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MaiStoryBook: What We’ll Build: Plans for Our Together Future + *What We’ll Build* Activity Workbook

by MaiStoryBook

Introducing a heartwarming story of building the future together with your loved ones~ featured in the MaiStoryBook Library Collection: 

“What We’ll Build: Plans for Our Together Future” by Oliver Jeffers

*~Click here to purchase your own copy of “What We’ll Build” to start on your own reading adventure! (This is an affiliate link~ 5% of your purchase will go to MaiStoryBook to help create Reading Resources for your littles)

Book Synopsis and Review

In this beloved read, a father and daughter come together, gather their tools, and set off to build a foundation for their lives together. Hand in hand, they plan for the future, building the roads and tunnels they’ll need to take them where they need to go, a home to keep them safe, tables to welcome friends, ships to explore the world, and quiet spaces for them to return to for rest and comfort. Ultimately, this is a story about building love, and building a future intertwined with those you love most.

Oliver Jeffers does it again with another visually stunning and narratively endearing book, this time written for his young daughter. The text is sparse, reflecting how each word and phrase was carefully chosen to convey a tone of care, wonder, and determination. Accompanied by colorful, expressive, and detailed illustrations, this book highlights life’s endless opportunities and a parent’s enduring love. It’s the perfect read for any kind of new beginning~ beginning of the school year, beginning of the calendar year, beginning of a new birth year, or even the beginning of a new life (an excellent baby shower gift for parents to read to their littlest little)~the perfect book to inspire littles to plan and work together to build the future of their dreams, while reassuring and affirming them that you will be there to support them and build alongside them the entire way.

Vocabulary

  • Gather (p. 3) bring together or collect all together
  • Aside (p. 13) to put on one side, or to put out of the way
  • Fortress (p. 15) a big, strong castle
  • Comfy (p. 26) very cozy and soft
  • Sink (p. 28) to go down below the water

Themes/Main Idea

  • Life has Endless Opportunities: There are always new roads to pave, new tunnels to embark through, new sails to sea
  • Build a Future with the Ones you love: Share your life with the ones you. love most. Build a future together full of love and laughter

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

Example of a shared-reading, interactive Read Aloud of “What We’ll Build” – how to subtly introduce the vocabulary list words within the text, ask guided questions, and spark conversation!

*~Check it Out~*

Subscribe: MaiStoryBook Youtube Channel for additional read aloud videos!

*What We’ll Build* Activity Workbook

Right after winter break is the perfect time to reset and refocus on goals, hopes, and dreams with your little learners. (It’s an excellent time for adults to do this, too!) It’s a brand new calendar year, and a new beginning for the second half of the school year. This year, I plan to build mai future through getting married~ officially starting a family of my own/ growing the family I already have. I also plan to *build* mai career with an exciting new endeavor that I don’t want to share too much about until its certain! But hopefully, more details coming soon! After reading this heart-warming and motivational book, “What We’ll Build,” encourage littles to think about what they want to *build* this year~ what direction do they want the near future of this upcoming year to go in, and use this *What We’ll Build” Activity Workbook to guide their ideas and plans. Inspired by the book, each page in this activity workbook is based off the pages and topics in “What We’ll Build.” Little learners will recognize the parallels int he workbook to the actual book, and will create their own Plan for a Together Future with their loved ones. Check it out below!

Materials

Directions

  • Print out the “What We’ll Build” Workbook.
  • There are 2 versions: One with blank spaces and prompts, One with lines and a picture space with prompts.  
  • *Print out double sided to save paper*
  • Print the pages in order for the recommended order that matches with the book.
  • Staple/ fasten the spine of the book (left edge).
  • Encourage children to fill in the pages about  life on Planet Earth. The pages match the topics and sections in the book.
  • Notes on how to fill in the pages:
  • COVER : Write your name on the blank line. 
  • P.1 What Shall We Build: Trace your hands in the empty space. Optional: Write adjectives or draw pictures inside your hands that describe you. 
  • P.2 Toolbox: Draw and label the different tools in your tool box. Write your name on the line to label your too box. Ex) “ __Maya’s_ Toolbox”
  • P. 3 Build a Door/Home: Draw your dream house around the door. Optional: Draw people in the windows.
  • P. 4 Build Love/Hole: Draw or write what love looks like in the heart- examples of how you can build and share love. Draw a hole to hide in (you can draw the people hiding in the hole too)
  • P. 5 Build a Fortress: Draw the items to match the labels: a fortress, and an open gate with people standing on the other side to be welcomed in. 
  • P. 6 Build a Table: Fill in the blank with what you will drink at the table. Fill in the speech bubbles with kind words to share with friends. Draw the table in the blank space, surrounded by friends. 
  • P. 7 Build a Tower: Draw and label (on the lines) 4 items that you can see in the sky. You can draw yourselves in the tower.
  • P. 8 Build a tunnel/ road: Fill in where the tunnel and road leads to. Fill in the arrow signs with the destinations, too. Then draw a tunnel in the mountain, and draw a road at the bottom.
  • P. 9 Build a Comfy Place: Write / Draw items that make you comfy in the pillows. Then below, draw your comfy place. You can add labels.
  • P. 10 Build a Boat: In the life preserver boxes, write 4 items you need for an unbreakable boat. Then draw the boat on the water.
  • P. 11 Build a Place for Love: Write/ Draw some of the things you love most in the hearts. 
  • P. 12 But first things first: Fill the frames with loved ones who will support you and help you build your incredible dreams and future.

Enjoy Your “What We’ll Build” Activity Workbook

  • Share your Activity Workbook with friends and family and tell them about your plans for the future, and share with them how they are intertwined in your future as well
  • Share your Activity Workbook with friends and family and have them share what their plans and dreams for this upcoming year are. What do they want to build?
  • Use your Activity Workbook to inspire you to dream big and continue to pursue your dreams and build your future this upcoming year.
  • Take turns reading/ sharing your workbooks with a classmate or friend, and encourage each other to pursue your dreams and goals

*~Overall, as always, I hope you all are staying safe and healthy, and are having a wonderful beginning to the New Year! Tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary or FaceBook , find me on TikTok or contact me via email to share your own *What We’ll Build* Activity Workbooks and your own reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you and learn more about you!~*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~