pals

Clifford's Pals
by Norman Bridwell

Summary:  Clifford and his pals play in a construction site, where it is dangerous.  After several narrow scrapes, where Clifford has to break machinery and anger the workers, they decide to stop playing there and return to a safer place to play. 


Lesson:  One of our school-wide expectations is to "Be Safe".  After reading this book, we talked about why it was not safe to play at a construction site.  We also suggested some safe places to play. 

Level:  PreK-1st grade

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Officer Buckle and Gloria 

by Peggy Rathmann

Penguin, 1995, Caldecott 

Summary:  Officer Buckle's job is to give safety speeches to school staff and students.  No one really listens to him until he buddies up with a dog named Gloria.  What Officer Buckle doesn't know in the narrative text, but is visual in the pictures, is that Gloria is acting out the scenarios, capturing the audience's attention.  But when he finds out, can he handle being upstaged by his partner?

Lesson:  I use this book to talk about the powers of observation.  If you do not see the pictures, then the story doesn't make sense.   We also discuss the safety tips in the book.  Another topic is the power of teamwork. 

Level: PreK-2nd