Stormy is a captivating wordless picture book that tells the story of a scruffy, frightened stray dog. One day, a woman visits the park and encounters the dog. Although the dog is wary and keeps their distance, the woman’s patience and gentle persistence shine through. Through beautifully detailed illustrations, this heartwarming tale emphasizes the power of kindness and determination in building connections.
Why use this book?
- Highlights the strong connection between people and animals, known as the human-animal bond and encourages students to feel empathy for the characters in the story
- Demonstrates the importance of reading animal body language and showing patience and understanding when interacting with unfamiliar animals
Animal Welfare Considerations:
- The story implies that the woman keeps the stray dog without trying to find their owner. However, in reality if a stray dog is found, it is important to check for identification, call animal control/shelters, take the dog to a veterinarian to check for a microchip, etc. to try and find their home.
Ask your Students:
- What was the story about? How did the tell a story without words? Through detailed illustrations.
- How did the illustrations in the book help you to understand the story? What did the author do to help show the different events happening?
- How did the illustrations in the book help you to understand how the dog was feeling? The illustrator used the dog’s body language to help the reader understand how the dog is feeling through various parts of the book.
- What do you think happened to the dog? Why do you think they were alone?
- How would you feel if you were the dog? Explain.
- Why didn’t the woman in the story approach to the dog right away? What did she do instead? The woman waited until the dog felt comfortable enough to approach her. The woman tried to help the dog feel comfortable by getting low and rolling a ball towards the dog.
- What should you do if you see a lost dog in your neighbourhood? Tell an adult! The adult can then check for identification, call animal control/shelters, take the dog to a veterinarian to check for a microchip, etc. Remind students to never approach a dog they don’t know.
- What can we do to ensure our pets get home safe if they are lost? Ensure our pets have identification including microchips, tags, and licenses.
Activities:
Write the Words
- Have students think about the story from both the perspective of the dog and the woman. Then, have them choose one of these perspectives and write the words to the story. Encourage students to include details about the characters and how they might be feeling.
Before Stormy
- Have a discussion with students on what they think the dog’s life was like before meeting the woman. Challenge students to think about where the dog might come from (Did the dog have a home? How did the dog get lost? How long was the dog lost for?) Then have students write a paragraph on the dog’s life leading up to meeting the woman that could serve as a prequel to Stormy.
How to Greet a Dog
- In the story, the woman takes her time when greeting the dog and makes sure the dog feels comfortable before interacting with them. Veterinarian and animal behaviourist Dr. Sophia Yin has created an information poster describing how to appropriately greet and interact with a dog. As a class, go through the poster discussing the appropriate ways to interact with a dog. Use the comparisons to people to help illustrate why dogs typically don’t like certain actions or behaviours from people. Discuss appropriate ways to interact with a dog, again encouraging students to put themselves in the animal’s position.
Stray Dog PSA
- Building on the discussion on what you should do if you find a stray dog, have students create a poster with instructions/messaging to help inform others. Encourage students to come up with a catchy slogan to help people remember the message. Display the posters around the school to help spread the message!
Emotional Mapping
- Students can create a visual representation of the characters’ emotions throughout Stormy. They will start by discussing and identifying various emotions depicted in the book, such as fear, joy, and sadness. Using large sheets of paper, students will then draw a timeline and use colours, symbols, or illustrations to depict the characters’ feelings at key moments. Students can then make notes to explain the colours, symbols or illustrations that they chose. Watch this short video for a simple example of emotion mapping.
Resources Related to Book:
- For information on the power or a wordless book, including tips on how to read them, visit this Kenosha Public Library blog.
