Recommended Picture Book: Time Flies by Eric Rohmann

Title: Time Flies

Author: Eric Rohmann

Illustrator: Eric Rohmann

Publisher: Crown Publishers; March 1, 1994

Age: 3 – 7 years

Topic: Birds, Dinosaurs, Museums, Wordless book

Opening: Wordless picture book (Illustration: A bird flies into a dinosaur exhibit at the museum.)

Book Summary: A wordless tale in which a bird flying around the dinosaur exhibit of a natural history museum has an unsettling experience when the dinosaur seems to come to life and view the bird as a potential meal.  

Resources:

Wordless Picture Books in the Classroom. A teacher’s guide for using wordless books with children in a classroom setting. 

If you purchase the hardcover, it includes a Parent’s guide with lots of comprehension questions to spark children’s curiosity and imagination.

For some hands on fun, try:

Create a Diorama. Here is one example. 

Make a fossil: Here are a couple fossil recipes: Salt dough, coffee dough,  

Create a skit or play from the book and act it out.

The Activity Idea Place has a ton of dinosaur activities and art ideas.

Why I Like This Book:

There is something truly unique about a wordless book. When reading with a child, you never tell the same story twice. There is always something you did not see the previous time you read it. Time Flies is a beautifully illustrated story about a bird’s night at the museum as it explores a dinosaur exhibit. While I would not mind sharing this book with my toddler class, it would not make a great group book. This book requires children being able to look carefully and slowly as they study the pictures and follow along.