Spend a rooster summer on the farm with these irresistible read-aloud poems.
For the brother and sister in this novel in verse, each day begins with a barnyard wakeup call. During a summer spent on their grandparents’ farm, they collect eggs from the chicken coop, put on shows for city folks in passing trains, fill in for the farm dog by barking the cows home and dance around the perfectly ripening watermelon growing in Grandma’s garden. All of these barnyard adventures happen in the company of Rexter the rooster, Seed-Sack the mule and Ginger-Tea the farm dog — animal friends that will steal readers’ hearts over the course of a carefree rooster summer.
Based on award-winning poet Robert Heidbreder’s childhood, these irresistible read-aloud poems show the tender relationship between children and their grandparents. Madeline Kloepper brings the cast of lovable human and animal characters to life with her vintage art style. This early novel in verse about the simple joys of childhood on a farm is nostalgic yet timeless.
Key Text Features
poems
illustrations
headings
table of contents
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
Spend a rooster summer on the farm with these irresistible read-aloud poems.
For the brother and sister in this novel in verse, each day begins with a barnyard wakeup call. During a summer spent on their grandparents’ farm, they collect eggs from the chicken coop, put on shows for city folks in passing trains, fill in for the farm dog by barking the cows home and dance around the perfectly ripening watermelon growing in Grandma’s garden. All of these barnyard adventures happen in the company of Rexter the rooster, Seed-Sack the mule and Ginger-Tea the farm dog — animal friends that will steal readers’ hearts over the course of a carefree rooster summer.
Based on award-winning poet Robert Heidbreder’s childhood, these irresistible read-aloud poems show the tender relationship between children and their grandparents. Madeline Kloepper brings the cast of lovable human and animal characters to life with her vintage art style. This early novel in verse about the simple joys of childhood on a farm is nostalgic yet timeless.
Key Text Features
poems
illustrations
headings
table of contents
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Apr 1, 2018 |
| Specifications | 64 pages | 5.5 in x 8.5 in |
| Keywords | family; multigenerational; rural and farm life; childhood; verse; rhymes; wordplay; stories in verse; nature and animals; early reader; grandparents and grandchildren; farm animals; adaptability; helpfulness; positive attitude; optimistic; read aloud; child as narrator; figurative language; simile; metaphors; imagery; rhyme; writing poetry; writing workshop; visualizing/imagining; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Key Ideas and Details; CC Literature Craft and Structure; grade 1; grade 2; |
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Supporting Resources
(select item to download) |
Excerpt |
| Written By |
ROBERT HEIDBREDER is an award-winning children’s poet and author. His many books include I Wished for a Unicorn, Drumheller Dinosaur Dance, Song for a Summer Night and Rooster Summer. Robert spent thirty years as a primary school teacher and has won the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and continues to do many school and festival presentations. |
| Written By |
|
ROBERT HEIDBREDER is an award-winning children’s poet and author. His many books include I Wished for a Unicorn, Drumheller Dinosaur Dance, Song for a Summer Night and Rooster Summer. Robert spent thirty years as a primary school teacher and has won the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and continues to do many school and festival presentations. |
| Audience | ages 7 to 10 / grades 2 to 5 |
| Reading Levels |
Fountas & Pinnel Text Level Q
Lexile 630L Guided Reading Q |
| Key Text Features | poems; illustrations; headings; table of contents |
“. . . thoughtful readers will respond to the wordplay as well as to the characterization of both humans and animals; Rexter's and Seed-Sack's personalities are particularly vivid throughout. Charming.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[C]hildren of all ages will find the poems easy to understand and will most definitely enjoy the rhythmic play on words.” —CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“[A] quiet novel, just asking to be read aloud.” —Canadian Children’s Book News