Frequent Speech Sounds:

/k/ initial
/r/ medial
/ts/ final
/j/ initial “Jasper”
/sp/ medial
/kr/ initial
/air/ medial
/er/ “Jasper”

Themes:

Halloween
greed
being clever

Book Details:

Diverse Characters: N/A

Age Recommendation: Elementary, Late Elementary

Creepy Carrots!

By Aaron Reynolds

In this Caldecott Honor–winning picture book, The Twilight Zone comes to the carrot patch as a rabbit fears his favorite treats are out to get him. Celebrated artist Peter Brown’s stylish illustrations pair perfectly with Aaron Reynold’s text in this hilarious picture book that shows it’s all fun and games…until you get too greedy.

This clever Halloween-themed book can be used in speech therapy for its frequent use of the following speech sounds, /kr/, /k/, /r/, /ts/, /air/, “j”, and /er/. It is also great for illustration study with the orange carrots and objects contrasting with the grayscale illustrations. Discover more of the speech and language teaching concepts for using Creepy Carrots in speech therapy below:

Key Teaching Concepts

Narrative Structure:

complete episode

Narrative Concepts:

vocabulary
theme/message
character analysis
illustration study
predicting
verbs (mental state)
problem solving
text features

Sequencing:

order of where he noticed the creepy carrots

Vocabulary:

creepy, imagination, passion, yanked, ripped, sinister, creeping, crisp, noticed, ridiculous, strange, hatched

Character Analysis:

Jasper loves carrots. He stops at the Crackenhopper Field multiple times a day and eats his fill of carrots. He becomes suspicious of the carrots watching and following him. Jasper becomes afraid that the carrots are out to get him. He decides to solve the problem by building a tall fence around the Crackenhopper Field to ensure that he is safe from the carrots.

Figurative Language:

symbolism (light bulb)
onomatopoeia (tunktunktunk)

Grammar:

verbs (mental state)

Text Features:

italics
ellipsis
changes in font size
ALL CAPS

Phonological Awareness:

alliterations

Inferencing:

Notice the carrots celebrating at the end of the story. Reflect back on the story and discuss what their creepy plan had been.

Predicting:

Where do you think he will see the carrots next?
Do you think he will go back to the carrot patch for a snack? Why? Why not?
Do you think the carrots are going to follow him again?
What do you think his mom will see when they check the shed?
What do you think his dad will see when they check the bedroom?
Where do you think they will search next?
Why do you think the carrots are following Jasper?
How do you think Jasper will stop the carrots from following him?
What do you think Jasper is building?

Problem Solving:

Jasper had to find a way to keep the carrots from following him.
The carrots found a way to keep Jasper from eating them.

If you are interested in seeing other Halloween-themed books to use in therapy, then check out the Seasonal Narrative Teaching Points Book List for a printable copy.

If you are interested in using Creepy Carrots and other Halloween- themed books in speech therapy, then check out these print-&-go cheat sheets. Perfect for when you don’t need a full book companion.

Books

Monthly Plans

Crafts

Seasonal

Frequent Speech Sounds:

Themes:

Book Details:

Creepy Carrots!

Key Teaching Concepts

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