The Eyebrow Story Literature Guide
by Peter H. Reynolds 
In The Eyebrow Story, by Peter H. Reynolds, a young boy named Sean goes on an adventure with his eyebrows. First, they fly away in the wind, then a bird uses them in her nest, and then they shrink in the washing machine! Sean's eyebrows are never the same – but he figures out a way to love them in a new form. This fantastical story will teach your students about ingenuity and loving their uniqueness.
Find the story online at the Moms' and Kids' Playground on FunBrain.com. Click on the boy in the bottom right-hand corner.
Enrichment Activities
Additional Resources
More by Peter H. Reynolds
Enrichment Activities
- Summarizing
Summarize The Eyebrow Story with your students. We have a worksheet that explains a variety of ways to summarize stories. Have your students pick one option and then share their summaries with their classmates. - Main Idea & Supporting Details
Can your class figure out the main idea of this story? After you've established the main idea, fill out a main idea graphic organizer together to help them determine the central theme and the supporting details. - Make-Believe
Ask your students to think about whether this story could really happen. Have them write down each element of the story that seems like make-believe. - Types of Stories
A fable is a type of story that is made-up and that generally has a moral or lesson at the end. Does The Eyebrow Story have a moral or lesson? Teach your students about other genres of stories that The Eyebrow Story could be classified as, such as fantasy or fairy tale. Our literary glossary can help you define the terms. - Continuing the Story
What do your students think happened to Sean the day after the story ends? The next month? Does he ever get his eyebrows back? How many eyebrow hats does he sell? Ask your class to continue the story by creating a new adventure for Sean – they can even feature his eyebrows again, if they want! - Being Unique
Sean's big, bushy eyebrows (which are removable!) make him unique, and he is proud of them. What makes each of your students unique? Have your class complete this lesson on personal websites so they can show their classmates what's unique about them. Younger students can create a flag about themselves, which incorporates another story with a unique main character. - Running a Business
When Sean sees how much his friends like his eyebrow hat, he starts his own business to make money manufacturing eyebrow hats. Talk to your students about entrepreneurship and what a person must do in order to maintain a successful business. As an example you can use a lemonade stand – a business many students are familiar with and may have had themselves. Then, have them create their own business plans.The following questions will help your students start their business plans. Our Economics Vocabulary game will help define and explain the terms for economics and business, if your students need more help getting started.
- What kind of equipment and supplies are necessary for your business? (lemons, sugar, water, table, pitcher, paper cups, etc.)
- How much of an initial investment would you have to make to start your business? (cost of all of the above)
- What will the cost be to make and deliver your product or service? (cost of ingredients for each cup of lemonade, including the cup)
- How much will the average consumer be willing to pay for your product/service? (selling price for a cup of lemonade)
- What will your hours be? (When will you have the most customers?)
- How much will you pay yourself and/or your employees? (salary)
- Will you make a profit? (the difference between the all of the costs and the price)
- What will the name of your business be?
- Journals
Encourage your students to reflect on the story in their reading journals.
Additional Resources
Try using one or more of these resources when teaching The Eyebrow Story (or any other book) to your class:
- Popular Reading Graphic Organizers
- Journaling Topics
- Customizable Graphic Organizers
- Popular Phonics Resources
- Grammar Resources
- Reading Teacher Resources
More by Peter H. Reynolds
Author Peter H. Reynolds is also a renowned illustrator (all the art in this book is his, as well). Check out his illustrations for Tess's Tree, by Jess M. Brallier – we have a literature guide to help you teach that story. Plus, find an interview with Peter H. Reynolds, in which he discusses his love of illustration.
You can also visit Mr. Reynolds's website, FableVision.com, to see more of his outstanding work.
