Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett (Booktalk)

[When starting this booktalk, don't show the cover, and don't reveal the title. Just have the book open to page 11, pictured below. You will have the students examine the picture without talking for at least 45 seconds.]

I want you to take a close look at this picture. I will give you plenty of time. I want you to think of at least five facts you can deduce from this picture. They can be facts about the plot - what is happening, or facts about what the book means.

Page 11

[Allow quiet time to examine picture. When they're done, let them discuss their deductions: the boys are digging a hole; they missed the first jewel; the dog knows about the jewel; one boy seems to be consoling the other boy; etc.]

You did a good job of picking apart this cool illustration. Did you know that this book [show cover now] has puzzled a lot of people - including adults? Even your teachers might disagree with each other about what this picture book, seemingly simple, means! I've read this picture book several times and I'm still thinking about it!

You must read Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and decide for yourself what this story is really about.

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen. Unpaged. Candlewick, 2014. Booktalk to 1st - 5th. Also great for classroom read-alouds. Caldecott Honor. E. B. White Read Aloud Award. Irma Black Award.

Strange Journey: Booktalk 1

[Booktalkers: before you booktalk this, you may want to consider flagging some of Lynne Rae Perkins' cool drawings in this to show your audience. I consider this title appropriate for both middle school and high school.]
When we first meet Ry, he's taking the train to camp. The train stops, and the conductor allows a 40-minute break, so Ry gets off the train. Before he knows it, the train is moving off...without him. Oh, and one other thing. While he _was_ on the train, he opened a letter which he didn't expect to have such disastrous news. It said, "Do not come to camp. There is no camp." So, the logical thing for Ry to do now is to go home, right? Not so easy. Events start conspiring against Ry's homecoming. In fact, the same things starts happening to his grandfather -- who falls down a huge sinkhole -- and to his parents, who are thousands of miles away, on a sailboat. One of the chapters in this fabulous book is called, "When the Rug is Pulled Out, the Earth, too, You Have to Move Your Feet to Keep from Falling." You have to move your feet to keep from falling. And that's what Ry does. This is a wonderful, crazy, fast-paced adventure with intriguing characters. Check out As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins.