Verdi by Janell Cannon

A quick snapshot post – Just some quick ideas for your day!

My son is fascinated by snakes so this book was chosen purely on the standout image on the front cover.

Snakes are feared by many and because of this there are many endangered species. This book brings about an awareness that snakes are animals that are just trying to have fun!

Verdi by Janell Cannon is a heartwarming story of a young python named Verdi who doesn’t want to grow up – seeing the older green snakes as boring and unimaginative.

Throughout the book the reader can view intricate images of Verdi and his crazy antics.

We see him develop into a larger green python and learn that it isn’t that bad becoming older as although we see life in a different way, we can still have fun with the younger generation.

So how can we talk about this book?

SCIENCE

• The back two pages is full of fascinating facts about snakes. It is very wordy for young children so I would pull out facts that are straight to the point. You might even want to research snakes yourself from here.
• Create a life cycle of Pythons and then perhaps some other great Australia snakes!
• Ask: Are snakes endangered? Why?
• Where do Australian snakes live? How do they live?

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Growing up is fun but be careful of the risks you take ( Link to when Verdi fell)
• Older snakes can be wise and full of fun too (Link to Verdi playing with the young snakes)
• How can we have fun with older people in our family? How do we link in with members of our family?

LINKS