A Hippy-Hoppy Toad written by Peggy Archer and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf is a delightful and engaging book full of onomatopoeia words! What are onomatopoeia words? Onomatopoeia words are “the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.” These words are a part of figurative language, which have been determined to be more effective in communicating emotions and images. To learn more about how onomatopoeia words help with language and literacy, click here.
A Hippy-Hoppy Toad follows a energetic toad through a great adventure as he navigates through different places and ends up being flung from a shoe at the end of the book! A Hippy Hoppy Toad is a beautifully illustrated and well written book that has tons of language embedded into the story line. To learn how to help facilitate language with this book during a read aloud, see below!
Language and Learning Tips: As you are reading this book aloud to your child or a class, emphasize the sounds of the different types of living and non-living things. With expression and animation, young children will love hearing this book read aloud. As you saying each sound, use a small gesture to express it. For example, the word “snap” below, snap your finger. When you say “up” hold your hands up to indicate this word. This will help build comprehension and expand vocabulary for young children. To learn more about how to use gestures during reading, check out my article here. This book is also full of descriptive concepts such as dry, dusty, flat, fat, slippy, fuzzy and gritty. Describe these words to your child and if possible let them feel the texture of what that word means. This will bring the word to life and help it get stored in long term memory.
To learn more about Peggy Archer and how she developed the story of the Hippy Hoppy Toad, click here.