RaisingMom.ca

Two friends reading, learning, laughing, and taking this adoptive mom gig one day at a time

  • Welcome
  • Reflections on Parenting
    • Parenting Styles/Beliefs
    • Parenting How-Tos
    • Adoption
      • Interracial Adoption
    • Spirituality in Parenting
    • Twins
    • Self-Care for Moms
    • Humor
  • Children’s Book Reviews
    • Starred Reviews
    • Board Books
    • Picture Books (Ages 2 – 6)
    • Picture Books for Older Kids (6+)
    • Canadian
    • Books about Adoption / Fostering
    • Books about Diversity
    • Books about Values
    • First Nations / Indigenous
    • Beginning Chapter Books
    • Chapter Books
    • Other Reviews
  • Contact Us
    • For Publishers, Authors, Illustrators, Publicists & Companies Seeking a Product or Service Review
  • Disclosures
  • Free Resources

Walter’s Wonderful Web: a book about shapes by Tim Hopgood

Erin Leave a Comment

Image from www.timhopgood.com
Image from www.timhopgood.com

Walter’s Wonderful Web: a book about shapes

ABOUT THE BOOK
Author/Illustrator: Tim Hopgood
Published by: PanMacmillan / Macmillan (Available in hardcover, soft cover and board book)
Released: 2015/2016
Ages: 0 – 5
RaisingMom.ca Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

From the Publisher:  

“A determined little spider named Walter is trying to make a sturdy web that will stand up to the blustery wind. The webs he makes at first are woven in special shapes–a triangle, a square, a circle–but they are still wibbly-wobbly. Can Walter make a web that is both wonderful and strong? This simple, vibrant adventure is a lively companion to our two previous Hopgood “first books” about colors and the senses.”

Description:

The coloured pencil/crayon and chalk-like illustrations evoke a classic feel to this book.  The use of a white chalk streaks and leaves in motion clearly show the movement of the wind blowing on the webs.  The cheerful smile and bright eyes of the spider make an otherwise potentially scary creature look friendly and engaging.  Younger kids will respond to the colourful images and action language and older toddlers will be able to fully engage with the shapes and basic tenets of design in structures.

My Experience:

My three kids all loved the brightly coloured illustrations in this book. My almost 3-yo commented on the use of non-perfect crayon-like drawings for the shapes (webs) and said that the spider “drew” lines just like she did (identifying with and making connections to the character). Some of the language was new to her, so we reviewed what words like “determined” and “shone”. Of course, the finer points of the shapes were beyond my 15 mos old twins, but the book and words captured their attention throughout.  All three kids laughed and responded to some of the new/rich language such as “wobbly-wobbly” and wanted me to repeat it.  The repeated word “Woosh!” for the wind blowing enabled me to add actions and emphasis when reading, which the kids loved.

Image from http://us.macmillan.com/walterswonderfulweb/timhopgood
http://us.macmillan.com/walterswonderfulweb/timhopgood

Why/How Use it with kids:

This is a great book to link shapes to nature – an investigation of the ways that shapes are used in the natural world. Here are some ideas:

  • brainstorm items in nature (of those you can see from the window, etc.) that look like simple shapes (circles, squares, triangles, etc.)
  • when reading the story, work on prediction by having the child guess what will happen to each “shape web” and the end/last web creation.  Ask “why” this happened and why the web made of all the shapes might be stronger.
  • for non-readers, review the shape names by having them give you the name on each page that has a web focusing on that shape.  Use the final web as a place to recognize/point out all the different shapes.
  • go on a walk to see if you can find any spider webs – if you can get close enough, see what shapes you can see.  Going right after a rain can help you see the detail in the web because of the water droplets hanging on it.
  • create a sheet of shapes (basic shapes) with blank space beside each one and have your child identify items in nature that match those shapes. Depending on their age, have them draw or write the names of the items beside the shapes.
  • create your own geoboard and have children use string for a web to make shapes or their own spider web.
  • for older readers, begin a discussion of the features of structure and design and what shapes help create strength in a design and why.  How/why do we mimic nature when building things?

About the Author: 

Award-winning author/illustrator Tim Hopgood lives with his wife, two kids and cats in York, England and has created more than 10 children’s books. Tim’s favourite colour is blue, and one of his favourite albums to work to is ‘A Kind Of Blue’ by Miles Davis.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Board Books, Children's Book Reviews, Picture Books (Ages 2 - 6) 4 stars, board book, children, math, Numeracy, shapes, Spiders, toddlers

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

About Us

Meet Erin & Colleen

Meet Erin & Colleen

Follow Raising Mom on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe HERE

* indicates required
RaisingMom.ca Newsletter/Notification Options
Load More...Follow on Instagram

Latest Parenting Posts

  • Advocating For Your Child at School Advocating for Your Child at School – Tips for building a strong relationship with your child’s teacher

    advocate [verb ad-vuh-keyt; noun ad-vuh-kit, -keyt] verb: to act as an advocate: a father who advocates for his disabled child. […]

  • Parenting While Grieving Parenting While Grieving… tips from a mom who keeps failing, and showing up anyway

    My Grief Experience After a 2.5 year cancer journey, my mom passed away last fall. To say that it’s been […]

  • It's Not About The Boots It’s Not About the Boots!! – Tips for dealing when our kids [seemingly] try to manipulate us

    The Problem – Child’s Behaviour that appears Manipulative: I was following a conversation online recently in which a mom was […]

...more

Latest Kids’ Book Reviews

  • On Our Street Our First Talk About Poverty Homelessness mental illness On Our Street: Our First Talk About Poverty by Dr. Jillian Roberts and Jaime Casap – Book Review

     REVIEW OF THE BOOK:  On Our Street: Our First Talk About Poverty* Authors: Dr Jillian Roberts & Jaime Casap Illustrator: Jane […]

  • Wild One Image Wild One by Jane Whittingham & Illustrated by Noel Tuazon – Book Review

    REVIEW OF THE BOOK:  *Wild One Author: Jane Whittingham Illustrator: Noel Tuazon Published by: Pajama Press Released: Nov 2017 Ages: 1 – […]

  • Bessie, Queen of the sky by Andrea Doshi & Jimena Duran - Book Review Bessie, Queen of the sky by Andrea Doshi & Jimena Duran – Book Review

      REVIEW OF THE BOOK:  Bessie, Queen of the Sky* Author: Andrea Doshi & Jimena Duran Illustrator: Chiara Fabbri Published by: […]

...More

Upcoming ETC Training Opportunities

Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities!

Readers Love These Posts:

  • Parenting While Grieving… tips from a mom who keeps failing, and showing up anyway Parenting While Grieving…... My Grief Experience After a 2.5 year cancer journey... under Parenting, Parenting How-Tos, Parenting Styles/Beliefs, Self-Care for Moms, Spirituality in Parenting
  • Making Sure You’re Heard Without Yelling Making Sure You’re Heard... Want Less Yelling and Better Communication?? Me too! D... under Adoption, Parenting, Parenting How-Tos, Parenting Styles/Beliefs, Spirituality in Parenting
  • Am I Surviving or Thriving?: Thoughts on Self-Care for Moms Am I Surviving or Thrivin... Are You Just SURVIVING, or are you THRIVING? Self-care... under Parenting, Parenting How-Tos, Self-Care for Moms, Spirituality in Parenting

Copyright © 2019 · Daily Dish Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in