Little Bunny's Sleepless Night by Carol Roth - Teaching Ideas

This book brings back so many memories from when my kids were little. We read this book countless times. And sure enough as I had this book out working on these teaching tips my youngest (who is 18) grabbed it and said..."Oh I love this book, what memories!" I just love that about picture books, they are so comforting on so many levels.

Little Bunny is tired of sleeping alone. He decides he is going to go visit his friend Squirrel and spend the night there.To Little Bunny's dismay, Squirrel starts to eat acorns just after he falls asleep. Little Bunny does not like this at all, so he leaves, but doesn't want to go home, so he goes to his friend Skunks house. Just as Little Bunny and Skunk fall asleep, Skunk gets scared and stinks up the room. Little Bunny cannot sleep with the stink so he leaves. Through the story Little Bunny continues going to different friends houses until he finally decides that home is where he needs to be. I cannot say it enough, this story is A-dorable (especially the skunk part)!!

To make it even better I have come up with the reading skills and strategies to make this a meaningful read.

Reading level: 4.2

Theme/subject: friendship

Genre: fiction

Suggested vocabulary/phrases: prickles, rumbling noise, advice

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions – these are just possible questions or wondering from either the student or teacher
• Before
1. I wonder what the story is going to be about.
2. I wonder why the Little Bunny’s night is sleepless.
• During
1. I wonder whose house he is going to first.
2. I wonder whose house his is going to now.
3. I wonder where he will finally sleep.
• After
1. I wonder if he will try to spend the night at one of his friends’ house again.

  **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.

• Author's point of view – Third person
• Author's purpose – Entertain
• Evidence
1. Animals don’t have bedrooms.
2. Animals don’t have sleepovers.
3. Owls don’t read books.
• Beginning, middle, end – the most important event from each
• Beginning – Little Bunny got lonely and couldn’t fall asleep.
• Middle – Little Bunny was having a hard time sleeping at his friends’ houses.
• End – Little Bunny went back home and fell right to sleep.
• Cause and effect  
1. How come the Little Bunny couldn’t fall asleep? Because sometimes he got so lonely he couldn’t.
2. Why did the Little Bunny leave Squirrel’s house? Because Squirrel started cracking acorns and making too much noise.
3. Why did Little Bunny leave Skunk’s house? Because Skunk got scared and sprayed so the room got really stinky.
4. Why did Little Bunny leave Porcupine’s house? Because Little Bunny got pricked by a quill.
5. Why did Little Bunny leave Bear’s house? Because Bear was snoring and making a loud rumbling noise.
6. Why did Little Bunny leave Owl’s house? Because he wouldn’t turn out the light.
7. Why did the Little Bunny have to drag himself home? Because he was too tired to hop.
• Character analysis - describe Little Bunny {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character, how others think/see the character}
• Character changes – In the beginning of the story Little Bunny was so lonely he couldn’t fall asleep but after trying to sleep at all his friends’ houses he was happy to be home alone in the peace and quiet.
• Classify & categorize
• Classify – Falling Asleep
1. Things that help you fall asleep
2. Things that keep you from falling asleep
• Compare & contrast
• A time you spent the night at a friend’s house with Little Bunny’s experience.
• Connections
• Text-to-self
1. Spending the night at a friend’s house.
2. Not being comfortable at friend’s houses and wanting to leave.
3. Loving your own bed.
4. Not liking to sleep with the light on.   
• Text-to-text  
1. Froggy’s Sleepover by Jonathan London – both books are about a sleepover.
• Main idea & details
• Main idea – the story is mostly about the Little Bunny trying to spend the night with a friend but ending up not being able to sleep at their houses because of all of the distractions.
• Details
1. Little Bunny’s friend Skunk made the room stinky so Little Bunny had to leave because he couldn’t sleep with the stink.
2. Little Bunny’s friend Squirrel started cracking acorns and Little Bunny had to leave because he could sleep with all the noise.
3. Little Bunny’s friend Owl wouldn’t turn his light off so Little Bunny had to leave because he couldn’t sleep with the light on.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story was when Owl told him that if he wanted to get some sleep he just needed to go home to his own bed.
• Predict
1. What do you think the story is going to be about?
2. What do you think Squirrel and Little Bunny will do?
3. What do you think will happen to make Little Bunny leave Skunks house?
4. What do you think will happen to make Little Bunny leave Porcupines house?
5. What do you think will happen to make Little Bunny leave Bears house?
6. What do you think will happen to make Little Bunny leave Owls house?
7. Do you think Little Bunny will ever get some sleep?
8. Do you think Little Bunny will want to sleep over at his friends’ houses anymore?
• Problem & solution
• Problem – The problem is that Little Bunny wants to spend the night at a friend’s house but he is not able to sleep because of something that happens.
• Solution – The owl finally tells Little Bunny that if he wants to sleep he should just go home to his own bed to sleep.
• Sequencing
1. Little Bunny got lonely and wanted to sleep at a friend’s house.
2. Little Bunny went to Squirrel’s house but left when Squirrel started cracking acorns.
3. Little Bunny went to Skunk’s house but left when Skunk got scared and made the room stinky.
4. Little Bunny went to Porcupine’s house but let after a quill poked Little Bunny while he was sleeping.
5. Little Bunny went to Bear’s house but left when Bear started snoring a loud rumbling sound.
6. Little Bunny went to Owls house but left when Owl wouldn’t turn out the light.
7. Little Bunny finally went home and fell asleep in his own bed.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought – someplace in the story that the reader has a strong reaction for example an “I knew it”, or “Don’t do it” type of moment while reading.
• Little Bunny really wanted to spend the night at a friend’s house but he had trouble sleeping at each house.
1. What advice would you give to Little Bunny if he wanted to spend the night at Squirrel’s house again? Or Skunk? Or Porcupine? Or Bear? Or Owl?
• Summarize
• Someone – Little Bunny
• Wanted – wanted to spend the night at a friend’s house
• But – but he was having trouble sleeping there houses
• So – so Owl told him to go home and sleep in his own bed.
• Then – Then, when he did he
• Finally – finally slept well.

• Theme – the lesson, message or moral of the story
1. Sometimes the best place to be is home.
• Visualize – what do YOU picture…
• Little Bunny left his friends’ houses when he couldn’t sleep. Visualize yourself sleeping at a friend’s house and you can’t sleep.
1. What would you do if you couldn’t sleep?

Happy Reading!