“Thank You, Omu!”

 

This 2019 Caldecott Honor Book is perfect for fans of Last Stop on Market Street and Extra Yarn.

 

Omu shares her delicious stew with everyone in the neighborhood. They follow the amazing smell for a portion of Omu’s meal. Soon the pot is empty and her generosity means she has no stew left for herself… but the community show their gratitude by sharing their food with her.

 

WATCH and LISTEN to Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora, presented by Reading Is Fundamental: sadly, the license for the Reading is Fundamental video expired, but you can still find the Teacher’s Guide on Reading is Fundamental.

 

Here is a different storytime video for this award-winning picture book:

 

To take a closer look at the beautiful collage artwork in the book, check out the video or the read-along on Hoopla, or the Overdrive e-book!

 

ACTION RHYME: Thank You

My hands say thank you with a clap, clap, clap.
My feet say thank you with a tap, tap, tap.
Clap, clap, clap. Tap, tap, tap.
I turn around, touch the ground,
And with a bow, I say…thank you, now.

 

ACTION SONG: If You’re Thankful and You Know It

If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you’re thankful and you know it and you really want to show it,
If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands.

Additional verses:

…stomp your feet
…shout HOORAY
…do all three!

 

EARLY LITERACY: This book is rich in opportunities to build early literacy.

  • Book and story knowledge:  Let’s look at the cover of this book. What do you see? What do you think this book might be about?  Choose a repeated phrase to have the children join in with. Have children retell the story in order, using a flannel board or props.
  • Content knowledge:  How do you think the author made the picture? It is called collage, cutting out shapes from paper and painting them or coloring them with marker. Have children make a collage.
  • Print awareness: Point out the words Knock! and Thank you, Omu or any of the text written in caps. Point out words in the pictures such as TAXI and Open. Note that Omu is reading a book. Point out the writing on the thank you card.
  • Phonological awareness: make the sound of knocking, and point it out.
  • Letter knowledge: Point out shapes such as the star on the police officer’s shirt, other shapes in the collages. Spell out Omu as you point to the letters. Point out the letters spelling Thank you Omu on the last page.
  • Vocabulary: There are many words in this book that mean delicious—tasty, scrumptious, delectable. Say the repeated phrase together “scrumptious scent wafted out the window”— and talk about what the phrase means.

 

DISCUSSION:

  • Omu means “queen” in Igbo, a language spoken in Nigeria, a country in Africa. It is what the author, Oge Mora, called her grandma. Let’s say Omu together. What do you call your grandmother?
  • What do you notice about the illustrations in Thank you Omu? Do you see shapes?
  • Have you ever made a stew or soup? Tell me about that. What did you put in your pot? If you have never made soup or stew, what would you like to make? Who would you make it with?
  • Why is sharing important? Have you ever had to share something that you didn’t want to? Tell me about that.
  • What happens at the end of the story? If you could create a different ending, what would it be?
  • Can you name all of the visitors who come for stew? What are their jobs?

 

ACTIVITIES:

 

MORE BOOKS IN OVERDRIVE:

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson

Saturday by Oge Mora

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