One Ted Falls Out of Bed

Donaldson, J. (2004). One Ted Falls Out of Bed. Illustrated by Anna Currey. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Brief Annotation: One Ted falls out of his bed and cannot get back in. He plays with three mice and other toys as they make their way to the number 10. They build him a staircase to get back in bed, when it all comes crashing down. Counting backward from 10, everything scampers back into place, when the boys two eyes open, and he puts one Ted back into bed.

Genre: Poetry/Counting Book

Grade Level: PreK- Grade 2

Readers who will like this: I think any child would love this book. After shows like Toy Story have been popular, I think children believe their toys come to life when they are not around. The storyline of the book does just that. Children who enjoy Corduroy books would really like this book as well.

Response/Rating (1-4): It had a good storyline, but the idea of the book is not original, which is why I would rate it a 3.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What do you think your toys do at night while you sleep?

Reading Strategies Connection: Story Boards (Tompkins pg. 116). Story boards are cards that hold illustrations from a picturebook to be used to sequence and retell a story. The teacher begins by obtaining two copies of a book, then removes the covers and separates out the pages. Make the pages look presentable and trim away any text on the page, so only the illustrations are the focus of the page. The pages are then ready to be attached to cardboard and then laminated so they can be durable and be handled by the students. The last things is to use the story board cards for sequencing, story structure, re-reading, and word-study activities.
Story boards are used for beginning readings and give the reader an opportunity to gain comprehension skills. They can be used in small group setting, in large group, or even individual students can utilize the story board cards during a center. This particular story counts up to ten and so the sequencing skills of both reading and math can be strengthened.