Introduction: Our next book is 17 Kings and 42 Elephants written by Margaret Mahy and illustrated by Patricia MacCarthy. Now we will take a journey into the jungle without even leaving the story room. In this story there are some nonsense words—that means they are not real words, but are made-up words. Listen carefully to try to figure out which are the nonsense words, but don’t tell.
Read the book. Go through the book and tell which are the nonsense words. Ask the children what they think a couple of the nonsense words might mean. Talk about one of the real words and its meaning.
Early Literacy Aside--Example: Talking about specific meanings of words strengthens your children's vocabulary which will help them understand what they later will read. Often times children have a general idea of what words mean but that benefit from an actual explanation. No need to do that with every unfamiliar word! Just pick out one or two or ask your child to pick out a word that sounds interesting and talk about its meaning. For a sound clip 17 Kings & 42 Elephants of an excerpt from the book said in a mesmerizing chant by Amy Alapati Submitted by Amy Alapati, Montgomery County (MD) Public Libraries engaging rhythm