Look!
Now that we have your attention… Look! by Jeff Mack is a book with only two words: ‘look’ and ‘out.’ How they are put together makes a pretty good point about the importance of reading.
A friendly gorilla tries desperately to divert a young boy’s attention from the TV. The persistent gorilla tries to impress the boy by showing him all the cool things he can do, like balance books on his nose and ride a bike. The boy is absorbed in the TV and he could care less about the gorilla. When gorilla’s antics accidentally break the TV, the angry boy eventually picks up one of the books the gorilla was playing with and begins to read it.
There are plenty of discussion opportunities while you read the book. The gorilla is entertaining and it’s fun to predict what he is going to do next to try to get the boy’s attention, which helps kids practice talking.
Look! teaches children, and adults the importance of turning off the TV and picking up a book instead. Take the time for reading, talking and playing.
Extend the book with a gorilla handprint craft!
Crafting helps with manual dexterity and the early skills needed for writing. You will need:
paintbrushes
tempera paint
construction paper
wiggly eyes
glue
markers
Paint the child’s hand with gray or
brown paint. Add some white on the palm to show the chest area of the
gorilla.
Since the fingers are full of paint have the child add a
circle for the head of the gorilla to the heel of the hand.
Some white on the head will indicate where the face is located. Add your wiggly eyes and use the markers to draw accessories, like a hat!
Note that your gorilla will have five legs if you paint all of your child’s fingers… what a great opportunity to build background knowledge by talking about what gorillas really look like!
