BIG BED FOR LITTLE SNOW: Picture Book Activities

Best Users: School Librarians, Public Librarians, Educators, Booksellers
Best Audience: Grades 00-03
 

ACTIVITIES

Turning the pages of Grace Lin’s picture book A Big Bed for Little Snow (Little, Brown), the reader is led to believe that the book is simply about a boy bouncing on an irresistible feather-stuffed bed. When a tear forms in the seam of the bed and those feathers start to leak out, the reader has their first hint that his jumps have consequences.

In a brilliant switch of perspective, the reader discovers that that his bed is a storm cloud and the feathers escaping are snowflakes falling on the city below. In the windows of the city’s buildings, you see the upturned faces of children marveling at the snow and, perhaps, at the power of one boy to transform the world.
 

 
LITTLE BEDS FOR LITTLE READERS:
AN INTERACTIVE STORY TIME
The best story times engage children with dialogue, movement, and other hands-on play. This guide and companion craft puts a bed-shaped envelope filled with paper feathers into the hands of children at story time. In the story, when a tear in the bed sends feathers flying, your readers can tear open their bed/envelope and create a snowstorm of feathers. Don’t worry, the story time includes a prompt to clean up those fallen feathers!

DOWNLOAD Big Bed for Little Snow: An Interactive Story Time
 

 
SEW LITTLE SNOW’S BED
Little Snow’s Mommy stuffs his Big Bed with feathers and sews it shut. With this activity you can stuff a small paper bed with feathery tissues and “sew” it shut with a two-sided sewing card. There is even a jumping Little Snow cut-out to insert in the top of the bed. Hang this craft from the ceiling to remind your young reader that one boy’s bed may be another child’s storm cloud.

DOWNLOAD Big Bed for Little Snow: Sew His Bed
 

 
LITTLE SNOW’S SNOWSTORM
Are those feathers falling from Little Snow’s bed or snowflakes falling from a blue gray cloud? From the point of view of the children in the apartments below, it is a snowy day in the city. With this activity, a sandwich bag, and a handful of confetti, you can make it snow on the buildings of Grace Lin’s magical city.

DOWNLOAD Big Bed for Little Snow: Snowstorm
 

 
LITTLE SNOW’S CHART
When the feathery flakes fall from the sky in your city, use a ruler to measure how deep the flakes are on the ground. Keep track of the snowfall on this chart using your high-jumping math skills. According to picture book meteorologists, one inch of snow = five Little Snow jumps. Let’s do the math!

DOWNLOAD Big Bed for Little Snow: Snow Chart
 

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Big Bed for Little Snow
By Grace Lin
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780316478366
Age Range: 4 – 8 Years

When it was quiet, Little Snow grinned and then jumped, jumped, jumped!

Little Snow loves the new big, soft bed Mommy made him for the long, cold winter nights. But Mommy says this bed is for sleeping, not jumping! What happens when he can’t resist jump, jump, jumping on his new fluffy, bouncy bed?

Bestselling and award-winning author Grace Lin artfully introduces young readers to their first snow through striking illustrations and heartwarming moments.

A companion to the Caldecott Honor book A Big Mooncake for Little Star!

“Sweet and clever modern myth…”— Kirkus
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“Wondrous, wintery read.”— Horn Book, starred review
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“Beguiling contemporary origin story.”— Publishers Weekly
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“Heartwarming tale of human nature.”— Booklist
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“Lin’s spirited text is tailor-made for reading aloud…”— BCCB
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“Bound to be a bedtime favorite.”— School Library Journal