Welcome to Kinderland, the place I used to spend most my time. And now that I’m mother to a toddler, am seeing from a whole different perspective. I read so many children’s books. And I decided it’s time to start sharing them! In Books From Kinderland you’ll see the picture books I’ve read with my classes from a teacher’s perspective or with my son from a mom (who was a teacher)’s perspective. Welcome to Kinderland!
Always in Trouble by Corinne Demas, Noah Z. Jones Published by Scholastic Press on January 1, 2009
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover
Source: BEA - Book Expo
Goodreads
"Emma's dog, Toby, was always in trouble.
On Monday he got into the garbage.
On Tuesday he ran into the road.
On Wednesday he ate a loaf of bread that Emma's dad had just baked."
No matter what day of the week it is, Toby's up to no good. His owner, Emma, doesn't know what to do! So she takes him to dog training school, where Ms. Katz teaches him everything a dog needs to know. By week's end, Toby has learned some surprising new tricks, leaving no doubt as to why he is top dog in Emma's eyes!
My Kinder kiddos loved this book – the trouble the dog gets into is tons of fun for them. As a teacher, I like that it exposes them to the days of the week over and over. And there’s lots of repetitive text for new readers.
This Book Is Not About Dragons by Shelley Moore Thomas, Fred Koehler Published by Boyds Mills Press on September 13, 2016
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover
Source: BEA - Book Expo
Goodreads
Meet a mouse narrator who stubbornly insists that this book contains absolutely no dragons—not even a claw nor a flame nor any large, pointy scales. Readers will know better—and enjoy being in on the joke—as a flock of dragons chase the mouse to the very end of the book within the book. Suspense builds humorously as the energetic text insists there are no dragons in this book, leading to a clever, unexpected ending. Clever artwork by Fred Koehler provides fun scenes to linger on and details to discover over multiple readings.
OMG the Kinder kiddos just loved this book. It’s a great one for a read aloud because they can easily participate with the frequent repetition of “this books is not about dragons” and they loved pointing and trying to tell me where the dragons are (and I, of course, played dumb just like the mouse, telling the story).
At the end, the mouse changes the title to This book is about dragons. I loved that, because it worked perfectly for our lesson on titles – what they are, where they are, and how they tell us what a book is about.
The Storybook Knight by Helen Docherty, Thomas Docherty Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky on September 6, 2016
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover
Source: BEA - Book Expo
Goodreads
Can a story save the kingdom?
When Leo's mom and dad send him off to fight a dragon, he takes a shield, a sword--and a pile of his favorite books.
But can a story be as mighty as a sword?
Loved this one and so did my class. We read it along with a lesson on characters – identifying them only – and after they had to draw me a picture of characters from the story. I wish I could share the pictures I got of dragons, trolls, and mice in armor!
What I really liked about this book, though, is that it has two really positive messages. One – that violence is not the answer. This little mouse solved all these typical fairy tale scenarios that usually are solved with violence with a story to the “bad guy.” Yeah, reading a story won’t usually work, but your parents also aren’t likely to send you off to slay a dragon as a kid mouse. It’s the message, not the practicality. Two – that it’s okay to be who you are. This little mouse didn’t want to be a knight, he wanted to read. And he did just that and everyone still ended up loving him and seeing him as a hero.
Pictures books are such a fun part of childhood. These look so fun!
I love kid’s picture books! It doesn’t matter that my son is almost 10, I still check out what’s coming on netgalley sometimes, lol.
The covers for each of these are excellent! I’d totally read them. 🙂