Squids Will Be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables
on Goodreads (2,253)
What’s inside...
A collection of new and wacky fables with fresh morals, which are about all kinds of bossy, sneaky, funny and annoying people. A general moral offered by the book is, 'If you are planning to write fables, don't forget to change people's names and avoid places with high cliffs'. Sure we'd all love to be able to go around telling stories about all the weird, scary, and just-plain-annoying people that we know. But the truth is, no one likes a gossip. Here, the irrepressible Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith have found a way around that problem-they just make like Aesop and change all the people to animals or food, add a moral to each story, and call the stories fables! With tales like 'Little Walrus,' in which too much of the truth is a dangerous thing, the cautionary 'Slug's Big Moment,' wherein Slug is so caught up in herself that she doesn't see the steamroller behind her, and 'Straw and Matches,' which illustrates quite clearly why you should never play with matches (because they cheat), the eighteen fables in this uproarious collection are sure to delight readers both young and old.
Series reading
Non-Sequential
Age
5-9
Length
48 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
What do you think the moral of the story you just read is?
How do you think the characters felt in the story?
Can you think of a time when you felt similar to any of the characters?
What would you have done differently if you were in the place of the main character?
How do you think the story would change if it happened in our town?
Tip: Role play these questions
Use expressive and animated voices for different characters to make the reading session lively and engaging.
Ask your child to guess what might happen next before turning the page, to encourage prediction skills.
Relate the fables to real-life situations or personal family experiences to make the stories more relatable and meaningful.
Encourage your child to draw their favorite scene or character from the book. This helps in enhancing their understanding and retention of the story.
After discussing the book’s morals, allow your child to act out their favorite fable. This reinforces learning and makes the interaction fun.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Importance of Critical Thinking
Explanation: The book portrays various animals in quirky, unexpected situations that encourage children to think beyond the obvious.
Real-World Application: Kids can learn to analyze situations and make wise choices instead of blindly following others.
Example Lesson: Understanding Consequences
Explanation: Each fable ends with a moral that highlights the consequences of the characters' actions, teaching children that actions have outcomes.
Real-World Application: This helps children understand the link between what they do and the results that follow, encouraging responsibility.
Example Lesson: Embracing Individuality
Explanation: Characters in the tales often break from the norm, illustrating the value of being true to oneself.
Real-World Application: Children can be inspired to celebrate their unique traits and feel confident in expressing their true selves.
Example Lesson: Value of Humor
Explanation: The witty and sometimes sarcastic morals can amuse children while instilling lessons, showing that learning can be enjoyable.
Real-World Application: This can encourage a positive attitude towards learning and using humor as a coping mechanism in challenging situations.