FOX AND SQUIRREL MAKE A FRIEND
RUTH OHI
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
THE STORY
“Squirrel does not need me," said Fox. And Fox crawled
back into his burrow. When Yellow Bird arrives on the
scene, can Squirrel help Fox see that there’s room in their
friendship for three?
THEMES
Relationships between friends • How to make new friends
AUTHOR PROFILE
Ruth Ohi is well-known as an illustrator of children’s books.
She originally studied computer science at the University of
Toronto before realizing that art could be a legitimate job. She
then pursued studies at the Ontario College of Art. A Toronto
resident, Ohi has illustrated more than thirty books and has
started to write and illustrate her own picture books for very
young readers.
WEB RESOURCES
EXTENSION
• Author website: http://www.ruthohi.com/about-ruth/
• Publisher website: http://www.scholastic.ca/titles/
foxandsquirrel/
ADDITional resources
• Teaching kids life skills: Being a good friend
http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/24345/teaching-kids-2
• Teaching guide: being friends from K-5:
http://www.goodcharacter.com/YCC/BeingFriends.html
READING GUIDE 2014 • FOX AND SQUIRREL MAKE A FRIEND • RUTH OHI
• Fast Facts about Red Fox:
• http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/animal-facts/
red_fox.asp
• http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/
mammals/red-fox/
•Fast Facts about Squirrels:
• http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/
mammals/squirrel/
• http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/
squirrel.html
DISCUSS
SUGGESTED READINGS
• Who are the main characters?
By the same author:
• What do squirrels like to do?
• Fox and Squirrel (Scholastic Canada)
• Why did Squirrel ask Fox to climb the tree? How easy
was it for Fox?
• Shh! My Brother's Napping (Scholastic Canada)
By other artists from Wordfest 2014:
• How did squirrel try to help his friend?
• Goodnight You by Geneviève Coté
• Did Fox like climbing the tree? What happened to him?
• Nelly Gnu and Daddy Too by Anna Dewdney
• Squirrel saw “something yellow.” What did Squirrel
see?
•Name three things that Squirrel and Bird have in
common?
• A Fish Names Glub by Dan Bar-El
• The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc
Other books and movies on related subjects:
• What happened to Fox while he was trying to
swoop and soar?
• Fox Makes Friends by Adam Relf
• You Are Not My Friend, But I Miss You by Daniel Kirk
• “Squirrel does not need me,” said Fox. What was
he feeling?
• Do you think Squirrel forgot about his friend Fox?
Justify your answer.
• How did Squirrel help Fox see that there’s room for
three in their friendship?
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Early Literacy:
• Listening
• How did Fox, Squirrel and Bird become friends?
• Speaking
• Do you know where squirrels live? Where foxes live?
About Friendship:
• Exploring thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences
Creative and Cultural Expression:
• Imagine you are invited to a birthday party, but your
best friend was deliberately left out. What would you
do? Why?
• Have you ever felt left out? What happened? How did
you respond?
• Exploring self-expression through creative thought and
through language, art, movement, music and drama
Personal and Social Responsibility:
• Do best friends always have to do everything together?
Do best friends always have to have the same friends?
• Contributing to group activities
• Demonstrating and practicing independance
• What makes you a good friend?
• Have you ever stopped being friends with someone?
What happened? Did one of you change?
• Why are friendships so important to us?
• What is popularity? How important is it to you?
Should friendships be based on popularity?
• What do you think friendships should be based on?
READING LEVEL
READ ALONG
• Developing positive relationships with others
Shared reading; Familiar characters/
objects; Basic/familiar vocabulary; Short
sentences; Illustrations that help explain
text and content.
READING GUIDE 2014 • FOX AND SQUIRREL MAKE A FRIEND • RUTH OHI
CREATE
ACTIVITY SHEETS
PLAY NO DRAMA!
From Scholastics website:
Put on your own Fox Squirrel and Bird play! Choose 3 students
and ask them to play a short script from the original story.
Friendship Themed Bulletin Board:
• Ask each one of your students to write a letter to someone
in the class, and place these on the bulletin board.
• Another alternative is to have a "friendship garden," and
take photos of each class member near the flowers blooming
in your garden.
• "Recipe for Friendship": use a picture of a chef stirring
something in a bowl that goes in the middle. The bowl can
have a heart shape. Ask students to write in a word that would
describe the qualities of a good friend (kind, thoughtful, a
good listener, keeps my secrets, etc.)
GAMES
• http://www.scholastic.ca/kids/stufftodo/downloads.htm
Activity sheet #1: Can you spot 7 differences for Fox and
Squirrel? (View this activity sheet)
Activity sheet #2: Coloring: Add background and colour to make
your own Fox and Squirrel poster. Are they outside in a field? In
Squirrel’s treehouse? Visiting your house for the first time? You
decide. (View this activity sheet)
Activity sheet #3: Same or Different? Make your own cards for
the game of “concentration”. (View this activity sheet)
Activity sheet #4: The Key to Being a Good Friend (grades 2-4):
After a discussion about friendship, have students brainstorm
what they need and want in a friend. Then, each student writes
their ideas on a key for our class reminder poster (below).
(View this activity sheet)
Beanbag Compliments:
One skill that children need to have in order to form positive
friendships is the ability to take the feelings of others into
account. Play a game to help your students see how making
someone else feel good can help them build friendships. Gather a
small group of students in a circle and toss a beanbag to one of
them. Invite the student to say another student’s name, and greet
others with a "hello" and then give each other a compliment.
Encourage the students to say things about their friends'
personalities, such as "You make me laugh" or "You are a good
listener. "After the game, speak with the student about how
good it feels when a friend says something nice.
That's Me!
Children tend to form friendships with others who share similar
interests. You can build friendships by playing a game that shows
your students how they are the same. To play this game, gather
your class together and invite them to sit down. Students begin
the game by calling out a statement such as "I like to ride my
bike" or "I have a younger brother." If the statement is true for
any of the other students, they should stand up and say, "That's
me!" This game encourages students to stay active on their feet
and is an easy way for them to see the similarities in others. Your
students may discover that they have more in common with their
friends than they thought.
GROUP ACTIVITIES
• Write on the board, "To have good friends, you must be a
good friend." Ask students to explain the statement and why
they either agree or disagree with the idea. Ask the class to
think of ways good friends treat each other. List their answers
on the board and discuss each one. Compare their list with
the one on the opposite page.
• Divide the class into groups of four or five. Each group's
task is to choose one group member to play the role of a new
member of the class. The new member’s challenge is to try to
gain acceptance by the group. After the role-playing game,
discuss with the class how it feels be “the new kid” and how it
feels to be part of the "in-group." Discuss some of the different
ways of "breaking in" to a new group.
READING GUIDE 2014 • FOX AND SQUIRREL MAKE A FRIEND • RUTH OHI
Activity sheet #5: Class Friendship Book. For K-1 students,
discuss four ways to make and keep friends. Assign students
a friendship strategy and illustrate a way to demonstrate that
quality. After the lesson, combine the pages together to create
a book. (View this activity sheet)
For students in grades 2-4, discuss specific situations where they
can demonstrate their star friendship skills. Assign students a
social situation where they must write and illustrate how they
would behave. Compile a reminder book out of these pages.
(View this activity sheet)