Introducing a *sneaky~sweet* read aloud, featured in this week’s MaiStoryBook Library Collection:

“The Big Bed” by Bunmi Laditan and Tom Knight

Book Synopsis and Review

Have you ever heard of the saying *Two is company, 3’s a crowd?* Well, it means what it kinda sounds like, 2 people together  are enjoying eachother’s company, but if you add another person ~and now there are three of you~ it can feel like someone is taking up too much space, or disrupting the balance the pair of you have established. For the little girl in this book, the prime-sleep-time location is *right * next to Mama, in *the Big Bed.* But first, she needs to convince Daddy that he doesn’t belong on *the Big Bed*~ after all, she and mama make perfet company on the bed, but if you * plus daddy* that equals= way too crowded! Good thing this little girl has done her research and has her whole proposal lined up and ready to go! Let Operation *Get the Big Bed Back* begin! Find out how our young character uses creative thinking, planning, and innovation to persuade her Daddy that the Big Bed is off limits.

Who gets to sleep in *the Big Bed?* An issue that  many little ones may be able to relate to, this is a hilarious read aloud with a sassy little character~ ready to get what she wants and willing to put int the work to get it. The story could even be used to portray how to create a persuasive proposal~ how to *hook* your audience, begin your presentation, *research* your information, create an info chart *with graphics*, acknowledge differing feelings and opinions, and offer a course of action and solution at the end~* This little girl does it all, in a story that will have you giggling *and also silently scheming how you are gonna plan your own Big Bed takeover* throughout the entire read!

Vocabulary List

• Reasonable (p. 3) fair, makes sense
• Banishes (p. 16) send someone away, usually as a punishment
• Thrilled (p. 17) super happy and excited
• Portable (p. 23) easily carried around or moved
• Bassinet (p. 25) a baby cradle, a small bed for babies

Themes/Main ideas

• Be Fair and Be Kind: Always be understanding of other people’s feelings and emotions. If there is a concern, address it respectfully and see how you can help or support.
• How to be Persuasive: Talk about how to research your topic for scientific evidence. Use visuals and graphics, such as charts to explain and follow your train of thinking. Acknowledge differing opinions. Offer courses of action.  Be confident.

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

Example of a shared-reading, interactive Read Aloud of “The Big Bed” – how to subtly introduce the vocabulary list words within the text, ask guided questions, and spark conversation!

*~Check it Out~*

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 *My Own Big Bed* Craft

I don’t know about you, but I can *completely*  relate to this little girl in our story. To get to sleep in the *Big Bed* was to get to sleep on a heavenly sheet of clouds and comfort and cozies with *Mama.* When I was little, how I longed , every night, to sleep on *The Big Bed.* But if not on the Big Bed, I’d settle for anywhere *as close as possible* to the coveted prime-time sleeping location. Thus, around 7 years old, I slept in a larger crib, right next to my *Mama’s* side of the Big Bed. Once I became too big for the crib, I set up sheets, pillows, and blankets, right on the floor, right next to the side of *Mama’s* side of the Big Bed. Slowly, my Mama tried to ween me from her bedside. Soon, I was limited to being able to sleep in her room with the Big Bed, to only Weekends. How I counted down the days to 3-day-weekends and holiday breaks, where I would get bonus days sleeping next to the *Big Bed.* With my own sneaky~sweet persuasion, I was able to bargain for Thursdays-Fridays on my makeshift blanket bed next to *Mama* on the Big Bed. If only I had come up with a plan as devious as the little girl in our story~ perhaps I could’ve actually slept *on* the Big Bed. Can anyone relate?? For this week’s craft, *Make Your Own Big Beds.* And since it’s *your* Big Bed, your get to decide who gets to sleep in it! With puppet-straw characters, create your own dream Big Bed~ Prepare for an afternoon of crafts and cozy bedtime cuddles.

Materials:

• small piece of cardboard
• 1 sheet of colored construction paper
• tape
• glue
• cotton balls
• straws cut in half ( one piece per person in the bed)
• scissors
• 1 sheet of white paper
• crayons/markers

Directions

• Cut the sheet of construction paper to match the same size of the cardboard, so that a strip of the cardboard is still visible at the top.
• Tape the edges of the sheet to the edges of the cardboard. Leave the top of the sheet open so that you can slide *puppet people* “under the covers”
• Put glue at the top of the cardboard above the  sheet. Glue on the cotton balls for pillows.

• Trace out *puppet people* on the white paper. Draw as many people as you want to fit in your Big Bed. Make sure they are the same length as the straws.
• Color and cut out the paper people.
• Tape them to the straws so that the *puppet people* have a solid backing and can easily be slid in and out of the covers.
• Slide them into the bed, or pick and choose who gets to sleep in the Big Bed

Enjoy Your *My Own Big Bed* Craft

• Model your own version of the story~ Who would you kick out of the Big Bed?
• Use your craft as a reading buddy, following along with your different puppet characters.
• Share your Big Bed with family and friends to help retell the story, or tell your own story

*~Overall, have fun creating your own *My Own Big Bed* Craft,  and I hope you and your little ones create memories of joy on your own Big Beds!  – tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary  – or post on FaceBook to share your photos of your own *My Own Big Bed* Crafts and your own reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you!~*

*Check Back on Next Friday for our New Reading Adventure*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~*