Clever Aunt Ant has just moved to the zoo. Speaking in homophones, she describes the quirky animal behavior she sees. There’s the MOOSE who loved MOUSSE and ATE EIGHT bowls, and the WHALE who was ALLOWED to WAIL ALOUD—and that’s just for starters.
This playful picture book introduces children to the richness of language through the concept of homophones. A romp through the zoo has never been so eye-opening.
A Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club Selection
A Parenting Magazine Mom-Tested Book of the Year
A Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts
mcallistera826
Posted July 28, 2012
As a teacher I am always looking for books that engage my at-risk readers, but also teach them the course material at hand. I have found the perfect controlled vocabulary book for the task. The book Dear Deer, by Gene Barretta engages the reader as well as teaches them the core homophone pairs. As a child I always struggled with homophones, and even yet today I find myself saying "okay which one is it". This book slips in homophones without making the plot seemed pushed or too over the top. Deer, one of the main characters is writing a letter to his Aunt Ant. Deer is inquiring on how life is going for her as well as explaining his journey through life as well. Here is an excerpt from the book: "The Moose loves Mousse. He Ate Eight bowls." This is just one example of the silly lines within the book. I can see kids really get to giggling and laughing about some of the things Deer and Ant describe. The illustrations are wonderful as well. I would recommend this for grades 2nd through 5th. The humor is a little abstract for younger kids and it's a perfect pair for grammar lessons during writing. Take a read and I hope you enjoy!
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Overview
Clever Aunt Ant has just moved to the zoo. Speaking in homophones, she describes the quirky animal behavior she sees. There’s the MOOSE who loved MOUSSE and ATE EIGHT bowls, and the WHALE who was ALLOWED to WAIL ALOUD—and that’s just for starters.
This playful picture book introduces children to the richness of language through the concept of homophones. A romp through the zoo has never been so eye-opening.