Truman is part of our Starts With a Story Collection, which includes more than 550 picture book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Learn more about this children’s book below! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
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SUMMARY
"Truman" by Jean Reidy is a heartwarming children's book that celebrates love, bravery, and the power of friendship. The story revolves around a small, timid tortoise named Truman who lives with his devoted owner, Sarah. When Sarah leaves one day, Truman's fear and worry kick in, and he sets out on a courageous adventure to find her. Despite facing numerous challenges and feeling overwhelmed by the vast world beyond his tank, Truman persists in his determination to reunite with Sarah. Through gentle illustrations and tender prose, "Truman" teaches children about facing fears, stepping outside of their comfort zones, and the strength that comes from love and loyalty. In the end, Truman discovers that even though venturing into the unknown can be daunting, it is worth it when it leads to the comfort of a loved one's embrace.
 USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Our read aloud lesson plans for this picture book come with reading comprehension questions (with sample student responses), 30 writing prompts, teaching ideas for grammar skills, social emotional learning discussion ideas, and more. Check out our list below to get a sneak peek at some of the skills this resource teaches.
- Practice making inferences throughout the story and after reading.
- Practice making predictions throughout the book. Encourage students to check and see if their predictions were correct.
- Discuss the different characters in the story and analyze their thoughts and actions.
- Teach a lesson on making connections to enhance comprehension.
- Teach a mini lesson on compound words.
- Practice identifying the base of a word.
- Use examples from the book to teach a lesson on interjections.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30Â writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will love the similar books listed below, which can all be found in our free picture book list.
- The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright
- Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
- The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
