Whether a child’s companion is a grasshopper or a mutt, there’s something about a pet in a schoolyard that grabs the imagination every time! (Remember Mary Had a Little Lamb?) This classic theme is reborn in the rip-roaring Tag tale called Ozzie and Mack.
Ozzie Otter takes his pet grasshopper, Mack, to school—and everyone, including Ozzie, knows that’s against the rules. Before you know it, Mack is floating behind ears, dancing in the aisles, turning cartwheels and scattering papers all over the place! Then something magical happens.
Ozzie and Mack is a not only great story—it also gets kids playing with the alphabet and whole numbers, sounding out words and playing against the clock in games that develop reading fluency. Later in the story, children romp through nature scenes while hearing vocabulary words.
Why is this important? There are several reasons:
- Learning is fun! Ozzie and Mack and the other Tag books keep that idea on track with an engaging story, silly sound effects and fun activities.
- Children have both control and choice while playing and learning, just as they do in the sandbox.
- The Tag Reader works with children in a fully interactive way, not only to tell all those great stories, but to literally partner with children in learning games.
- The Tag Reader and books are fully portable so kids can play and learn anywhere they want.
- Ozzie and Mack—and all of the Tag books and stories—can lead to great discussions about themes like fun, kindness, learning and even about life itself.
Remember, learning to read takes time, but it can be fun when kids have a new way to play and learn.
Discussion Questions
Here are a few ideas you might use to start conversations with your little one about Ozzie and Mack:
Before reading the story: This book is called Ozzie and Mack. Ozzie is an otter and Mack is a grasshopper. What do you think this story will be about?
During the story: Do you think Mack will get Ozzie into trouble? Why, or why not?
After the story: If you could take a small pet to school, what would it be? Tell me about what might happen in your story.
