The Very Lonely Firefly

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Lushly illustrated with Eric Carle's trademark vibrant collage art, soothingly told with a gentle read-aloud rhythm, and complete with a surprise sure to "light up" children's faces, The Very Lonely Firefly will fast become a storytime favorite. Read it with a flashlight in the dark or under the table--and watch those fireflies glow! Praise for The Very Lonely Firefly : The firefly population is decreasing, so we want to make sure we release them in the same condition we caught them in.

Get ready to catch fireflies as a The Very Lonely Firefly activity by preparing a jar ahead of time. Then place a damp coffee filter or paper towel in the jar. This keeps the environment humid to protect the firefly.

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Now you are ready to catch fireflies! Try using a flashlight to attract these flying insects. They really are attracted to light, just like in the book! Make Collage Art You may want to use this book as an opportunity to discuss loneliness. Has your student felt lonely before? When? What can we do when we feel lonely? (Tell someone we trust. Talk about it. Find someone to play with.) Choose a clear glass mason jar and puncture a few holes in the lid. Kids can decorate the lid if they would like. I don’t recommend decorating the jar itself. Decorations on the jar might interfere with the ability to see inside the jar clearly.

What objects are objects found in nature? Which objects are manmade (or objects found inside your house?

Engage children with digital learning

Cut out the pieces for the head of your firefly from the construction paper. You’ll need: 1 green circle for the face, a red circle for the nose, two yellow circles and two smaller blue circles for the eyes, and two brown antennae. If your children are comfortable with scissors, encourage themto try to cut out the shapes on their own. THE VERY LONELY FIREFLY is about "belonging". We all want to belong to a group, a family, our own fellow creatures. The artwork in The Very Lonely Firefly was created by making a torn paper collage. Many kids are not familiar with torn paper collages. I know in my house we usually gravitate towards paint for art projects, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

Firefly begins with the letter F. Teach your student the letter F this week as well as the sound it makes. Our house rule was that they could catch fireflies to look at, but they couldn’t keep them. They would put them in a little jar for a few minutes while they looked at the insects up close. Then they would release them so they could be with their little bug families.

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Ages 3-6. Born one evening as the sun sets, a little firefly stretches its wings and goes off looking for others of its kind. Attracted by the lights, it flies toward a candle, a flashlight, a lantern, and finally a sky full of fireworks, only to be disappointed. When everything quiets down, though, other fireflies come out and flash their lights. The little firefly isn’t lonely anymore. Although the text may not be as strong as in Carle’s best picture books, its simplicity and its depiction of feeling lonely and finding one’s place in a group will appeal to preschoolers. As the flap copy says, “The Very Lonely Firefly is about belonging.” The illustrations, collages of painted papers, make strong visual statements in the artist’s signature style.” After THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR had been published I wanted to create a VERY quartet. With this book I have achieved that goal.