Shark vs Train

Do you have a son?  If so, Shark vs Train by Chris Barton is a must read!  It is such a cute story.  It starts out with two boys rushing towards the toy bin. After tossing toys left and right each boy settles on a toy. One boy selects a shark and the other selects a train.  The battle begins: Shark versus Train! Who will win the competition?  Well, that depends on what the competition is and where it takes place.

This book is jammed pack with action and full of imagination.  Of course, I enjoy the book because it is a great opportunity for children to practice the comprehension strategy of creating inferences.  Shark and Train hold lots of competitions.  They face-off on a seesaw, in hot-air balloons, and play basketball.  The author does not tell the reader who wins each competition.  They reader needs to use their schema (background knowledge) and picture clues to figure out who wins.  When reading the story with your child ask them the following question after each competition: Who do you think won this competition?  Why? 

Wow!  It is easy to create inferences with this text! 

Of course, not all the competitions have clear winners.  When Shark and Train play hide-and-seek or have a sword fight on a tightrope it gets a bit fuzzy as to who the winner is.  The characters are thrown into situations that lead to a variety of emotions.  When reading the story, you and your child can infer the emotions Shark and Train feel!  Ask your child:  How do you think Shark feels?  Train?  Why do you think this?

A great extension activity for this book would be to give your child a toy shark and train (dig one out of your toy bin!) and create your own imaginary battles!  Who will win the shark or train?