Amanda Zieba Learning with the Word Nerd | First Chapter Friday The Rabbit's Gift || Middle Grade Myth Read Aloud with the Author @AmandaZiebatheWordNerd | Uploaded October 2022 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
Each Friday I share the first chapter of a book perfect for middle school readers. Today I’m going to be reading aloud from The Rabbit’s Gift by Jessica Vitalis. This retelling of a French myth is full of delicious vocabulary words and is a fantastical exploration of what it means to be a hero and a villain.
Make sure you hang around for the whole video so you can not only listen in to my interview with the author, Jessica Vitalis, but also so you catch the mystery quote that appears on screen one word at a time. As you listen, play along by writing it down. Then, at the end of the video, see if you’re right!
Book Blurb: Quincy Rabbit and his warren live a simple yet high-stakes life. In exchange for the purple carrots they need to survive, they farm and deliver Chou de vie (cabbage-like plants that grow human babies inside) to the human citizens of Montpeyroux. But lately, because of those selfish humans, there haven’t been enough carrots to go around. So Quincy sets out to change that—all he needs are some carrot seeds. He’ll be a hero. Fleurine sees things a little differently. As the only child of the Grand Lumière, she’s being groomed to follow in her mother’s political footsteps—no matter how much Fleurine longs to be a botanist instead. Convinced that having a sibling will shift her mother’s attention, Fleurine tries to grow purple carrots, hoping to make a trade with the rabbits. But then a sneaky rabbit steals her seeds. In her desperation to get them back, she follows that rabbit all the way to the secret warren—and steals a Chou. Quincy and Fleurine have endangered not just the one baby inside the Chou, but the future of Montpeyroux itself—for rabbits and humans alike. Now, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other to restore the balance.
Want to increase student engagement? Try these First Chapter Friday worksheets, with both generic response and novel specific sheets for each video in this playlist! This pack includes the BOOK COVER EXAMINATION WORKSHEET as well. Grab the full resource here → teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Word-Nerds-First-Chapter-Friday-Read-Video-Aloud-Resource-Bundle-8469855
Get your copy of The Rabbit’s Gift at your school library, local indie bookstore or here → amzn.to/3vww4ke and The Wolf’s Curse, here → amzn.to/3GA3VPy
Author Interview Questions
1. This story is a companion novel to the book The Wolf's Curse. How is a companion novel different than a sequel? Did you know you were going to write this book while you were writing the Wolf's Curse?
2. Fantasy books for middle graders was not your first choice when you set out to be a writer. Tell us about your exploration process and why you didn't give up when the first few genres & age groups you tried didn't feel right.
3. In the author's note, you share that this story is based on a French myth. I know that some of our listeners like to write fan fiction and I feel like "retellings" are a little like this. How do you balance the original story with your own ideas?
4. Which kind of character do you enjoy writing more? Humans or animals? Is one easier or harder than the other?
5. Throughout the book you include footnotes. Many of them are side notes or definitions for big words. This is a very unique aspect of the book. Tell us a little bit about why you decided to include these footnotes in the story.
Visit Jessica’s Website here: jessicavitalis.com
Take a look at all of the other First Chapter Friday videos in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09CnU...
Scoop up a FREE motivational quote poster set for your classroom here: amandazieba.com/teachersignup.
Wanna say thanks and fuel future creations? Buy me a virtual cup of coffee for making this (and many other!) amazing free video resources for your classroom. ko-fi.com/amandazieba_thewordnerd
** The videos in this First Chapter Friday Playlist were created in the spirit of: helping teachers and students find high quality and engaging books to read, promoting amazing authors and great books, and celebrating stories
Each video in this playlist features a book chosen by Amanda Zieba based on its literary merit, thematic/curriculum connection, or simply because she loves it and thinks you will too. All commentary and facts shared about the book and author were also researched/gathered by Amanda. Books were purchased by Amanda from Birdy’s Bookstore, Barnes and Noble or Amazon, unless otherwise stated. These videos are recorded and edited from Amanda’s home office in Wisconsin, USA. **
#wordnerd #mglit #readingrecommendations #amandazieba #firstchapterfriday #teachertube #mglit #middlegradereadingrecommendations #greenwillowbooks #frenchmyth #mythretelling #birthmyth #jessicavitalis #harpercollins #rabbitstory #teacher #educator #childrensliterature #readingwritingteaching #bunnybook #frenchstories
Each Friday I share the first chapter of a book perfect for middle school readers. Today I’m going to be reading aloud from The Rabbit’s Gift by Jessica Vitalis. This retelling of a French myth is full of delicious vocabulary words and is a fantastical exploration of what it means to be a hero and a villain.
Make sure you hang around for the whole video so you can not only listen in to my interview with the author, Jessica Vitalis, but also so you catch the mystery quote that appears on screen one word at a time. As you listen, play along by writing it down. Then, at the end of the video, see if you’re right!
Book Blurb: Quincy Rabbit and his warren live a simple yet high-stakes life. In exchange for the purple carrots they need to survive, they farm and deliver Chou de vie (cabbage-like plants that grow human babies inside) to the human citizens of Montpeyroux. But lately, because of those selfish humans, there haven’t been enough carrots to go around. So Quincy sets out to change that—all he needs are some carrot seeds. He’ll be a hero. Fleurine sees things a little differently. As the only child of the Grand Lumière, she’s being groomed to follow in her mother’s political footsteps—no matter how much Fleurine longs to be a botanist instead. Convinced that having a sibling will shift her mother’s attention, Fleurine tries to grow purple carrots, hoping to make a trade with the rabbits. But then a sneaky rabbit steals her seeds. In her desperation to get them back, she follows that rabbit all the way to the secret warren—and steals a Chou. Quincy and Fleurine have endangered not just the one baby inside the Chou, but the future of Montpeyroux itself—for rabbits and humans alike. Now, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other to restore the balance.
Want to increase student engagement? Try these First Chapter Friday worksheets, with both generic response and novel specific sheets for each video in this playlist! This pack includes the BOOK COVER EXAMINATION WORKSHEET as well. Grab the full resource here → teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Word-Nerds-First-Chapter-Friday-Read-Video-Aloud-Resource-Bundle-8469855
Get your copy of The Rabbit’s Gift at your school library, local indie bookstore or here → amzn.to/3vww4ke and The Wolf’s Curse, here → amzn.to/3GA3VPy
Author Interview Questions
1. This story is a companion novel to the book The Wolf's Curse. How is a companion novel different than a sequel? Did you know you were going to write this book while you were writing the Wolf's Curse?
2. Fantasy books for middle graders was not your first choice when you set out to be a writer. Tell us about your exploration process and why you didn't give up when the first few genres & age groups you tried didn't feel right.
3. In the author's note, you share that this story is based on a French myth. I know that some of our listeners like to write fan fiction and I feel like "retellings" are a little like this. How do you balance the original story with your own ideas?
4. Which kind of character do you enjoy writing more? Humans or animals? Is one easier or harder than the other?
5. Throughout the book you include footnotes. Many of them are side notes or definitions for big words. This is a very unique aspect of the book. Tell us a little bit about why you decided to include these footnotes in the story.
Visit Jessica’s Website here: jessicavitalis.com
Take a look at all of the other First Chapter Friday videos in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09CnU...
Scoop up a FREE motivational quote poster set for your classroom here: amandazieba.com/teachersignup.
Wanna say thanks and fuel future creations? Buy me a virtual cup of coffee for making this (and many other!) amazing free video resources for your classroom. ko-fi.com/amandazieba_thewordnerd
** The videos in this First Chapter Friday Playlist were created in the spirit of: helping teachers and students find high quality and engaging books to read, promoting amazing authors and great books, and celebrating stories
Each video in this playlist features a book chosen by Amanda Zieba based on its literary merit, thematic/curriculum connection, or simply because she loves it and thinks you will too. All commentary and facts shared about the book and author were also researched/gathered by Amanda. Books were purchased by Amanda from Birdy’s Bookstore, Barnes and Noble or Amazon, unless otherwise stated. These videos are recorded and edited from Amanda’s home office in Wisconsin, USA. **
#wordnerd #mglit #readingrecommendations #amandazieba #firstchapterfriday #teachertube #mglit #middlegradereadingrecommendations #greenwillowbooks #frenchmyth #mythretelling #birthmyth #jessicavitalis #harpercollins #rabbitstory #teacher #educator #childrensliterature #readingwritingteaching #bunnybook #frenchstories
