The book of the week is back! For those who don’t know, we will share a new book every Friday. You can check out a copy of the book in the front hallway of school. It will be on the table until the following Friday. Take a look at some of the great things we like to read at ALC! This week’s book is The Knight and the Dragon by Tomie dePaola.
This week’s book of the week is a favorite of fairy tale lovers. Filled with funny pictures, the story follows a dragon and a knight as they prepare for battle. It tracks the two in castle and cave as their actions seem to mirror one another; preparing for what they feel they are supposed to do. Don’t worry parents, this book has a surprise happy ending for everyone.
We chose this book because it offers a great way to get kids, even those who can’t read, involved in telling the tale. The book offers a little bit of text, but mostly relies on pictures to tell the story. We love this book because it is a great way to involve your young book lovers in the story telling. It also reminds children that even though we may not expect it, we may have more things in common with each other than we know. With the right discussion, it can encourage lessons in empathy, friendship and acceptance. We recommend asking questions like:
- What does this picture tell us?
- What do you think is happening in these pictures?
- What do you think will happen next?
- How did the ending of the story make you feel?
- What was the difference between the Knight and the Dragon in the beginning? What was the same?
Questions like these are vital in encouraging critical thinking in children. It forces them think about stories in a logical beginning, middle and end. It also helps them learn that just because people (or dragon’s) seem different, we have a lot in common. Check out this week’s book of the week!