Flannel Friday: Boom! Boom! Boom! Flannel Story

Hello everyone and Happy Picture Book Month! I wanted to share a wonderful book that just begs to be flannelized. Here’s my flannelized take on Boom! Boom! Boom! by Jamie A. Swenson:

The text is pretty great as is, but for flannel storytelling I adapt it by adding a little more repetition and opportunities for audience participation.

One stormy night a boy jumped into bed.

He cuddled with a book and his bear named Fred.

When…

FLASH! (blink hands)

CRASH! (clap hands)

BOOM BOOM BOOM! (slap thighs)

Dog came running into the room!

He said, “Aaaaaroooo! Is there room in the bed?”

“I think we can fit, you and me and Fred!”

More and more animals crowd into the bed – first the dog, then the cat, then the hamster, then a bird, then a frog… even a snake slithers in!

Each time an animal appears I invite the kids to make the animal noise and help name everything in the bed by joining in the last line. For example:

…Frog came hopping into the room!

He said, “Ribbit! Ribbit! Is there room in the bed?”

“I think we can fit, you and me and dog and cat and Fred!”

It’s pretty packed by the time sister enters the scene, but she isn’t taking no for an answer. I squeeze her into the bottom of the bed by everyone’s stinky feet.

In the book, the bed falls apart under all the weight! Sometimes I follow the book’s ending, and other times I extend the story a little more. I ask the kids to help me count how many are in the crowded bed, and then we sing “Roll Over” until the boy is back in bed with just his book and bear.

This gives us a great opportunity to practice early math skills like counting and comparing groups! Here’s some sample flannel math talk:

• Do we have more on the bed or more on the floor?
• How do you know?
• How many are in the bed?
• How many are on the floor?
• We had five in the bed and one fell out. Now how many do we have?

Flannel Friday is celebrating Picture Book Month! Share your favorite flannelized picture books and stories all November long to the Flannel Friday Tumblr. Submissions will be shared with the Flannel Friday Facebook Group at the end of the month and saved to the Flannel Friday Archives on Pinterest!