June Sobel, Children's Book Author

Classroom Activities for
SHIVER ME LETTERS – A Pirate ABC

Here are some fun ideas to accompany this book::

Before you read Shiver Me Letters take a page of ABC stickers and put a different letter on each child’s hand. When you read the page related to the “A” (for example), the child with the “A” would identify that letter in the illustration. Since SHIVER ME LETTERS has a seek and find element, this is an engaging activity.
Fill a treasure chest with alphabet cookies (often available at Costco or Trader Joe’s) and let the student pick a cookie after he has identified that same letter on the page.
Treasure Hunt for the Alphabet:
Version 1 – Hide magnetic or foam letters all over your classroom or library.
Version 2 - Bury foam letters in a sandbox and have your class dig for the whole alphabet.
Audience Pirates – Every child in the audience receives a big “R” (print a big "R"). Assign the role of the captain to one child. You might want him or her to wear a pirate party hat. The rest of the class is the crew. Every time the Captain in the books says “R” your student pirate holds up his letter and yells “R!” The “crew” does the same with their “R’s.” This makes for a rollicking LOUD story time.
Alphabet Treasure Map – Take a large piece of butcher paper and have the students draw a treasure island with all the ABC’s from SHIVER ME LETTERS.
Read both my books SHIVER ME LETTERS and THE GOODNIGHT TRAIN for a story time called “Pirates and Pajamas.” The children can wear their PJ’s and pirate hats!
Here are some helpful hints from Scholastic for reading SHIVER ME LETTERS to your class.

If any teacher, librarian, parent or child has come up with any other fun ideas to accompany SHIVER ME LETTERS, please contact me and I would be happy to post them for all to share.

Below are original coloring sheets from SHIVER ME LETTERS by illustrator Henry Cole and THE GOODNIGHT TRAIN by illustrator Laura Huliska-Beith for your class to enjoy. Click an image to get a printable version.