I Went Walking

Must Read for Young Children

Williams, (Moose Eggs or Why Moose Have Flat Antlers, 2007) offers a beautiful children's story about a young boy who goes on a walk and names the animals he sees along the way and identifies their colors. As the boy encounters yet another animal, the previous animals follow him. The beautiful and vivid illustrations by Julie Vivas make the animals come alive for example the reader sees a snippet of the animal that is revealed on the following page and keeps the child curious. The use of repetition in the text ('I went walking. What did you see?) makes this book a perfect read aloud for young children because it keeps the children involved. Identification of animals, colors and connecting the words to the pictures makes the book one that every child should experience.

Seemingly Simplistic With Many Lessons To Learn

I Went Walking by Sue Williams is a seemingly simplistic book about a young child¿s walk and discoveries made upon the way. As a future educator I found this book to be full of teaching opportunities, not just concerning reading comprehension. Some ideas for teacher are: * Prediction¿What animal will the child see next? * Addition---With the turn of the page new animals are added to the walk. This book can be used to represent addition in the real world. *Sentence Structure---Repeated sentences and similar sentence structure throughout the book can serve as a model for correct sentence structure. ¿Animal Identification---Six different animals are represented in this book, which means that it can be used for animal identification and exploration. These are just a few ways to use Sue Williams¿ book as a teaching tool, however, it is also a book that can be read for sheer enjoyment in the classroom and at home.

Great Book!

I Went Walking is a story about a little boy who goes on a walk and comes across many different and colorful animals. The first animal he encounters is a black cat. The cat follows him, and as the boy continues to meets more animals each one tags along. By the end of the book he is leading a trail of animals. The colorful artwork in this book captures children¿s attention. Julie Vivas uses watercolors to create realistic yet imaginative illustrations of the different animals. The repetitive text, ¿What did you see?¿, is accompanied by a partial picture of the newest animal to join the line. These partial pictures allow children to make predictions throughout the story about which animal is coming next. The repetitive rhyme and prediction opportunities provided in this book make it both appealing and appropriate for children ages 2-7. I read this book in my preschool class, and my three year olds love it. They enjoy participating in the reading and guessing the different animals. I use this book when teaching both colors and animals, but it remains a favorite long after these lessons are complete.

A reviewer

Evaluation: This book has a very clear, focused story line that is engaging to the young reader. The illustrations are uncluttered with very little but the child and the animals on the page. They have a bright watercolor effect. The illustrations give hints to the upcoming animals and show the child playfully interacting with the animals. The selected animals are common ones that the child can easily identify. This invites the child to make predictions of what animal the boy will find next. The font of the words is large enough for the child to follow. Due to the repetition, the child can easily anticipate the coming language. As the skills of the reader develop, the words are the appropriate size for the learner to point to the words as they are read. The language is repetitive which allows the child to attempt to read the book on his own. The book holds the child¿s attention due to the appropriate length and colorful illustrations. As the story progresses the child removes an article of clothing which allows another dimension to the story in addition to discovery of animals. Discussions can be initiated about where the child is going depending on the child¿s dress. This book follows similar format of other valuable early childhood books such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Martin, 1983) and Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear?(Martin, 1991).

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