Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Today in class we read the book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. It’s a book that teachers love to read because it can lead to some pretty creative writing. In the book version, a man tells his grandchildren a bedtime story about a town called Chewandswallow where they have no grocery stores because food falls from the sky in place of rain, snow and various storm systems.

A movie (with the same name) opened today. I haven’t seen it, of course, so I can’t tell you if it’s any good or not but you can tell from the trailer and write ups about the movie that it’s quite different from the book. If you go see the movie with your child, consider having a conversation about what’s different and why they are so different.

After reading the book today, I showed the kids the website for the movie. It’s pretty fun and is very interactive. One thing that I emphasized with them is that Sony Pictures Animation has partnered with Feeding America to provide meals for Americans in need. While playing the game Food Catcher, every time you ‘catch’ a golden apple, one meal will be donated. It’s an easy way to help others and helped get us thinking about how lucky we are to have food to eat every day. After playing the game, they can print out a certificate that they can also color. Check it out!