INTERACTIVE READ ALOUD
Read aloud questions
1. Pause on the page where Floyd fetches Mitch the kitten and ask, “Why do you think he needs the kitten?”
2. After Floyd throws the bucket of paint into the tree, pause and discuss:
→ “What do you think is going to happen next? Will Floyd get his kite down now?”
3. Pause when the lorry is introduced and explain that ‘lorry’ is another word for a big truck.
4. Pause on the page with the whale and point to the speech bubble. Explain that this means that the whale is speaking. Invite your child to use a whale voice as together, you wonder aloud what the whale might say at this point in the story.
5. Pause on the page after the whale speaks when “they all got stuck.” Try to find: The small boat, the kitchen sink, the duck, the bucket of paint, and, the shoe.
→ “Can you still see the bicycle? And the cat? What about the kite?”
6. Pause on the page when the firefighters arrive.
→ “What do you think will happen when the firefighters ask to help Floyd?”
7. Pause on the page when Floyd goes to find a saw.
→ “What do you think he’s going to do with the saw?”
8. Pause on the page with Floyd lying in bed, wondering what he was forgetting.
→ “What do you think he forgot?”
→ “Are there any clues on this page that can help you figure out what Floyd forgot?”
9. On the last page, take some time to look closely at the illustration and wonder what the characters in the tree are doing.
→ “Who is the duck playing with? Who is awake, the cat, or the milkman? What do you think the lady in the house is thinking?”
→ “Are there any interesting stories you can tell about what’s happening in this tree at night?”
10. After you read the firefighter’s speech bubble saying, “I’ve got a great idea,” take a minute to think about what his idea could be.
→ “What would you do to get ‘unstuck’?”
→ Invite your little one to use a firefighter's voice and share their great idea.
→ Choose a character from the tree and act out what you think will happen next in this story.
