I was one of twenty-three fidgety kids lined up between the overflowing supplies cabinet and the smelly, gerbil cage in Mrs. Larson’s third-grade class, waiting for instructions on how to play this game.
“Think up a message,” Mrs. Larson told the first student in line, “and whisper it to the person standing next to you. Keep the message going down the line to the last person. He’ll tell us what he heard. Then, we’ll see how close it is to the original message.”
Of course, knowing the end message was expected to be a far cry from the original words, most kids tweaked more than a few words while whispering their ear-tickling messages behind cupped hands.
This fun game of Telephone is the basis for today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday (PPBF) review.
Title – Telephone
Written by – Mac Barnett
Illustrated by – Jen Corace
Published by – Chronicle Books – 2014
Suitable for ages – 3-7
Topics/Theme – listening skills
Opening – Tell Peter: Fly home for dinner. Tell Peter: Hit pop flies and homers.
Amazon Review – View it HERE. It’s time to fly home for dinner! In this witty picture book from award-winning and bestselling author Mac Barnett, a mother bird gives the bird next to her a message for little Peter. But passing messages on a telephone line isn’t as simple as it sounds. Each subsequent bird understands Mama’s message according to its own very particular hobbies. Will Peter ever get home for dinner? This uproarious interpretation of a favorite children’s game will get everyone giggling and is sure to lead to countless rereads.
Learn about Mac Barnett HERE.
Lear about Jen Corace HERE.
Find more “Perfect Picture Book Friday” reviews at Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog HERE.
What childhood games are you fondly recalling? I’d love for you to share them in the comments
Until next Friday!
Great. I’ll take a look!!
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This book is sure to bring you smiles, especially if you played Telephone in school when you were little. The mix-ups and misunderstandings always got me laughing.
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What a great idea for a book. I used this exercise in my Communication Skills workshops. With all the different accents, the end result was often very funny.
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Oh my gosh, Darlene, that had to be a hoot with the accents mixed into the message sending. I can’t think of a better game to include in a communication workshop. What fun!!! 🙂
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What a great idea for a book! Love it and can’t wait to see it!
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Every now and then, I come across a picture book that makes me wish I had thought to write that story. ‘Telephone’ is one of those books. I hope it brings you smiles.
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It’s still used in adult bonding weekend retreats. I love this book. It is so funny! Red Rover and Lava Monster Tag were always big hits. Thanks for bringing back memories.
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I remember playing Red Rover, but Lava Monster Tag is new to me. I can see how playing Telephone would be an ice-breaker for adults on weekend retreats.
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Sounds like such a fun book, Leslie! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation. I used to play Telephone with my ECE students. And I, too, must learn about Lava Monster Tag.
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Must say, I always loved when my elementary school teacher would fit in a game at the end of the day. Telephone was one of those games that got the biggest laughs.
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