Friday, May 17, 2013

The Most Wonderful Egg in the World

The Most Wonderful Egg in the World by Helme Heine is a great story that has been adapted for the flannel board. I found one with fantastic felt pieces on Flannel Friday's "Picture Books" board on Pinterest. The original post which has a brief plot summary is here. Years ago I found another version in Books in Bloom: Creative Patterns and Props That Bring Stories to Life by Kimberly K. Faurot (ALA, 2003). I loved the story but I did not love how complicated it was to make the chickens so I decided to simply make them out of card stock. I threw some yarn in a plastic bowl for the nest and that was it. The chickens became rather beat up after several years of use so I decided to make a new set for my recent family storytime program. This time I made a nice nest using a basket and filler shred (aka Easter grass). I also added a construction paper crown which I wore when the king spoke.

What makes this story so great is the fact that you take each hen off the board and place her in the nest to lay her egg. The eggs are previously hidden in the nest. It's a great opportunity to express each hen's personality as she lays her egg. Much can be conveyed by saying "Bawk!" in various ways. This silliness is what makes the story special. It is one of those rare instances when I think the board version is better than just reading the story. The audience loves it.

I really like using the board figures with a prop. It seems to add to the story. I did this as well with "Pot Luck" which is an adaptation of Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong. I'll have to see if I can find another story that would work well with this format.

The Ladies


The Eggs


The Props


Bawk!


This week's Flannel Friday Round-Up is hosted by Katie of the Storytime Katie blog.

2 comments:

  1. This is charming! I love the look of your set, and the use of the nest.

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    1. Thank you! I have so much fun telling this story.

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