CHALLENGING WORDS

Autumn

dandelions

dinosaur

hamburger

humph

hurried

ketchup

laughed

onion

worried

SUMMARY

Tom is a funny bunny, instead of eating what the other rabbits eat,

Tom wants hamburgers and pickles. His mother says “Eat more dandelions”

but Tom doesn’t want that. There are two stories in this book about

Tom and his unusual way of thinking.

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--- Conversation Questions---

(1)Recall what this book is about.

(Answer) Any logical answer.

(Follow Up) Did Tom and his mother think alike?

(2)Imagine what all the other rabbits thought about Tom eating hamburgers.

(Answer) Any logical answer.

(Follow Up) Have you ever eaten something different than everyone else?

(3)Pretend you are Tom Rabbit, how do you feel about not having a pet?

(Answer) Any logical answer.

(Follow Up) Do you have a pet?

(4) Imagine that you are Tom Rabbits mother, how would you feel about Toms unusual taste for food?

(Answer) Any logical answer.

(Follow Up) How did his father fell about it?

(5)Define Ripe.

(Answer) Ready to be picked and eaten.

(Follow Up) What are some other foods you pick?

(6)Recall what Tom always wanted to eat.

(Answer) Hamburger with onions, ketchup and pickles.

(Follow Up) What do you eat on your hamburger?

(7)Tell me what his mother told him to eat.

(Answer) Dandelions.

(Follow Up) Did he listen?

(8)Remember what mother said she wished she had for every pickle he’d eaten.

(Answer) Nickel.

(Follow Up) Did Tom get tired of pickles?

(9)Recall what mother rabbit said would happen to Toms tail.

(Answer) Turn into an onion.

(Follow Up) Have you ever eaten so much of one thing that someone has told you the same thing?

(10)Tell me what Tom wanted and his mother kept saying NO.

(Answer) A pet.

(Follow Up) What kind of pet did he end up with?

Activities

  1. Have a child list the different animals that rabbit wanted for a pet.
  1. Have the child make a list of their favorite foods and draw one of them.
  1. Have the child draw Tom Rabbits pet dinosaur.
  1. Have the child write what their pet is or would be if they had one and draw a picture of it.
Introduction
  1. Have a picture of a hamburger laying out. Ask the children if they like to eat hamburgers and does their mother ever say eat more vegetables. Say today we are reading about Tom Rabbit and he always wants hamburgers. Let’s see what Mother Rabbit thinks about that.
  1. Show the child a picture of a rabbit. Ask if they know what kind of food a rabbit eats. Tell them today we are going to read about a rabbit who has a different opinion of what a rabbit can eat.
  1. Ask the child if they have ever wanted a pet and been told no. What ended up happening? Today we are going to find out if Tom Rabbit ever gets a pet, if so, what kind.

Book Title: Mother Rabbit’s Son Tom

Author: Dick Gackenbach
/ Illustrator: Disk Gackenbach
ISBN: / # of Text Pages: 22 Book Level:
Building Oral Vocabulary
3 / sweet / 4 / tender / 14 / peeked
Prediction Questions
6 / Will Tom eat the clover?
10 / What will happen next?
24 / Do you think Tom will get a pet?

This resource is provided by KYREADS—Barren County Board of Education, an AmeriCorps project funded in part by the Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

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