"It was raining again ..."

Z has been sick at home for a week with a flu-like illness so when I had some library books due, I stopped in and grabbed some fresh books to entertain him. One of the books has turned out to be a big hit -- Albert by Lani Yamamoto.

It's the story of a young boy who is stuck inside on a rainy day. He plays imaginary games and eventually starts wondering about the bigger picture of his place in the universe. Its simple words and illustrations leave room for the imagination -- which is exactly what happened for Z. After we read this together and discussed the ideas in it, Z asked for a piece of paper and a crayon. This is what he made ...



"But Albert did something like maybe ..."



"... floating in outer space, visiting the lions, walking to Alaska, climbing up a tree, and going to Australia ..."



"... going to Mars, walking to China, & being a champion."

I think this was a great opportunity to work on reading comprehension and imagination. Lani Yamamoto has two other Albert books which we will definitely be looking for. There is also a Spanish version, Alberto. Though children may not grasp the whole concepts being presented, it never hurts to plant the seeds of an open and curious mind.

Looking to the stars past the whole wide world,
K and Z


This is a difficult book to find so you are going to have to look for it at your local library.