Book Summary
A child makes a snowball so perfect that, when thrown, it can travel to faraway places. Perhaps the reader will catch the flying snowball and send it back! Lively illustrations support the text. Approximate book level: I

Build Background
Read the title of the book. Ask students to share what they know about snow and snowballs. Discuss the characteristics of a perfect snowball.

Discuss poetry's rhymes and rhythms. Explain that rhyming poetry follows a beat based on syllables and includes words that rhyme. Write the word ball on the board. Invite students to identify words that rhyme with ball. Write these words on the board.

Write the words of a nursery rhyme, such as Humpty Dumpty, on the board. Have students practice clapping the syllables in the words as they read them together. Ask volunteers to come to the board and put a slash mark between syllables in each word. If necessary, remind students of the rules for dividing words into syllables (VCV: between the consonant and vowel; VCCV: between the two consonants; compound words: between the two words).

Preview the Poem
Show students the front and back covers of the book. Discuss the illustrations. Turn to the title page. Discuss the information on the page (title of book, author's name, illustrator's name). Ask students about some of their favorite poems. Lead a discussion about rhyme and poetry. Use other nursery rhymes and Dr. Seuss books as references. Explain that even songs are poetry of a sort, and that rhythm often plays a huge role in poetry. Read the whole poem aloud, emphasizing the rhythm.

During Reading
Have students listen as you read the poem again. Tell them to clap or raise their hand whenever they hear the second word of a rhyming pair. Read the poem expressively and emphasize the words that rhyme. Ask students to identify the words at the ends of sentences for which there are no other words that rhyme. Be sure to read with expression.

Allow students to stop and ask questions during reading, especially if they do not understand something. Invite students to share how they connected to prior knowledge while reading or listening to the poem.

After Reading
Reader Response
Ask students what they thought of the poem. Ask them to describe their favorite part. Ask a volunteer to summarize the topic of the poem.

Comprehension
Ask specific questions that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the poem.

• What was the poem about?
• What is the author's purpose for writing this poem? Is it to explain, entertain, or persuade?
• Was it a fantasy or was it a realistic poem? How do you know?