Room on the Broom


Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and then her wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom.

First Reading - General questions

  • Who did the witch show kindness too?

  • Who was the horrible beast?

  • What events happen for each animal -that are repeated?


Second Reading - Critical Questions

  • How was the broom improved for the animals to ride on it more comfortably?

  • Was it OK for the animals to scare the dragon?

  • What do you think the author is trying to teach us with this book?

  • If you help someone, should you get a reward?


Questions to consider:

Friendship

  1. Why did the witch let the animals on her broom? Would you have made room on the broom for the animals.

  2. Would you consider the witch and all of the animals to be friends? Why?

  3. What makes people friends?

  4. How is the witch in this story different from the other witches you’ve seen? Would you want to be friends with her?

  5. The broom broke when the frog “jumped for joy.” Was it the frog’s fault that the broom broke? Who’s fault was it?

  6. Would it have been fair for the witch to be mad at the frog?

  7. What if every animal in the world helped the witch, should she try to give everyone a ride?


Helping Others

  1. Why do you think the animals help the witch find her things?

  2. If the animals knew that the witch could not make room on her broom for them, do you think they still would have helped her?

  3. If the animals only helped the witch because they wanted something in return, does this make it a selfish act?

  4. Think of a time when you helped someone. Why did you do it?

  5. Have you ever helped someone and not wanted anything in return?

  6. How does helping others make you feel?


Teamwork

  1. Did the animals have to work together to save the witch? Could they have done it on their own?

  2. Does working with other people make hard things a little less hard? Why or why not?

  3. The dog, cat, frog, and bird all contributed to the statue to scare off the dragon. Would it have mattered if the frog had refused to help?

  4. Think about a time when you have worked with a team. Were you successful in what you wanted to accomplish?

  5. Think of a team that you were a part of that was really good. What made this a really good team?

  6. Think of a team that you were a part of that wasn’t that good. What made this a bad team?

  7. What does it mean to be a member of a team?