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Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books. But every story has its upsets…Everything in Morris Lessmore’s life, including his own story, is scattered to the winds. But the power of story will save the day.
Teaching Ideas and Resources:
English
- ‘Morris Lessmore loved words. He loved stories. He loved books.’ What are your favourite words / stories / books? Can you make a class gallery about your favourite words, stories or books?
- Morris’ life ‘was a book of his own writing, one orderly page after another’. What does this tell you about him?
- Read the first page and write an extract of Morris’ writing about his ‘joys and sorrows’. Later in the story, he is seen writing in the book again. Can you write this part of his story too?
- Retell the story from Morris’ point of view.
- Write a detailed description of the storm that caused everything to scatter… even the words of Morris’ book.
- Imagine that you are Morris and describe what you would do after a storm that caused everything in your life to scatter.
- Imagine that a ‘festive squadron of flying books’ could carry you into the air. Where might they take you? Write a story about the adventure that you would have.
- Imagine that Morris had time to talk to the lady flying through the air. Write the conversation that they might have had.
- Morris finds ‘the most mysterious and inviting room he had ever seen’. Explain how he might be feeling at this point. Can you describe it from his point of view?
- Make a persuasive poster to encourage people to visit their local library.
- Think of some speech / thought bubbles and captions for each illustration.
- Write a description of the different locations in the story. Can you think of lots of adjectives, similes or descriptive phrases?
- Write your own story about a book that comes to life.
- How many different types of books are mentioned in the story? What is each type of book for? Make a glossary (or a guide) to help others learn about them.
- Have you ever become ‘lost’ in a book? What was the book? Why did you enjoy it so much?
- Make a list of your friends and choose some books that they might enjoy.
- If you could interview the author, what questions would you ask him? Watch this interview to find out more about his thoughts on the story:
Maths
- Record the number of books that you read in a week / month / year. How many pages have you read in total?
- Create a survey to find out the favourite story / author / type of book in your class or school.
Computing
- Look at the different fonts used in the book. Can you explore the fonts available on your computer? When might you use each type of font? Can you design your own font?
- This story also has a related app. Could you plan a new activity to include in the app… or plan an app based on your own favourite story?
Design Technology
- Can you find out how books are made?
- Could you try to recycle some old paper and make your own?
Art
- Look at the use of colour in the illustrations. How does the use of colour match the events in the story?
- Design the front cover of a book about your life.
Geography
- A dark storm takes place at the start of the story. What is a storm? How does it affect people? When was the most recent storm where you live?
- Plan a visit to your local library. How will you get there? What route will you take? How long might the journey be?
History
- Can you find out about the history of books? When were the first books made? How were they made? How have books changed throughout history?