We will carefully study the text and its illustrations to help us describe the characters. The second day, we will revisit “One Cool Friend” to look for character traits of Elliot and his father. The illustrations complement the text perfectly by helping to depict Elliot and his father. This book is wonderful for teaching character traits. For the middle, students will need to remember three ways in which Elliot took care of Magellan when he got home from the museum. We will complete a basic story map to record the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

If you are not familiar with text dependent questions you can read more about them here. The first day we read “One Cool Friend,” I will ask text dependent questions to ensure my students understand the key ideas and details from the story. Luckily, I planned 4-5 days of lessons so my students will have time to immerse themselves in this story. This makes One Cool Friend Read Aloud a perfect lesson. They will want to comb through the illustrations to find details and clues they missed the first time. The surprising revelation at the end will make students ask to read this charming story over and over again. I know my students will love reading about Elliot’s secret adventures with his new pet penguin. His father agrees, thinking he means a plush penguin from the gift shop. When Elliot reluctantly visits the aquarium with his father, he falls in love with the penguins and asks his father if he can bring one home. This witty story by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small, is a must-have! “One Cool Friend” is structured around a “misunderstanding” between Elliot and his father.

One Cool Friend Read Aloud for First and Second Grade

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo