Customer Reviews

King Of The Playground

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a Kindergarten teacher I make a point to read this book every year to my students, to show them that a scary or seemingly hopeless situation can result in a good friendship with a little perservernce and creativity. I like the fact that the Dad was a good source of support for the child, and that the Dad is shown working outside and inside the house in some non-traditional roles. Buoyed by his father's support, Kevin returns to the playground, always trying new ways to secure a spot on the playground. Children need more tools like this for resolving conflict in a non-violent manner.

This book will definitely appeal to many children, especially those who may be dealing with a bully. Everyday Kevin walks to the neighborhood playground in hope of having great fun. But each day, without failure, a boy named Sammy is there. Whenever Kevin approaches a piece of equipment, Sammy will say he can not go on it because he is the "King of the Playground" then threatens to hurt Kevin if he does not listen. Together, Kevin and his father discuss what Sammy is doing to Kevin, and they work through the difficult situation. Soon Kevin gains enough confidence to stand up for himself, and does with remarkable results! I enjoyed seeing how Kevin could open up to his father and how they, together worked out the problem. The understandable text and colorful illustrations flow together smoothly, and add a great deal of feeling to the plot.

Kevin yearns to play on the playground equipment in his neighborhood, but a bully named Sam won't let him. He proclaims himself "King of the Playground" and threatens Kevin with bodily harm if Kevin dare use any of the play equipment.

Kevin wisely takes his problem to his father. I like the way father and son interacted and I like the bond between them. That made a good story even better. Kevin's father makes gentle suggestions to the boy about what he thinks might work with Sam; he tells him that "words are stronger than fists." By using his analytical and reasoning skills, Kevin in time befriends Sam and the boys as well as other children enjoy the playground in peace.

I like this book because it helped my son to recognize a bully before he hit the kindergarten playground. It opened the door to discuss how to deal with kids that are less than nice when there is no grown up around.

I bought the book because my 4-year-old son had been on the receiving end of some of the unfriendly behaviors that are the basis of the book. My son loves the book. Aside from the fact that he gets the author's premise (reasoning rather than reacting), he just genuinely enjoys it. He laughs out loud at some of the situations in the book. It didn't trigger the meaningful discussion I'd hoped we'd have about bullies (unbridled parental optimism on my part there!), but it's made for a lot of fun bedtime reads.

In the course of this story, the author and illustrator graphically depict a series of terrible acts of violence that the bully is threatening to carry out against his victim. Given the high numbers of child victims of violence in schools today, this book serves as more of a trauma trigger about past acts of violence than as an aide to learning.

If we were teaching teens in a dating violence prevention program, would we demonstrate the steps involved in acts of assault? Obviously not. This is not an appropriate strategy to use in teaching young children about bullying either.

I strongly question the developmental appropriateness of this book for any children of elementary school age or younger, and it is especially inappropriate for child victims of violence. Given the statistics on child witnesses to violence, let alone victims of abuse/neglect, in the U.S., this book is completely inappropriate to be used in school settings.

Instead of this book, I would highly recommend the following anti-bullying books: My Secret Bully, Just Kidding, Sorry!, Simon's Hook; A Story About Teases and Put-downs, Our Friendship Rules, Say Something.

An excellent book to talk about how to deal with bullies. Written very simply for about first grade. The kids loved it!

My son loves this book - he is 6. Gives a good portrayal of a bully and relatable humorous solutions to dealing with them.

What a gem of a book. My 7-year-old loved it, and my 5-year-old has practically memorized it. Great lesson, well taught, and what kid couldn't use tips on how to deal with bullying.

I like the way the father helps his son figure out that the other boy is probably all bluster. I also like that the son is able to use those ideas to come up with his own solution. I was a little bothered that such young kids are walking to and playing at the local playground with no parents anywhere. Best for young kids as one example of how you might stand up for yourself. The optimistic view that you can make friends with a "bully" is okay for little kids, since young bullies are probably more socially unskilled than mean, but I don't think this is very realistic for older kids.