The Wiener Dog Magnet

Hayes Roberts
Hayes Roberts
Magickeys.com
2006
The Wiener Dog Magnet is a story about a young monkey
named Kiki Marie. Kiki Marie saves up all of her allowance and
goes to the store to buy a magnet. She ends up buying a lot of
wiener dog magnets. Kiki Marie goes on an adventure and sees
an alligator struggling to swim in the river. Kiki Marie uses her
magnets to save the alligator and gets an award from the
alligator king.
GRADE LEVEL: K-2
MATERIALS:
Story Drama: Paper plate masks, necklaces with characters on
it.
Puppet Show: Stick puppets.

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While this story isnt a work of literary genius, it is a great story to use for a
story drama. There are lots of possibilities for different roles (Kiki Marie;
Mother; Wiener Dog Magnet; various other magnets; Cash Register person;
Wiener Dogs; 2 Alligators; Alligator King, and possibly the court). It is a good
story to use to discuss how magnets work, as well as working together. A great
game to play in conjunction with this story is Stick Together. It will help the
children learn how to become magnets without getting injured.
It is a good introduction to different types of animals (moving like animals,
etc). Students can make masks to represent the characters.

INTERGRATION:

Science, Art

A VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

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Eric Carle
Eric Carle
Penguin Putnam
1969
A green baby caterpillar hatches from an egg, and from
birth he experiences a perpetual craving for food. He eats
through fruits on five days, one piece on the first, two on
the second, and so on up to five, then experiments with a
wider variety of foods. Soon enough he overdoes it and
nauseates himself. After recovering he spins a cocoon in
which he remains for the following two weeks. Later, the
caterpillar emerges as a bright, colorful butterfly with
large, gorgeous, multi-colored wings.
Foods eaten:
1 apple; 2 pears; 3 plums; 4 strawberries; 5 oranges;
1 piece of chocolate cake; 1 ice cream cone; 1 pickle;
1 slice of Swiss cheese; 1 slice of salami, 1 lollipop, 1
piece of cherry pie; 1 sausage; 1 cupcake; 1 slice of
watermelon; 1 green leaf
K-2
Paper plate shields (representing the food and the
caterpillar [two sided, the other side with parts of a wing
of a butterfly])

This is a fantastic story to use as a story drama. The teacher/leader can teachin-role as the caterpillar, while students play the food that the caterpillar
consumes. Once the food is consumed, they can join the caterpillar and
become part of the caterpillar. When the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, the
caterpillar becomes the body of the butterfly, while everybody else becomes
part of the wings.

INTERGRATION:

Art, Literature, Science

WHY MOSQUITOES BUZZ IN PEOPLES EARS

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Verna Aardema
Leo and Diane Dillon
Dial Books (now Scholastic)
1975 (Winner of the Caldecott Medal)

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MATERIALS:

K-2
Puppet show: puppets for the animals
Story Drama: masks, and medallions to represent
animals and other characters.

The story begins with the mosquito telling an iguana about

seeing a farmer dig a yam that was bigger than a mosquito,
but the iguana regards it as a lie and decides to put sticks in
his ears to prevent himself from hearing any else the
mosquito has to say. This action causes a chain of negative
events that affect many creatures throughout the animal
kingdom, and ultimately ends in the death of a young owlet.
The death causes the owl mother to go into mourning over
the loss of her baby, and she is unable to wake the sun up
in the morning so it will shine brightly. The King Lion finally
discovers who is responsible for all this drama, and orders
the mosquito to be punished. This makes the owl mother
pleased, and she calls out to wake up the sun. The mosquito
is never caught to receive his punishment, so now he buzzes
in peoples ears to get rid of his guilt and see if anyone is
still mad at him.

This is a great story to work of physicalization of animals. Since it is a folk

tale, there is the possibility to go into the tradition for the folk tales.

INTEGRATION:

Cause and Effect; Literature (folk tales); Science

(animals)

THE GIRL WHO LOVED WILD HORSES

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Paul Goble
Paul Goble
Bradbury Books
1978 (Winner of the Caldecott Medal)
A Native American girl loves horses and spends all her
free time with them. When a storm hits, she and her
horses are forced to flee and they end up lost, but a
handsome stallion, the leader of the wild horses,
welcomes her to live with them. Gradually the girl
relinquishes her life with her people, and years later,
turns into a beautiful mare herself.
3-5
Puppet show: puppets for the animals
Story Drama: masks

Social Studies (Plains Indians), Language Arts

(vocabulary), Art, Science (Wild Horses)

THE RUNAWAY BUNNY

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Margaret Wise Brown

Clement Hurd
Harper & Row
1942
There once was a bunny who wanted to run away.
He tells his mother that he is going to run away, but
the mother is clever and manipulates him to keep
him to stay. When she says she will come after him,
so begins a back and forth on a fantastical journey
where, in the end, the Mother outsmarts the little
bunny. The little bunny decides the stay.
K-2
Masks for the bunnies, imagination for everything
else!

There are only two characters, so it takes some imagination to make

this work as a story drama, however, I think that it is perfect for a story
drama. The way the story goes, there are lots of scenarios that can be
acted out with representational body movement and ensemble work.
Also, there is a chance to go into the different careers. Great for early
work on improvisation and/or pantomime.
Integration:

Social Studies (go into the different careers)

Author:

THE GROUCHY LADYBUG

Eric Carle

Illustrator:

Eric Carle

Publisher:

HarperCollins

Copyright:

1977

Synopsis:

Two ladybugs meet on a leaf in search of some aphids for

breakfast. The friendly ladybug is happy to share but the
grouchy ladybug wants them all for herself. When the
friendly ladybug accepts a challenge to fight for them, the
grouchy ladybug backs off, stating, "Oh, you're not big
enough for me to fight." She then goes off in search of
something bigger to pick on. Throughout the day the
grouchy ladybug approaches a series of insects and
animals, each one bigger than the one before, looking for
a fight. When each accepts her challenge, she backs off
until she is tired, wet and hungry and decides to return to
the original leaf. The grouchy ladybug is humbled and
even thanks the friendly ladybug for sharing the aphids.

Grade Level:

K-4

Materials:

Story drama: masks for all different types of insects

(preferably paper mache in the style of the book); leaves
Puppet show: shadow puppets
This story has so many different characters and creatures, it is perfect for a
story drama. The leader of the story drama could be the Grouchy ladybug.

Integration:

Science (animals mentioned in the story); telling time; art

(paper mache)

That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown

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Cressida Cowell
Neal Layton
Orchard Books
2007
Emily receives a visit from the Queens footman, asking to
swap her beloved toy rabbit Stanley for a golden teddy
bear, but she refuses. Over the next few weeks the army,
the navy and the air force are all sent to make the same
demand but are firmly turned away. Then the Queens
Special Commandos steal Stanley while Emily is asleep.
She marches furiously to the palace, to find the Queen in
a state because Stanley (whom she has managed to dye
pink) is miserable. Emily puts the golden teddy into the
Queens arms and tells her that if she actually plays with
him and has adventures he will become a real toy. This
is what happens, and the Queen sends Emily a thank-you
letter.
K-3
Hats for the characters (crown for the queen, bunny ears
for the bunny)

This story works really well for story dramatization because it has lots of
characters and locations. It is important to go over the physicalization of the
characters (such as the military). There is also an opportunity for a teach-inrole as either Emily, or the Queen.
Integration: Social Studies (royalty, military)

THE RECESS QUEEN

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Alexis ONeill
Laura Huilska-Beith
Scholastic
2002
Mean Jean is the Recess Queen and she rules the
playground with an iron fist. No one dares to question
her power until a new girl named Katie Sue comes to
school. Not only is Katie Sue not intimidated by Mean
Jean, she actually asks Mean Jean to jump rope with her.
When the two girls become friends, the playground is
once again safe for all.
K-3
You really do not need anything but kids with
imagination to tell this story.

This is a tricky story, but it is an important story for development and would
work really well as a story drama. Since it is all about bullying, it is important
to be thoughtful and aware of the ramifications. However, it is a good story to
teach why bullying is bad.

Integration:

Bullying, social skills.

ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY

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Judith Viorst
Ray Cruz
Antheneum Books for Young Readers
1972
Alexander, a kid with an unruly crop of hair, gets out of bed to face a day that
seems to grow increasingly worse with each passing minute. Indeed, on the
very first page, Alexander wakes to hair full of gum, trips on his skateboard,
and drops a sweater in a sink full of water.
At breakfast, his brothers are having a far better day having found prizes
in their breakfast cereal which makes Alexander feel worse. School offers
him no respite from his horrible day: he gets reprimanded by a teacher, he
gets demoted to third best friend, and at lunch, finds himself dessertless.
Could the day get worse?
After school, the dentist discovers a cavity, the elevator door closes on his
foot, and at the shoe store, he has to buy plain white shoes (while both
brothers get shoes with stripes!). Later, he gets lima beans for dinner and
there's kissing on TV. Alexander can't wait for this day to end.
2-5
Masks for alexanders emotions (happy/sad), and others emotions (Happy)

This story is very relatable for children so it will be very therapeutic for them to
work out their bad days during this story drama. While the story itself doesnt have that
many different characters, it will still work really well for a story drama because you can
double/triple/quadruple cast Alexander. There are also lot of other roles for the other
people in his life: his brother, mother, father, teacher, friends, dentist, etc. It is a great
story to use pantomime in.

Integration: Literature (Story), Art (masks)

HOW CAN YOU DANCE?

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Rick Walton
Ana Lopez-Escriva
G.P. Putnams Sons
1988
It's no secret kids love to dance, and the quirky kids and
animals in this book find inspiration everywhere. How
can you dance if you're lying on the floor? Dance like a
snake as it slithers to explore. How can you dance when
you're mad as a bee? Dance around, around, aroundwildly. Each page also includes a second verse kids can
chant as they jump out of their seats to dance. This
energetic celebration of movement will encourage kids to
boogie through any mood.
PreK-2
Mask making materials (paper plates); Music for the
dancing

This is a fantastic story to get kids moving. It works really well in tandem with
games exploring animal movement (such as Animal Action). While there are
only two main characters, they dance like all kinds of different animals which
could easily be all of the other kids in the class. Even if it is not used as a story
drama, it has many useful movement activities for children to explore animal
and scenarios.

INTEGRATION:

Literature (reading), art (making masks), dance, science

(animals)

The Day the Crayons QUIT

Author:

Drew Daywalt

Illustrator:

Oliver Jeffers

Publisher:

Philomel

Copyright:

2013

Synopsis:

Duncan is all set to color, but when he opens his crayon box he finds all

Grade Level:

sorts of letters written to him by his crayons. And they are all letters of
complaint! First, Red wants to complain about being overworked because
of all of his work on apples and fire engines. He even works holidays like
Christmas and Valentines Day! Other crayons like Beige are complaining
about not being used enough. Then there is the feud between Orange and
Yellow about how is the real color of the sun, since Duncan uses them
both. Peach crayon is upset about having his wrapper peeled off leaving
him naked and unable to come out of the crayon box. Purple scolds
Duncan for coloring outside the lines and Pink complains about not being
used except by Duncans little sister. Luckily, Duncan has a great solution
to all of their complaints.
3-6

Materials:

Cone hats for each of the different crayons, letters for the crayons

This story is absolutely hilarious and would be wonderful to do with children. It is a bit
sassy, so it would work best for older children, but I think that it would work well. There are
lots of different roles that could be in the story drama. There is also a possibility for an
original story drama inspired by the story. Have students choose their own colors and write
their version of grievances for the crayons (that is, if the kids are older).

Integration:

Art (hats, color), language arts (have the kids write the crayons
grievance letters); social studies (protests)

GIRAFFES CANT DANCE

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Giles Andreae
Guy Parker-Rees
Scholastic, Inc.
2001
Gerald the Giraffe is a charming happy gent who has one aspiration -- to
dance. The extra-tall giraffe is a bit wobbly in the knees, and his every
attempt to boogie results with Gerald on the ground. It's time for the
annual Jungle Dance, where all the creatures of the kingdom shake their
respective tails. The lions dance the tango, and the chimps cha-cha-cha. As
Gerald nears the dance circle, the animals snicker, "Hey, look at clumsy
Gerald. Giraffes can't dance, you silly fool!" Sad and embarrassed, he
retreats to his home. On the way, he bumps into a compassionate cricket
who suggests that "Sometimes when you're different you just need a
different song." So Gerald takes a new approach to dancing, as he listens to
the wind in the trees and the swaying grass. And soon, with all the grace of
a swan and the fancy moves of a pro, he dances for his jungle friends, who
watch in astonishment.
K-3
Music to dance to, masks for the animals

With waltzing warthogs and rock-and-roll rhinos, lions who tango, and cha-cha-cha chimps,
this is a fantastic story to use for story drama. There are many different types of animals (and
therefore characters) that can be used. The moral of the story is fantastic as well. You can
have a teach-in-role as the cricket, or possibly, even the giraffe (if you dont want the kid to
accidentally get their feelings hurt).

Integration: Science (animals); Music (styles of music and dance); movement

STELLALUNA
Author:

Janell Cannon

Illustrator:

Janell Cannon

Publisher:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Copyright:

1993

Synopsis:

After Stellaluna and her mother are attacked by an owl, the tiny
fruit bat lands headfirst in a bird's nest. The mother bird allows
Stellaluna to stay, as long as Stellaluna doesn't teach the bird
babies bad tricks--like hanging upside down from the nest to sleep.
Stellaluna wants to be as graceful as the baby birds, but she's
graceful only when she's flying. A bat discovers Stellaluna, who's
been separated from the birds, sleeping wrong end up. It calls
other bats to see this strange little creature, and a very happy
Stellaluna is reunited with her mother to learn proper bat behavior.
When the birds visit Stellaluna's bat family, the little bat discovers
that baby birds are as clumsy at being bats as Stellaluna was at
trying to be a bird.

Grade Level:

K-2

Materials:

Story Drama: Hats for the animals

Puppet Show: Marionettes for the bats and the birds

Stellaluna would be a great story to use as a marionette puppet show and to introduce
students to marionettes. There are many different types of characters, however it would be
necessary to have a lesson about bats before we start work on the story drama.

Integration:

Science (bats, birds), Art (marionette puppets, hats)

Harry Allard
James Marshall
HMH Books for Young Readers
1977
The students in Miss Nelsons class, Room 207, were misbehaving again.
No matter how nicely Miss Nelson asked they wont stop talking, they
wont do their schoolwork, they were even rude during story hour! Sweet
Miss Nelson knew something had to be done. The next day at school Miss
Nelson did not arrive in Room 207. The students were ecstatic, until they
heard an unpleasant voice hissing down the hall. The substitute teacher
had arrived. Her name was Miss Viola Swamp and her mood was as ugly
as her black dress. She put the kids right to work and they knew she
meant business. They had stacks of homework and story hour was
canceled. As the days passed the kids realized they missed Miss Nelson!
They tried to find her. They even went to the police department and
talked to Detective McSmogg, but Miss Nelson was nowhere to be found.
When the kids spied on Miss Nelsons house, they were scared away when
Miss Swamp came around the corner. There was nothing the kids in
Room 207 could do. They might be stuck with Miss Swamp forever! But
then one morning they hear a sweet voice ring out, Hello, children. Miss
Nelson had returned! And she was happy to find her class had not only
missed her, but were very well behaved too! As to the whereabouts of
Miss Viola Swamp, well, thats Miss Nelsons secret and shell never tell.
2-4
Moustache for McSmogg; Mask/Wig for Swamp; Paper
This story seems like it was written to be performed. Perhaps that is why there are so many
different stage adaptations of it. It will work wonderfully for a story drama because the
students will be able to play versions of themselves. Miss Nelson/Viola Swamp can be a
teacher-in-role, while the other adult roles can be played by other children.
There is also an opportunity for students to write letters to their teachers, to show how they
appreciate them! They can also explore what makes a good student and how to properly
treat their teacher!
Literature (reading); Language Arts (letters); Social Studies (police)

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

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Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Harper Trophy
1963 (Winner of the Caldecott Medal)

Synopsis:

Max was very mischievous one night, so his mother sent him to bed
without supper. That night, his room became a forest by the ocean,
so Max sailed away in a boat to where the wild thing lived. When Max
got there, he wasnt afraid of the wild things, and he tamed them with
a magic trick. Max was named King of the Wild Things. But after
awhile, Max got bored and lonely for love, so he sailed back home.
When he got there, his room was back to normal and his supper was
hot and waiting for him on a tray.

Grade Level:

K-3

Materials:

story: paper plate masks

Puppet show: puppets

This story could work as a puppet show with each student making their own wild
thing puppet. It could be used at storytime or literature. It would also incorporate art,
speech, and cooperative learning.
It is also a good story for a large group because the teacher/leader could teach-in-role
as Max and all the children could be wild things. Students could make paper plate
masks to play the story. IT is a good introductory story for improvisation and/or
pantomime.
Integration:

art, literature