The Night Before the Fourth of July book
The Night Before the Fourth of July book written by Natasha Wing & illustrated by Amy Wummer
In The Night Before the Fourth of July, children will explore how America's Independence is celebrated in one family.
The Fourth of July is tomorrow & one family is getting ready! While Dad hangs the American Flag on the front porch, Mom is decorating the fence with red, white, and blue bunting. While they sleep, the brother and sister dream about fireworks. The next day every one dresses up in patriotic stripes and stars to attend the town parade, complete with “marching bands and 4-H club goats.” Even the Mayor joined in the fun, tossing candy to the crowds from a convertible car, while “an Uncle Sam walking on stilts brought up the rear.”
After the parade friends & family came to the house for a barbeque, but as Dad flipped burgers and the table was laid with summer treats, gray clouds threatened overhead. Just as everyone “sat down it started to pour. ‘Grab the food!’ shouted Mom & [they] raced through the door. In hot dogs! In salads! In blueberry pie! In melon & corn! Keep those potato chips dry!”
Everyone piled into the kitchen and continued to munch. But what about the fireworks? They watched out the window at the rain pouring down. A Fourth of July without rockets & sparkle & light just wouldn’t be the same. But there was no need to worry. After the storm burst, the clouds went away & the sky turned blue.
Each "The Night Before..." book is full of vocabulary & rhyme to educate & engage kids of all ages. Each book contains a story line that is modeled after Clement C. Moore's beloved poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” with adorable twists from Natasha Wing’s imagination. These are great tools in exploring the literary concept of a parody as well as for building excitement & anticipation of upcoming holidays!
Collect all of Natasha Wing's The Night Before... Books:
•New Year’s
•Lunar New Year
•Groundhog Day
•Valentine’s Day
•St. Patrick’s Day
•Easter
•Father's Day
•First Communion
•Memorial Day
•Mother's Day
•My Birthday
* Summer Vacation
•Summer Camp
•Fourth of July
•Preschool
•Kindergarten
•First Grade
•Second Grade
•Halloween
•Election Day
•Thanksgiving
•Hundredth Day [of school]
•Christmas
•The Snow Day
•My Birthday
•The Dance Recital
•School Picture Day
•The Tooth Fairy
•The Dentist
•A New Pet
•Moving Day
These books are essential for any home or lower elemetary classroom library. Of course, they are also wonderful for building excitement & anticipation of upcoming holidays!
Format: Softcover
Ages: 3-9 years
Page Count: 32 pages
Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.2 inches
Engagement Feature: rhyme
Enrichment Activity: For added enrichment, create a Venn Diagram to show how the events in the book compare & contrast to events your family experiences related to the holiday two stories are the same (compare) & how they are different (contrast)! Here's a video to help explain what a Venn Diagram is (click here).
Educational Value: This book is a great tool for exploring the literary concept of a parody & helping readers to form connections with what they are reading.
Teaching Tip: This story is a parody of Clement C. Moore's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Explain that a parody is when one author imitates the style of another particular writer, artist, or genre usually for a comic effect.
Consider adding:
Additional/Suggested Resource: Check out Maestra Casiano's Learning Hub page for Independence Day (The Fourth of July) to learn more abouth the holiday & access resources to celebrate it. You can also find additional information & activities including Fourth of July related kid-friendly recipes, STEM activities, family fun suggestions, arts & crafts, & more on the Learning Made Fun With Maestra Casiano Learning Hub & Online Store July Family Activities Page!
Details about a series of books: Each "The Night Before..." book is full of vocabulary & rhyme to educate & engage kids of all ages. Each book contains a story line that is modeled after Clement C. Moore's beloved poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” with adorable twists from Natasha Wing’s imagination. These are great tools in exploring the literary concept of a parody as well as for building excitement & anticipation of upcoming holidays!
Check out other fun holiday books, crafts & resources for celebrating holidays throughout the year (Click Here)!