Pat Hutchins’ The Doorbell Rang is the child pleasing tale of Ma and her irresistible cookies.
Ma’s irresistible cookies appeal to her own two kids and to their friends as well.
Osage County First Grade settle themselves on the rug for –Reading time-.
Cookies are something six-year-olds recognize.
Hot from the oven, Ma has made a nice, brand new batch of cookies. Sam and Victoria prepare to share the dozen cookies by separating the cookies into two equal groups. As we count the cookies one for Sam and one for Victoria my students quickly understand that dividing the dozen cookies in half will give each child 6 cookies to enjoy.
And then the doorbell rings.
Standing at the door are two of Sam and Victoria’s friends. A little quick computation, 1 for you, and you and you and me, and Sam and Victoria realize how fast each share of the dozen cookies is beginning diminish.
Now that there are 4 kids sharing 12 cookies the children realize there will be 3 cookies per child. Not as many cookies as when there were only 2 children sharing the dozen cookies. On the other hand, the pictures indicate that the cookies are large cookies, AND, sharing cookies with friends is very nice too. So, Osage County First Grade decide: Sam and Victoria are not upset by having to share and lessening their own stash of cookies.
And the doorbell rings.
Soon there are a dozen children around the table; Sam, Victoria and ten of their friends now each have 1 cooky each to eat.
And the doorbell rings.
The children cast worried glances from their plates to their friends and back to Ma who is heading for the door.
But this time, the looming problem is solved.
Grandma has come just in time with a big tray of her wonderful fresh baked cookies.
The Doorbell Rang, a small, easily read work, is a good choice for children’s book shelves.
Class use of the book in our classroom is ongoing. I like the opportunity for discussion per friendship, and joy found in sharing that the book provides. By and large I find little people very willing to share even to the point of breaking a cookie and handing half to the child sitting next to them at the table during a work period.
Math possibilities are inherent as we read the work. During the early weeks of our new term we count out the cookies using toys or circles cut from colored paper. The term dozen is often a new one for little people.
Visually observing the 12 paper cookies and moving them physically between two children quickly entrenches the understanding that 12, a dozen, is this many and half a dozen is significantly less.
The term half is another new term for little people and is one that we address in First Grade.
During the year we continue working with math concepts presented as we read The Doorbell Rang. Whole, half, third, half, quarter, fourths are all terms addressed in First Grade. How many more, how many less, add, subtract are also terms First Graders learn and use.
As I read the tale the first time Osage County First Grade only listened for the fun of the story. It did not take long before the children were so caught up in the tale that they began to anticipate, aloud, how each child’s share of cookies was lessened by the arrival of more friends.
I like that Mom never becomes upset with so many visitors, and neither do Sam or Rebecca, despite the fact that the share of cookies is dwindling each of the children is happy to greet an old friend and share the shrinking pile of cookies.
Thirty four thumbs up say Osage County First Grade, happy to recommend.
The Doorbell Rang is a dandy addition to the classroom bookshelf, school and public library catalogue and as a special gift for the special child’s birthday, first day of the new school year, or just because.
============================
Reviewed by Molly Reviews Books molly martin
============================
Wikipedia biography notes; Patricia Evelyn Hutchins was an English illustrator, writer of children's books and broadcaster.
She won the 1974 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognizing the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject.
The work was The Wind Blew, a picture book in rhyme which she also wrote.
From an early age our mother was an expert at making all kinds of cookies. We participated throughout by cleaning out thoroughlyThe mixing bowl and licking the spoon that the cookie dough was mixed with, tested the first, still very limp and gooey, lip and tongue burning hot cookies that came off the cookie sheets, and then consumed as many as we could, before they cooled and were put into jars for later consumption. All of our friends liked to come over and help us eat the endless cookies that were available.
Don't recall we ever had to divide scarce cookies except those that were bought commercially and in packages, like Fig Newtons and others like Oreos. One time my father got a bulk package of commercial gingersnaps that lasted for a very long time. We softened them in milk so they no longer snapped. Our mother's were soft and chewy, and much better tasting, even without milk.
Ron