Never, EVER Shout in a Zoo by Karma Wilson

Never, EVER Shout in a Zoo
(Little, Brown Books for Young Readers-2004)

By: Karma Wilson

Illustrated by: Doug Cushman

Grade: PreK-1

Never, EVER Shout in a Zoo is about a little girl that drops her ice cream cone at the zoo and starts to cry despite the narrator's warning, "Never, EVER shout in a zoo...because if you do...anything might happen." From that point it is shown what each of the animals will do (escaping, playing jokes, etc.). In the end the warning is repeated again and now the little girl is careful not to shout again. This is a great cause and effect story. It also can be used to teach rules and why we have them.

Theme/Skills Taught: Consequences/Cause and Effect

About the Author: Karma Wilson grew up an only child of a single mother in the wilds of North Idaho. There was no cable TV.  TV reception was limited to 3 channels, of which one came in with some clarity. Karma did the only sensible thing a lonely little girl could do…she read or played outdoors. By the age 11 she was devouring about a novel a day. Karma never considered writing as a profession because her mother was a professional writer which made it seem like boring and mundane work.Then a tax refund changed everything. With the money the family decided to invest in a computer and Karma started writing for children. She wanted to put a few more good books on the library shelves and pay off that computer! Countless rejections and three years later Karma was finally accepted by book agent Steven Malk (who had already rejected her once, which she never lets him forget). Her first book, Bear Snores On, was released in 2002. The computer was paid for! Since then Karma has had more than 30 books accepted for publication. Karma writes humorous, rhythmic picture books for the very young and books that share her faith in a fun, understandable way with the youngest readers.  Karma Wilson's Bio Her amazing story should inspire everyone! If you put your mind to something, you can do great things! She is proof of that.

About the Illustrator: Doug Cushman was born in Springfield, Ohio and moved to Connecticut with his family when he was 13 years old. While in high school he created comic books lampooning his teachers, selling them to his classmates for a nickel a piece. Since 1978, he has illustrated and/or written over 120 books for children and collected a number of honors including a Reuben Award for Book Illustration from the National Cartoonists Society, New York Times Children's Books Best Sellers, the New York Public Library's Best 100 Books of 2000, and a 2009 California Young Readers medal. He enjoys painting, playing guitar (very ill) and cooking (and eating!) as he spends his time in Paris, France and traveling around Europe and the USA. Doug Cushman's Bio

Pre-Reading Activities: Go over some classroom rules about shouting and why we have certain rules. What do they think the consequences are for breaking these rules? This would be a great book to use in the beginning of the school year to go over school rules and discuss possible consequences for bad behaviors.

Post Reading Activities:  

-Read aloud to the whole class- after every few pages the teacher can stop to talk to the students about what happened (If you scare the bear...he will charge...though the bars of his cage..."). 

-Give students a writing/drawing prompt about why you should never shout in a zoo. Make a poster about a school rule. It is always a good idea to display childrens' work and this would be a great activity to hang in the hall outside the classroom.