Tag: bullies

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Books that Celebrate Play

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Let’s Go Puddling!, by Emma Perry/Illustrated by Claire Alexander, (Apr. 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536228496

Ages 2-6

Who says “rain, rain, go away?” Not these three families! A group of toddlers and their families delight in a rainy day playdate in this delightful story written in verse. Three families living in the same apartment complex get their littles dressed for fun and meet in the playground, where the children stimp, stamp, stomp through the puddles while other adults rush by, heads down, missing all the fun. Alexander’s digital illustrations bring the softness and fluidity of a rainy day to life; Perry’s spare verse evokes all the joy of play. Great sound effects – “Shake, shake, shake”; “Squish! Squash! Squelch!” – make this a great choice for a readaloud. As much fun to read as it is to listen to.

 

Joy Ride, by Sherri Duskey Rinker/Illustrated by Ana Ramírez González, (Apr. 2023, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536207743

Ages 4-8

Joy is a little girl who needs something to keep her busy over summer vacation, so her mom sends her to her grandfather’s, where she finds a bike. Joy and Granddad work together on the bike: he fixes, she “fancies it up”, and when she takes that first ride, she’s enchanted: “Today I’m not just Joy: I’m JOY!!!” Sadly, other kids tease her, causing Joy to push the bike down a hill, but she soon realizes that the other kids all look alike. There’s nothing special about them. She fetches her bike, bringing it back to Granddad so she can ride again. A sweet story of individuality and taking a stand against bullies, Joy Ride is a wonderful multigenerational story, a tinkering story, a story about embracing what makes you happy. Digital illustrations are bright, colorful, bold; Rinker’s narration, told from Joy’s point of view, has moments that all kids can relate to, from the boredom of having nothing to do all summer, to the connection between child and grandparent, to the delight of riding a bike, streamers “whippity-whip-whippity-whip-whip”-ing in the breeze. A great choice for a readaloud.

 

Color and Me, by Michaela Dias-Hayes, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $13.99, ISBN: 9781684645282

Ages 2-5

A brown-skinned little girl fingerpaints, discovering what she can make by mixing colors together. When she makes brown, she is delighted: “Brown is MY color. This is ME.” Illustrations are playful and bright, with paint-spattered endpapers to add to the sense of play. The girl’s joy extends to her hair, shown in different styles including her natural style, braids, twists, and puffs. The playful rhyming verse makes this a pleasure to read aloud, and the combination of artistic play and positive self-image makes this an excellent choice for storytime collections and readalouds. Color and Me was originally published in Britain in 2022.

Consider a storytime art project where kids make a handprint rainbow, inspired by a spread in the story. If that’s too messy for some, help kids trace and cut out their handprints on construction paper to create wreaths and rainbows. Consider reading with Kathryn Otoshi’s Beautiful Hands.

Posted in Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade

A rogue 3-D printer and a young artist unleash monsters at school!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Monsters Unleashed, by Jon Kloepfer/Illustrated by  Mark Oliver, (July 2017, HarperCollins), $16.99, ISBN: 9780062290304

Recommended for ages 8-10

Freddie Liddle is anything but. He’s a big guy, bigger than the average fifth grader, and that makes him stand out: right where the bullies can see him. His best friend, Manny, always has his back. In fact, the two buddies were about to create a monster movie based on the bullies; Freddie drew monster versions of each bully, and they used the 3-D printer at school to make models for filming. Holy maker meltdown, though: this printer makes REAL MONSTERS. They’re alive, they’re mean, and they’re GROWING. It looks like Freddie and Manny may need to team up with the very bullies that inspired their monsters in order to take them down and save their town!

Jon Kloepfer’s already got a huge fan following with his Zombie Chasers series; this new series, Monsters Unleashed, is a fun romp that brings a little maker fun into the mix. Freddie’s monster sketches turn into real-life terrible monsters that grow when they get wet, and are even meaner than the bullies they’re modeled after. Bullies get a second chance at redemption when they join Freddie and Manny in the fight, proving that some bullies take a little nudging, but may not be all bad (monster invasion notwithstanding). There’s lots of humor and action here, with fun black and white illustrations to keep kids interested.

Posted in Early Reader, Fiction, Preschool Reads

Ozzy the Ostrich teaches kids to stand up to bullies

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Ozzy the Ostrich, by José Carlos Andrés/Illustrated by Bea Enríquez, (June 2017, NubeOCHO), $15.95, ISBN: 978-8494541599

Recommended for readers 3-6

Ozzy Ostrich and two friends trot across the plain, munching on flowers, until three lions threaten to eat them! Ozzy – who also has an egg to defend – stands up to the bullies, scaring the so badly that one loses his teeth, one loses all of his fur, and one turns completely white. The former bullies befriend the ostriches, but what happens when another pride of lions shows up to menace the group?

Ozzy the Ostrich is a good introduction to the concepts of bullying and standing up for oneself and others. When the first group of lions bullies Ozzy, she stands up for herself and the bullies back down. When the next group comes along, Ozzy sees that her actions resonate. The art is bright, vibrant, and bold; both lions and ostriches have exaggerated facial expressions that readers will enjoy and laugh at (especially when the chastised lions react).

Originally published in Spanish under the title Un avestruz con much luz (2016), Ozzy the Ostrich makes a good social issues read-aloud for storytime. Pair with Kathryn Otoshi’s One for an anti-bullying storytime message.