Classroom teachers in the New York City public schools were supervised by their administrators a few times a term. These observed lessons rarely fazed me since I felt very comfortable performing in front of Mrs, Sclar. I felt very secure as a teacher of delicious first grade children, I often used the book Caps For Sale as the focus of my lesson. The charming children’s book allowed my lesson to go in many directions. The author and illustrator was Esphyr Slobodkina and the book was published in 1940. I always thought it was an old European folk tale. To my surprise, the Jewish author lived in Great Neck, Long Island. She was also a famous abstract artist who had published many other children’s books and exhibited her art in many important museums. If you have not read the book to your child, grandchild or neighbor’s child, I will summarize the contents.
A peddler walks around with varied colored and patterned caps on his head. Unsuccessful to sell any caps, he walks to the countryside, sits down under a tree and falls asleep. When he wakes up, he finds only one hat remains in place and all the others are on the heads of the band of mischievous monkeys up in the tree. I will leave you to read the book to find the resolution to this dilemma.
As a classroom teacher, I used the story with my youngsters in a variety of lessons:
- Colors and patterns
- Cardinal and ordinal numbers
- Role playing
- Nonnumerical concepts
- Conflict and resolution
Caps For Sale has become one of the most popular children’s picture books. It is considered a classic and has won the Lewis Carroll Shelf award. It has been translated into twelve languages.
Ethyl Haber
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