Fantasy

There's An Alligator Under My Bed

By: Mercer Mayer

Presented By: Nicole Cashman 

Summary of the story:  This story is about a little boy who has an alligator under his bed. Every night when it was bedtime, he would have to carefully get in his bed without the alligator hearing him. He knew the alligator was there, but every time we would look, the alligator would hide. HE thought by calling his mom and dad, they would see the alligator. The little boy called his mom and dad, but they did not see the alligator either. So he knew he had to come up with a plan and it was up to him to get rid of the alligator. The little boy got out of bed quietly and went downstairs to the kitchen to gather alligator bait. He grabbed all kinds of food . In the garage he left a peanut butter sandwich, fruit and the last piece of pie. He started from the sandwich and made a path/trail from the garage, down the hall, up the stairs, all the way to his bed and he waited and watched. It worked, the alligator came out from under the bed and started eating all the food all the way to the garage. When the alligator went into the garage, the little boy slammed the door and locked it. The little boy was so proud of himself for making a good plan to get he alligator out from under his bed. He went upstairs to go to sleep. While laying in bed, the little boy thought, I hope dad can get in his car tomorrow. He decided to leave his dad a note and leave it on the garage door.

Setting - House.

Characters - Little Boy, Mom and Dad, and Alligator.

Theme - Plan to make a scary thing go away

Pictures - The illustrations in this book are so life-like that it really makes you feel that the little boy is real, the alligator is real, and that you are really in a little boys room. This book has very good illustrations for a non-reader to look at the pictures and re-tell the story in their own words and it be pretty similar to the actual text/ content.   

Pattern - I would consider the alligator bait (food) was a pattern. The book told the reader what food the little boy put down and where and then repeated it as the alligator ate it. 

Reader response questions - 

1. What food/drink did the little boy put next to his bed to get the alligator to come out?

2. Do you think Dad will see the alligator in the morning when he gets in his car? Why or why not?

Activities - 

1. Write a short story about something some one would think would be under their bed and what your plan to get it to come out would be?

2. Graphic Organizer - What food did the little boy use to get the alligator to come out?

My Personal Thoughts - 
I think this book is a story to read to (K-2nd grade). I think this book is a good way to teacher children that if you think about something, you might be able to come up with a plan to solve your problem. The little boy was very resourceful in this book and came up with a good plan. This book could also be used talk to children about silly things they may think are there and that hey are afraid of, but really they aren't. 

References - 

• Read Aloud - There's an Alligator Under My Bed - by Mercer Mayer. Red Apple Reading. (April 10,2016). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N20nSvXSZFI