O – One Day, The End: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever-Stories

One Day, The End: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Stories written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and illustrated by Fred Koehler (2015)

The opening page shows a little girl hanging upside down in a tree and these words, “For every story there is a beginning and an end, but what happens in between makes all the difference.” From there it’s all a huge adventure in storytelling, or a lot of very short adventures, depending on how you look at it. The girl begins each story and ends each story with her text. It’s the illustrator and the reader who really tell the stories. What happens in the middle can be as simple or elaborate as you want to make it, depending on how many details you want to share.  Have fun!

This is truly a book that leaves room for the reader! With very few words, and lots of pictures, little ones can fill in the middle of each story with their own narratives for each story. Look at the illustrations, then build on the ideas presented with your own details. This book is going to be a big hit with little chatter-boxes!

For today’s activities I thought I’d focus on the middles, of sandwiches, since the beginning and end (of sandwiches) are pretty basic anyway!