For me, 2021 is going to be the year of expanding my reading horizons. As a third grade teacher, matching students with books is part of my every day tasks. In order to meet the diverse needs and interests of my students, I need to be reading widely myself.
After kicking my 2021 reading life off with a few new audiobooks and some historical fiction books, I decided to pick up a book from a beloved author whose books aren’t typically in my TBR stack. Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series was a favorite of my brother’s growing up, and the Dog Man books fly off my classroom library shelves every time my third grade students book shop.
When I picked up Cat Kid Comic Club, I knew I would find humor and great characters. I didn’t anticipate, however, walking away from the book inspired by the important lessons it taught. As Lil Petey (a.k.a. Cat Kid) teaches baby frogs about making comics, he imparts some lessons our students are learning too:
- Sometimes we learn best by trying what someone else does.
- It’s okay to fail. Sometimes the greatest ideas come from a willingness to make a fool of yourself.
- Everyone can use a team of helpers at some stage of the process.
After I finished reading the book, I mentioned it while talking about my current reading life on a Zoom call with my third graders. Three students mentioned that they had been gifted a copy by family members. For each of them, the book carried messages of creativity and encouragement to try. This book is a great match for upper elementary classrooms!
Kids say…
- “I think the life lesson is to be creative. Always.”
- “It taught me to do what you think is good.”
- “Comics can be made by anybody!”
Thank you to Scholastic for sharing a copy of Cat Kid Comic Club.
