*Picture book, humorous fantasy (tall tale), for preschoolers through second graders
*A rancher and his wife are the main characters.
*Rating: Meanwhile Back at the Ranch is one of my favorite books to share with children. (It’s by the same author as The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash.
Short, short summary: Rancher Hicks is bored on his ranch. Nothing much ever happens. So, he drives the 84 miles to the town of Sleepy Gulch for some excitement. (It’s not called Sleepy Gulch for nothing!) Meanwhile back at the ranch. . . his wife Elna has quite a day. The president comes to visit, she strikes oil, and her aunt leaves her her entire estate. Meanwhile back in Sleepy Gulch. . .a turtle crosses the road and the slowest game of checkers ever is being played. Meanwhile back at the ranch. . .all the cats have kittens and all the horses have colts. Meanwhile back in Sleepy Gulch–well, you get the picture. When Rancher Hicks returns from his big adventure in Sleepy Gulch, he is in for quite a surprise!
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Meanwhile Back at the Ranch by Trinka Hakes Noble is a great book to share with students when you are teaching the 6 + 1 traits of writing–the trait of organization. The organization of this book is very obvious–each page you are either in Sleepy Gulch or at the ranch. The word MEANWHILE is used as a transition. So, you can talk to students about different ways to organize stories, essays, and reports. You can talk to students about using transition words. This book can lead into many discussions and writing exercises for the trait of organization. (It’s perfect for homeschooling lessons on these subjects, too.)
2. Have students write their own MEANWHILE story. One of the most fun is. . .MEANWHILE BACK IN THE CLASSROOM. Students pretend like they are Rancher Hicks and leave the classroom one day to go somewhere they think will be more exciting. MEANWHILE back in the classroom, students create stories where famous people come to visit or they win prizes or the teacher allows recess all day, and so on.
3. Discuss with students: What makes this book a fantasy or a tall tale? Can all of those events happen to Elna in one day? Talk to students about what makes this book a fantasy. Create a list. Talk about hyperbole and exaggeration and how Trinka Hakes Noble uses these to create humor in her picture book. How do the illustrations add to the story?
Add a Comment