TEACHER RESOURCES
When reading this book to children, consider these questions for deeper engagement and connections to the text.
Cover:
What do you see in this picture? Does this give you any clues about the book?
Who do you think is the main character in this book?
What gives you a clue to what the book is about?
Who is the author of this book? What does author mean? Do any of you want to be an author? If you are an author, what kinds of things will you do?
Page 1: When I was a little girl, my mom kept fresh vegetables for me for snacking. She kept them in the drawer in the bottom of the refrigerator, so I could reach them whenever I wanted.
Raise a quiet hand if you love fresh vegetables. Which vegetable is your favorite? Which cooked vegetables do you like?
Why do we need to eat vegetables? Have we talked about the vegetables on the ‘My Plate’? myplate.gov
What does the My Plate diagram show us about vegetables?
Do you think this girl is in the mood for vegetables? How do you know?
Page 2: Fruit was always in a bowl on the kitchen table. If the bowl was in the middle of the table, I had to climb on the chair to reach the fruit.
Use questions like page 1 but with fruits.
Page 3: Mom kept granola bars and raisins in the bottom drawer of the cupboard.
How many of you like granola bars? Do they remind you of anything else?
Do you think the girl wants granola bars or raisins? How do you know?
Page 4: Leftovers from a healthy meal were always where I could see them and always easy to get to in the refrigerator. There were things like asparagus, radishes, beets, salads, spinach, eggplant, squash, cabbage, and yams.
Has the girl found something that she wants to snack on yet? How do you know? Show me a sad face like the girl has. What will her face look like when she finds something that she wants? Show me.
Put your hands on the top of your head if you think you know what she is hungry for, but don’t shout it out. We don’t want to spoil the surprise.
Who is telling this story? How do you know? What words give you clues that the girl is telling the story?
Page 5: But, the cookie jar… the cookie jar was way on top of the refrigerator. It seemed miles away for a little girl.
Nod your head if you know what snack the girl was looking for. Did she find the snack?
Even though she found the cookie jar, there is a problem. Whisper to your elbow partner what you think the problem is. (Ask one student to respond after partners share.)
Why do you think the mom kept the cookie jar on top of the refrigerator?
Page 6: I tried many, many ways to get to that cookie jar. I tried climbing on a chair like I did for the fruit on the table. But when I stood on my toes to get higher, the chair tipped over.
Altogether, tell me a yes or a no if you think climbing on the chair was a good idea. Raise a quiet hand if you can tell me why?
Did this solve her problem? Who can remind me what the problem is?
Page 7-8: I promised Rags, my best dog ever, that I’d give him a cookie if he could help me. He seemed anxious to go along with it till I tried to stand on his back. Then he growled at me and hid under my bed.
Let me hear a quiet growl from all of you.
What is the dog’s name?
Is he usually a friendly dog? How do you know?
If he is usually a friendly dog, why was he growling?
Then what did Rags do after he growled? Do you think he fits under the bed easily? Why or why not?
Did this idea solve the problem?
Tell your elbow partner what else the girl might try to solve the problem.
Page 9-10: One time I tried to lasso that cookie jar. I nearly hung myself.
Did any of you guess that she would try a lasso?
Where do you usually see a lasso or who usually uses a lasso?
Let’s all pretend to throw a lasso and shout yeehaw!
Did the lasso solve the problem for the little girl?
Page 11-12: When my brother got stilts for his birthday, I thought I finally found a solution. I broke my arm when I fell off the stilts.
When you made your predictions, did anyone guess that the girl would use stilts?
What are stilts?
Place your left hand on your hip if you think stilts are safe to use.
What happened when the girl tried to use the stilts?
Did this solve her problem?
What do you know about this girl’s personality?
Prompts: Has she quit trying even after all these attempts? Does she learn from the things that did not work?
Is she a good thinker? How do you know?
Page 13: But there were, of course, special times when Mom would take that cookie jar down from the refrigerator, and the reward was always so sweet.
Did the girl finally get what she wanted? What was it?
Who might be missing from this picture? (Brother and Rags, the dog)
Tell your elbow partner what kind of cookie your favorite is.
How does the mom look in the picture?
If Mom gets the cookie jar down, do you think supper/dinner is starting or ending?
What kinds of things would Mom be sure that the girl ate before the cookie jar is opened? Why?
Page 14: I think what made the cookies so perfect was sharing the treat with Mom and my brother.
There’s the brother. I’m glad Mom and the girl shared the cookies with him. I still don’t see Rags. Are cookies a good treat for a dog?
How do they look in the picture? Show me what happy faces look like.
What did the girl say was perfect about the cookies? Who would you share a treat with?
What kind of hat is the mom wearing? Why do you think she is wearing that hat? Rub your hands together if you like to help bake cookies.
Has the problem been solved? How?
Raise both hands if you think it would be a good idea to wait for Mom to take the cookie jar down. Why is this the best idea?
Page 15: Sometimes I need to work hard to get some things that I want. Mom says that I have to work hard and reach for things like awards, ribbons, a special privilege, or cookies.
Raise your hand if you are a hard worker. Name one thing at which you work hard.
Did the girl in the story quit when her ideas didn’t work?
What do you do when you try something, and it doesn't work?
Prompt: What should you do?
In the story, the girl mentions ribbons and awards. What are some things that take time to earn?
Have any of you ever received a ribbon or trophy or award? Whisper to your neighbor and talk about your award.
Raise a quiet hand if you worked hard for that award? Nod your head yes if you think it was worth the hard work.
Page 16: It is not always easy getting the things I want, like those cookies. However, I always try to remember to do my best to reach for the things that I want. When I do my best and reach high, I get the sweet reward.
Raise both hands if you think the girl worked hard to get the cookies.
What do you notice about the picture? (Awards, ribbon)
What can you tell us about the girl after hearing this story?
What do you think the author wanted us to learn by reading this story?
At the very end of the book, the author shares a favorite cookie recipe with us. Would you like to hear why it is her favorite? Here is what she writes.
My favorite cookie recipe is one that I learned from my grandmother, Neva Hager. She called them Rose’s Cookies because she learned to bake them with her friend, Rose. Enjoy the recipe of these soft dough cookies filled with raisins or your other favorite fillings.
What was special about this recipe? (baking with grandma)
Why did the grandmother call the cookies, Rose’s cookies?
Do you think it was special for the grandmother to bake with her friend?
Is this similar to what the girl said about sharing the cookies with her mom and brother? How?
