Madeline- Picture book

Madeline

by Ludwig Bemelmans

If you're looking for a good source of literature for a lower grade level classroom or even your own child, Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans would be a good choice. It was published by The Viking Press in 1939 and has since then been awarded a Caldecott Honor for its illustrations also done by Ludwig Bemelmans. 

"Madeline at the Zoo"

 This story's pictures keep the children interested and there are few words, so it is easy for a group to follow along. Another trademark of Ludwig Bemelmans is his rhyming throughout his books. Rhyming makes it easy for new readers to catch on to words and learn to spell.

Activity:

After reading Madeline the first time, I'd read it again and let the children pick out the rhymes on each page. It would get them more involved in the story by participating. For example, they could find vines and lines, bad and sad, mice and ice, or any of the many other combinations throughout Madeline.

The children would be asked to give an opinion on whether or not they liked how the book rhymed and if it helped them read it more easily.

After finding the already included rhymes in Madeline, the children could help make "word families." You could take "lines" or "vines" from the story then add on... dines, pines, fines, nines, etc. It helps them get comfortable with word chunks and being able to sound out similar words. An example is below.

A standard for this activity is as follows: RL.2.4. Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.