One morning Elephant went down to the pond for his bath. But who was there first? Hippo, and he was taking up a lot of space.
Elephant glared at Hippo.
“Get out of the water, Hippo,” he said. “I want to bathe in peace.”
Jungle Bullies written by Steven Kroll and illustrated by Vincent Nguyen
Hippo leaves the pond, only to find Lion on the path. Since Hippo is bigger than Lion, he nudges Lion. The bullying behavior moves from animal to animal until it finally reaches Monkey. Monkey complains to his mama and she replies, “Son, you have to stand up to bullies. You go back to Leopard, and you tell him there’s enough room for two on that branch.” Mama accompanies Monkey as he nervously approaches Leopard. Monkey reminds Leopard to share and to stop being mean. Leopard is taken aback, he is suddently much less comfortable on his branch. He decides Monkey can stay on the branch and then he gets an idea. As Monkey’s message moves from animal to animal, friendships are restored and the former bullies discover it is much more fun to share.
An ideal introduction to the topics of bullying and sharing, Jungle Bullies features predictable recurring text. It is a beautifully illustrated anti bullying picture book and will be enjoyed by preschool age children.
It hardly seems right to attempt to capture the infectious spirit and joy of Suzy Lee’s Wave with mere words but I shall try.
When a young girl arrives at a beach, she is filled with enthusiasm and dashes forward, stopping just short of the beautiful, frothy blue water. She hesitates on the sand, pausing, leaning as she is drawn toward the ocean. Suddenly, the character of the water changes. Worried, she tentatively shifts backward, her steps mirrored by a group of friendly gulls. As the waves reverse and retreat, our young heroine stands on her tip toes and challenges the salty water. Before long, she leaps into the dancing waves, joyfully kicking and splashing until an enormous wave erupts. The powerful crest leaves her sodden but excited when it deposits a bounty of shells on the sandy beach.
Children and adults will revel in this playful, wordless celebration of a day at the beach.
Gorgeous illustrations were created with charcoal and watercolours. Suitable for all ages.
Wave was selected New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book 2008
Long Night Moon written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Mark Siegel Picture book about the moon published by Simon and Schuster
Simply told and beautifully illustrated, Long Night Moon encourages us to carefully consider the beauty of the moon when it is full and how the world around it changes during a calendar year. Did you know, ‘In June the Strawberry Moon shimmers on succulent buds, on crisp new shoots, on quiet, grateful rabbits’? Both evocative and magical, once read, the full moon will never seem quite the same.
A lovely bedtime story, it would be great to connect this picture book with a nighttime walk out of doors.
Recommended for children aged 3 – 6.
Note: for older children, Rylant’s use of personification could be examined.
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Jungle Bullies written by Steven Kroll and illustrated by Vincent Nguyen
encourages us to carefully consider the beauty of the moon when it is full and how the world around it changes during a calendar year. Did you know, ‘In June the Strawberry Moon shimmers on succulent buds, on crisp new shoots, on quiet, grateful rabbits’? Both evocative and magical, once read, the full moon will never seem quite the same.
