interasting expressicn on the facas ot the deg, cat and mcuse as they are callea in !urn to help puil up the turnip. The finał scane on the iast page has no werds to acccmpany it but conveys a rural scene of contentment as the famiiy and animals wait to out up the tumip for supper.
2. The Encrmous Tumip by Mary Shepherd, illustrated by Sue Tong (Collins Sockbus, 1990) - £2.50.
This version is part of a simplified reading scheme. The use of one ortwo sentences beiow a detailed picture give the teacher a chance to enhance the story and introduca morę vccabulary, depending cn the abiiity of the pupils. It has a shortened ending when the tumip comes flying out of the ground. Tne visual effect of all the characters falling on tep of each other completes the story.
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The importanes of picture books in the primary classroom is wideiy acknowiedged, as is the va!ue of traditicnal stories and storytelling. Finding and using traditicnal stories in picture book format can combine the advantages of both, as Wendy Superfine shows below.
One good example of a traditional folk tale which can be found in picture bcok form is The Great Big Enormous Tumip by Alexei Tolstoy. It has a simple storyline and contains vocabulary which is cumulative as well as a lot of repetiticn, which encourages the pupils to join in.
The picture books conlajrLShori . dialogues to stimulate speech whtćh aliow for drama activities.
The mini dialogues in some of these versions aive the child the oppertunity to r?er to their own famiiy situation and therefore build up ccnfidence in their iearning abiiity. The storyline is simple and suits beginner to intermediate leve! primary students. The vocabulary and grammatical structures are net difficult to explain. The narrative structure used in this cumulative, repetitive story is common in other Stones of this kind: it has a starting point; an avgnt cr actlcn;. the additicn of a cnaracter or acticn; and a punchline or end of stery.
Different book versions
There are various versions avaiiable in picture book form and I have chosen to briefiy describe 3 below.
1. The Great Big Enormous Tumip by Alexei Tolstoy, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Collins Picture Lions, 1988)-£2.75.
' This book presents the story in an integrated form of text and illustrations with a rich use of colour and detail. There is an
3. The Great Big Enormous Tumip by Frań Hunia, illustrated byJohn Dykę (Read it Ycurself Level 2, Ladybird Books Ltd, 1980) - £1.30.
This book forms part of the Ladybird Graded reading scheme which uses’traditional stories in a simplified manner. This version has a list of key werds which are usęful for explanation throughout this well-illustrated story. It is also short enough to be easiiy read in one lesson. Ladybird books are also usually cheap enough to allow you to buy 3 copies. You can then cut up two copies, cover the pictures with elear, sticky paper and use them as seguencing cards. Keep the third copy as a reference book.
Exploiting the story
Collect ideas from the class before the project is started, as below:
Cooking
make ytgefaM?seup er baked potntoes orsalad
Ceildren draw ckaracTcr; and wrtfe abeut ■łHewi
lndlvidual books skaptd Ukt a turnip. Class
book
p ranna riaitt pupptn far a pupper siary. Acraut -The etery.
Cer*paniną sizt
u lina other
vta«ra£>les
Qamt S
Pelmanism -Chiidrtn make tUtir <5wh cards 2 aftack utjttable
ckants rykmes and rangi YegefaHe Ma+rix
■Art
Wall picture uidU ckaracters addeJ L
Visit a shop or marktT and[or farm ta buy yegef&bfes
byl
Tąpie a" - arew sttdt er vpge-*aW«
tops i-g. carrots. farsmps orTurwips on a saletr ar roater