Officer Buckle and Gloria By: Peggy Rathmann

This Caldecott winner is a fantastic resource to read aloud during a community helpers unit.  As a Pre K teacher, I plan to read this to my students as we learn about police officers and safety.  As a class, we will then brainstorm various safety laws we know about in our community.

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Author: Peggy Rathmann - As a St. Paul, Minnesota native, Peggy Rathmann stayed in Minnesota until she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in psychology.  Eventually, Peggy Rathmann moved to Los Angeles to attend the Otis Parsons School of Design.  Through her connections at the Otis Parsons School of Design, Peggy Rathmann began illustrating and writing children's books.  Peggy Rathmann has written at least six children's books including the Caldecott winner Officer Buckle and Gloria.  About Peggy Rathmann   

Genre: Nonfiction

Grade Level: Pre K - 2

Theme/Skill: Social Studies - Police Officer and Safety Rules

Brief Synopsis: A police officer named Officer Buckle visits schools to teach students about various safety laws.  No one ever listened, until Gloria arrived.  Gloria was the police dog who did tricks behind Officer Buckle during his presentations.  The students were fully engaged watching Gloria so they heard everything Officer Buckle said.  Eventually, Officer Buckle saw one of his presentations on TV and refused to allow Gloria to attend any more of his presentations.  As a result, students didn’t pay attention and there was a massive accident after the presentation.  The story ends with Officer Buckle and Gloria reuniting.

Pre-Reading Activity: What is the title of this book?  Who is the author of this book?  Is there an illustrator?  From looking at the cover of this book, what do you think the story is about?  Have students close your eyes and think about the safety rules they have heard before.  What are some important safety rules you can think of?  

Post-Reading Activity: Why did students begin to listen to Officer Buckle mid way through the story?  What safety tips did you learn from Officer Buckle?  What other safety tips do you know that weren’t mentioned?  Students will be given a star-shaped worksheet in which they can write their favorite/most important safety tip.  After they have written their safety tip, students can color a picture describing their words.

Rathmann, P. (1995) Officer Buckle and Gloria. New York: Scholastic Inc. Grades Pre K – 2.