Beaver is Lost is
the perfect book for the imaginative little one - or parent - because the
pictures are the only precedent; the narration is up to you! The only words in
the story make up the simple title, "Beaver is Lost." From then on, it is up to
readers to decide why he's lost, where he's lost, and what he's doing or
thinking in each picture. The
illustrations are loosely detailed sketches and watercolors, creating blended
and more vague images to encourage readers' imaginations to complete the
pictures to match the story. Beaver is seen in many potentially
precarious situations, including being chased by a dog, meeting a crocodile in
a pool, going to the zoo, and even swimming through a drain pipe. This story
will never get old, because it will never be told in precisely the same way
twice.
Encourage your child to be a part of the experience by
helping you 'read' the pictures. Ask prompting questions such as, "What do you
think Beaver is doing there?" or "What do you think Beaver should do in this
picture?" You can also take inspiration from this book and create your own picture stories together. Perhaps your little artist loves to scribble pictures of
the family doing various activities, such as the dog chasing the cat, or of their
pretend pet dinosaur. It is a fun
experiment to either try and narrate your little one's drawings, or have them
narrate yours. Either way, they will tell you when you've got it wrong, and you
are sure to get some good laughs out of the experience.
My friend Sam had not seen a beaver before
reading this book, so he was thrilled to learn more about this new furry
animal. Sam's big contribution to
our 'reading' of this story was to name all of the creatures on each page. The
Beaver, of course, was named 'Sam,' but he got a bit more creative with the
others. The crocodile was named 'Spoon' and the mouse was named 'Hot Dog.' Let's hope Sam's taste in names
develops a bit before he has children of his own.
--Audra