Rabbits and Raindrops by Jim Arnosky

A mother rabbit takes her five babies out of the nest for the first time. They all go out to nibble clover and meet the other creatures. When it rains, they hop back under the bushes and wait out the storm.

• Read the title of the book on the cover, pointing to each word as you say it. Repeat the title with your child.

Reading the Story for the First Time

• Read the words to the story on each page, moving your finger under the words as you read.
• Give the child enough time to look at each of the pictures. You may want to name some of the other creatures that are shown in the pictures as you read the book this first time. Ask: Have you ever seen a rabbit? Have you ever seen any of these other animals? What were they doing?

Reading the Book Again and Again

• Each time you read Rabbits and Raindrops, leave more of the "reading" or retelling to your child. Give prompts on each page. For example, ask: What is fluttering above the rabbits? (A brown-and-yellow butterfly is fluttering above the rabbits.)
• Give prompts about objects or activities in the pictures. For example, ask: Where do the rabbits go when it rains? (They hop back under the bushes.) Use your finger to point to what you are asking about. Evaluate the child's response. Expand it by giving more information. Ask the child to repeat the answer. If he or she needs help in answering a question, ask that question again the next time you read the book. Good words to ask about are listed in the vocabulary section below. Be sure to talk about objects and actions the child brings up, too.
• You may wish to discuss the prompts shown below.

Building Literacy

• Point to the raindrops on the cover of the book. Has the child ever been outside in the rain? What did he or she do? Use the story and the pictures to start the child talking about what animals do when it rains. You might use words such as raining, pouring, lightning, thunder, and so on.

Excerpted from Read Together, Talk Together, the Pearson Early Childhood research-based program that makes reading aloud even more effective!