The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods

Discussion questions:

• What does Rene learn about compromise and creativity?

• Could the café be in a different place and still tell the same story? Why or why not?

• What do you think might happen next at the café? Who could visit, and what unusual food might they want?

• Think of a time you’ve tried something new. Did you expect to like it right away? 

• How does the art show the influence of Please's talent as an animator?

• What is the importance of all of the flowers in the artwork?

• Why do you think Please decided to write a prequel?

Vocabulary:

• Cuisine: A style of cooking

• Pickled: Food soaked in vinegar or salty water to make it last longer and taste sour

• Delicacy: A special or fancy food that people think is a treat

• Savory: Salty or spicy, not sweet

• Aromatic: Smells strong and nice (like herbs and spices)

Video content:

Mickey Please’s website includes a video showing how he made a page in the book. 

Youtube link to a four minute video called Welcome to The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods. It offers background information and how the book was made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EmpXu2MjEE

Activities:

• Mickey Please’s website has a link to worksheets that include: a menu template, 3 coloring pages, a design your own cafe worksheet, and a spot the difference picture challenge. You have to download his resources to access them.

• Could you think of a wacky but fun dish for an enchanted forest creature? How would you make it delicious? Invite students to imagine, design, or even draw their own enchanted menu item.

• Put out a menu from a popular local restaurant. Have students rename the foods tailored to different creatures.

• Make a class recipe book. Each student can pick a fairy tale, fantasy, mythical creature/character and design a meal for that character.

• Talk to the PTO about a fundraiser where students create their own café to sell items-scratch and sniff bookmarks, recipe cards, finger food, puppets

Guest Speaker ideas:

Invite a chef to visit your class

Invite an animator to visit your class

Subject Links:

ELA:  lesson on adjectives or verbs

             alliteration

             rhyming text

             pacing when reading aloud

              how picture books are made

Art:   create clay figures and so short animated films

            explore mixed media

            using line to show movement 

            explore end papers (exhibit at the Eric Carle Museum until November 9)

            study facial expressions to show character traits and emotions

Music: put the words to music using rhymes

Library: explore fonts 

                   genre study on humor

            use the end papers to create puzzles or play I Spy 

                    introduce British book awards for children's literature

Companion Books 

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

Monsters Love Brownies  by Ben Okon

How are you Peeling?   by Saxton Freymann and Joost Eiffers

The Odious Ogre by Norton Juster

Awful Ogre's Awful Day  by Jack Prelutsky

The Ghoul  by Taghreed Najjar

Ogres! Ogres! Ogres!  by Nicholas Heller

Cooking

It's Disgusting and We Ate It  by James Solheim

This Cookbook is Gross by Susanna Tee

Unlikely Friendships

The Scarecrow  by Beth Ferry

Orris and Timble: The Beginning by Kate DiCamillo

Perseverance

Knight Owl  by Christopher Denise

The Dreamer  by Il Sung Na

The Thing Lou Couldn't Do by Ashley Spares

How to Catch a Star  by Oliver Jeffers

Snowflake Bentley  by J. Briggs Martin