What Are We? A Story by Quacker and Striper by WD Smith

What Are We? A Story by Quacker and Striper by W.D. Smith is a sweet, little story about two friends... Quacker the duck and Striper the skunk... who meet by accident and become fast friends.  After getting to know each other, they set out together on an adventure to answer the question...  What are we?  Keep reading to learn more about Quacker and Striper and to find the details for a compare and contrast lesson plan.

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Author's Summary

The storm rains down on the usually peaceful green valley for days, soaking into the ground and leaving behind a steamy mist. Lost in the mist are two very special little animals.  Quacker is a little ducking with a bright orange bill and a warm, friendly smile. Striper is a baby skunk with bright blue eyes and a big goofy grin.  Together, the two set out to find a place where they can be safe and happy. Before they can do that, however, Striper and Quacker decide they must find out what they are.  A whimsical tale of acceptance, What Are We? is a reminder that when it comes to friendship, it’s who we are that really counts.

🍎 Title: What Are We? A Story by Quacker and Striper

🍎 Author: W.D. Smith

🍎 Illustrator: Aleksandra Hadji-Naumova Atanasovska

🍎 Publisher: self-published

🍎 Date: August 5, 2018

🍎 Pages: 32 

Language Arts Lesson Plan

What Are We? A Story by Quacker and Striper is a fun story to read out loud to the class.  It's entertaining and the illustrations are gorgeous.  Children really enjoy listening to stories like these.

Read Aloud #1

When you read What Are We? to your students for the first time, just read through it and make it fun!  (Reading is supposed to be fun, after all.)  Read it with expression and give the characters their own voices.  Talk about the illustrations and the animals Quacker and Striper meet along the way.  At the end of each page, ask the students 'What did that animal say Quacker and Striper are?' Then record their responses on some chart paper.  When you're done, take a look at the chart you made.  Ask your students what we can learn from this list and from the story.  I'm sure they will have lots of ideas to share with you!

Read Aloud #2

If you are looking for a reading comprehension skill to go with What Are We?, I would suggest introducing Venn diagrams and how to use them to compare and contrast two things.  In the Venn diagram below, you can see there are two overlapping circles.  One circle is for Quacker; the other is for Striper.  Where the two circles overlap is for them both.  Students write words, phrases, or complete sentences in each section of the diagram to compare how Quacker and Striper are the same and to contrast how they are different.

To download a FREE copy of this Venn diagram (one page in all), please click on the image above. Clicking this image will take you to the Teachers-Pay-Teachers third-party website. This is a FREE download-- no purchase necessary.

Have you read What Are We? A Story by Quacker and Striper yet?  If so, what are some other reading activities parents and teachers can try with it?  Share your ideas in the comments below.

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