Gilberto and the Wind by Marie Hall Ets

Prompts

Ask the child questions after the second and third readings of Gilberto and the Wind, to start a conversation about the book. You can prompt the child on every one or two pages, using the questions below. If the child says something spontaneously about a picture, be sure to expand on it and listen while he or she repeats it.

1. Who is this little boy? (This is Gilberto.)
2. Who wants Gilberto to come out and play? (The wind wants him to come out and play.)
3. What happens to the balloon? (The wind carries it away from Gilberto up into a tree.)
4. What is Gilberto looking at? (He is watching the wind blow the clothes on the clothesline.)
5. Why does Gilberto have an umbrella? (It is raining outside.)
6. What happens to the umbrella? (The wind grabs it away and breaks it.)
7. What is Gilberto climbing on? (He is climbing on the gate of a fence.)
8. Where is Gilberto? What is he doing? (He is running in the grass.)
9. Who is looking at Gilberto? (The cow is looking at him.)
10. How many kites are up in the sky? Let's count them together. (There are two.)
11. Does the wind play nicely today with Gilberto? (No, the wind won't help him fly his kite.)
12. What is happening? (Gilberto is waiting for the wind to blow down an apple to eat.)
13. What happens to the boat? (The wind carries it across the little pond.)
14. Have you ever played with a pinwheel? Did the wind spin it fast?
15. What is Gilberto doing in these pictures? (He is blowing soap bubbles.)
16. Have you ever blown soap bubbles?
17. What is Gilberto doing in these pictures? (He is raking leaves.)
18. Why is Gilberto covering his eyes? (The wind is blowing dirt in his eyes.)
19. Does Gilberto let the strong wind come inside the house? (No, he goes in and closes the door.)
20. What is Gilberto doing here? (He is taking a nap outside.)

Vocabulary

The words listed below come from the story and its pictures. As you page through the book, point to the pictures and ask the child to name the object or the action shown. This will help the child learn new words. You can use the words below, or you can choose words you think will interest your child. Below are words for every one or two pages of the story.

• door
• balloon, string, tree, reaching
• clothesline, laundry, clothespin
• umbrella, rain, broken
• fence, gate, climbing
• running, tall grass, cow
• kites, sky
• angry
• apple tree, apples, eating
• sailboat, pond
• pinwheel, spinning, blowing
• soap bubbles, bubble pipe, eyes
• raking, leaves
• howling, afraid
• napping, willow tree