Hello, Sunflower: Independent Reading Red 2
Collins Big Cat Sets Series
on Goodreads (2)
What’s inside...
A delightful tale of a young girl named Lily who learns about the importance of sunflowers in the ecosystem while nurturing one in her backyard.
Series reading
Non-Sequential
Age
6-8
Length
24 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
What do you think the sunflower feels when it sees the sun?
How do the other flowers in the garden help the sunflower?
Can you think of a time when you helped someone, just like in the story?
What would you like to say to the sunflower if you could talk to it?
How do you think the story would change if it was a cloudy day?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to think about and express their feelings by relating to the sunflower's experiences.
Discuss the importance of community and helping each other, drawing parallels from the book to real life.
Prompt your child to use their imagination by asking how they would interact with the sunflower.
Foster empathy by discussing the emotions of the characters and relating them to the child’s own experiences.
Use expressive reading to enhance the emotional impact of the story, adjusting your tone to match the narrative.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Embracing Curiosity
Explanation: In 'Hello, Sunflower: Independent Reading Red 2', the protagonist's fascination with the sunflower's growth encourages young readers to explore and ask questions about the natural world.
Real-World Application: Children can apply this curiosity by engaging more actively with their environment, asking questions, and seeking answers about the nature around them, promoting a lifelong love for learning.
Example Lesson: Responsibility and Care
Explanation: The story demonstrates responsibility as the main character takes care of the sunflower by watering it and ensuring it gets enough sun, teaching children the importance of nurturing.
Real-World Application: Kids can learn to take care of their own plants or pets, understanding that consistent effort and responsibility are needed for the care of living things.
Example Lesson: Patience and Perseverance
Explanation: As the sunflower grows slowly day by day, the book teaches children the value of patience and the rewards of perseverance through the natural process of growth.
Real-World Application: This lesson can help children understand the value of waiting and working steadily towards goals in their daily activities, whether it’s in learning new skills or building relationships.
Example Lesson: Observation Skills
Explanation: By observing the sunflower’s changes, children are introduced to basic scientific observation skills, learning to notice details and changes.
Real-World Application: This encourages children to be more observant in all areas of life, from noticing changes in their environment to observing patterns in their studies.