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The Amazing Bone
Reading Guide
Guide
created by Sue Ornstein, June 2000
When I
Grow Up
On her way home from school,
Pearl observes the grownups in town and thinks about her life as an
adult. Ask students to consider their possible future jobs, and to
write and illustrate a story describing the reasons for their choices. A
career day can also be held in the classroom to introduce students to new
possibilities.
Friends
Forever
Discuss the unusual
friendship between Pearl and the bone. Ask students to list traits
possessed by the bone that are conducive to forming a friendship with
Pearl. Students may suggest ideas such as loyalty, kindness,
cleverness, sense of humor, and sharing a love of music. Then have
students write about their own best friend, describing the basis of their
friendship and the activities they enjoy doing together.
Language
Learning
Pearl’s amazing bone can speak in any language. Ask students if
they, too, are multilingual and provide an opportunity for students to
demonstrate their language skills to their classmates. Then encourage
students to learn a few words in a new language. If students have access
to the Internet, the “Say Hello to the World” Web site (www.ipl.org/youth/hello)
designed by the Internet Public Library will teach them how to greet one
another in a multitude of languages.
Solving
Problems
The amazing bone is a resourceful character who succeeds in rescuing
Pearl from two terrible predicaments. Ask students to suggest alternative
solutions for Pearl’s dilemmas. Then ask them to discuss their own
experiences with solving difficult problems. Students can work in small
groups to help their classmates resolve current issues in their lives. In
addition, students can compare and contrast problem-solving techniques as
they read other books in which characters cleverly resolve problems
(including Steig’s Doctor De Soto).
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