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GUIDE SHEET: BOOK

COWS CAN’T QUACK

By Dave Reisman

Program Year: 1

Supporting Your Child’s Development: Most toddlers love animals and enjoy silly books – Cows Can’t Quack features both animals and humor. This book will support your child’s cognitive skills by having your child practice logical thinking. By imitating the animal sounds, your child is also practicing his/her listening and speaking skills, focusing on particular sounds that will eventually contribute to your child’s phonemic awareness, an important aspect of reading readiness.

Remember, you are your child’s first and most important teacher!

  • Invite your child to look and to listen.
  • Show and read the title page.
  • Show and describe how to turn the pages and treat the book.
  • Read to your child in a clear, easy voice. Don’t go too fast.

Invite your child to talk about his/her experiences that relate to the story:

  • Have you ever heard a dog snore? What did it sound like?
  • What noise does a kitten make?
  • Have you seen any of these animals in your other books? Which ones?
  • Have you ever seen a bird fly? Where? What else flies?

Ask your child questions about the pictures that help him/her reason things out:

  • Why can’t a rooster meow?
  • Why do the puppies look afraid of the tiger?
  • Which animals live in the water?

New words:

© Parent-Child Home Program, Inc. 2015

  • Moose
  • Grunt
  • Bleat
  • Caw
  • Croak
  • Trumpet
  • Hyena
  • Cackle
  • Rhino
  • Snort
  • Bray
  • Click

© Parent-Child Home Program, Inc. 2015

Some suggestions for reading and exploring this book:

Colors / Green grass; Black and White penguin; Gray dolphin
Shapes / Round eyes; Skinny legs; Rectangular bricks; Diamond-shaped feet (on penguins);
Sizes / Large moose; Small frog; Tiny ducklings; Enormous tiger
Numbers / How many ducklings do you see? How many legs does the rhino have?
Sounds / Loud howling; Quiet meowing
Textures / Soft feathers; Smooth skin; Sharp claws
Categories / Animals that have four legs; animals that have two legs; animals that fly; animals that live in the water
Cause & Effect / When the rhino snorts, the wolf runs away.
When the crow caws, the donkey covers his ears.

Remember throughout the home visit to:

ENCOURAGE the child to talk. PRAISEthe child for doing well.

ASKthe child questions. HELPthe child when needed.

LISTENto the child’s answers.RESPOND to the child’s answers.

HAVE A GOOD TIME SHARING THIS BOOK!

© Parent-Child Home Program, Inc. 2015

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