What's in This Little Round Hole?

This whimsical book interprets an oral folktale call-and-response game that requires active responses from the reader and listeners; exercises in visual literacy are incorporated throughout the book. Based on a Kentucky call-and-response folktale game, this adaptation features the antics of two memorable characters, a tabby OLD CAT and a sprightly young MOUSE, as they react to the eleven QUESTIONS-and-ANSWERS while scampering throughout the house, woods, fire, water, and barnyard...
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This whimsical book interprets an oral folktale call-and-response game that requires active responses from the reader and listeners; exercises in visual literacy are incorporated throughout the book. Based on a Kentucky call-and-response folktale game, this adaptation features the antics of two memorable characters, a tabby OLD CAT and a sprightly young MOUSE, as they react to the eleven QUESTIONS-and-ANSWERS while scampering throughout the house, woods, fire, water, and barnyard scenes. The final pages instruct the reader and listeners to close their mouths tightly and not reveal their teeth for fear of becoming the OLD CAT. AN EXERCISE IN VISUAL LITERACY: Every other page includes an intriguing peek-a-boo area that varies in size and placement; readers will try to guess what is exposed through each small area before turning the page forward or backwards to discover its source thus providing exercises in visual literacy. APPENDICES: 1. ABOUT THIS FOLKTALE GAME relates the author's family history with this game dating to the early 1900s.The research acknowledges numerous versions of this game with a variety of titles, beginnings, characters, and endings that date from the 1880s in the British Isles and later in the USA. 2. THE BIBLIOGRAPHY lists seven resources for similar versions of this folktale game. NOTE: The anticipated final reactions by the children include suspense, smiles, laughter, and giggles galore. EXAMPLE: Since all have been instructed to close their mouths tightly so as not to reveal their teeth, some children may tickle another to force a smile or simply tire of the silence and grin widely to show their own teeth - because it's not such a bad thing to be the OLD CAT - at least not this time