Who doesn’t love building? And who doesn’t love inspiring kids to solve problems? Exactly!
I know that this book is on the older side, but it is one that I have come to love because as a classroom teacher I frequently read it before I read Skeleton Man by Bruchac. For those of you who are unfamiliar with both, let me give you a quick synopsis. Skeleton Man is based off of a Native American Tale where this man loved to eat flesh to the point he ate all of his own flesh. Yup. Completely gross. Exactly why I like it and why so many of my third and fourth graders LOVED it! It is still a book that I recommend to kids when they are looking for a scary book.
The Lost Boy and the Monster is very similar to this. It is also from a Native American Folk Tale where this monster traps little kids to eat their feet. I used to pair these together particularly because the picture book is less scary than Bruchac’s novel.
Recently, I read aloud The Lost Boy and the Monster to a group of first graders to introduce the Engineering and Design process to them and to capture their love for helping others. It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it! Click the button below to check the entire lesson out!