Are You My Mother?

Eastman, P.D. (1960). Are You My Mother? New York: Beginner Books.

This book is a short easy-reader for young readers about second grade to read independently, or it can be read aloud to younger children. The book begins with a young bird hatching from its egg. It finds itself alone in its nest, so the bird decides to search for its mother. Since the young bird does not know what its mother looks like, it goes through a journey asking each animal it approaches if that animal is its mother. The bird asks a kitten, hen, dog, cow, car, boat, plane, and a "snort." Finally the bird is reunited with its mother. The language in this book can be read with a rhythmic tone, and it uses repetitive phrases, such as "Are you my mother?" The language in this book also forms patterns of memory. For example on page 30, the bird reflects on all of the previous animals that are not its mother, and each time the bird meets a new animal that is not its mother, the new animal is added to the list of animals or things that are not the bird's mother. The repetitive and pattern language in this short children's book would be great for shared reading, in which young students can chime in on the phrases that they know or can predict. I think this book would be great for classroom rhyming activities. However, I also think this book would be a great introduction to science for early childhood and kindergarten. This book could be incorporated in classification of different animal species, or it could be used when matching baby animals with its parents. The following is a link to a website with  four different early childhood activiy ideas for this book incorporating art, science, cooking, and sensory: http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-preschool/96884-story-stretcher-for-are-you-my-mother/ The following is a center idea for children to match and learn baby animals with its parents:

Center idea

Book Cover