It’s an exciting time to be back in the school routine. Now that we’re a little past the initial shine of new classrooms, new backpacks and new friends, your family may be having intricate conversations about modifying behavior and navigating big feelings. If your kids are testing the boundaries and figuring out where they fit into their social groups, these two books are perfect to weave into your family’s reading routine.
In “Llama Llama’s Little Lie,” our favorite llama is playing with a friend inside, reveling in the small freedom afforded by Momma who is working outside. With Anna Dewdney’s typical bright colors and rhyming language, Llama and his friend’s rowdiness ends in a broken picture frame, prompting Llama to fabricate some humorous fibs. Kids will resonate with his conundrum and then benefit from his eventual honesty. As Momma Llama says, honesty is hard. And watching someone else do it will give little readers the language to do the same.
Likewise, there’s the delightful “A Lot Like Batman” by Keith Negley, which reveals a child’s budding inner person. With clever use of text placement, a semi-hidden main character, and an obsession with DC’s Batman, Negley’s story and illustrations detail the power of being truly yourself within a group of friends. The language is addressed directly to the reader and a soft (but vibrant) color palette invites children into an exploration of their own emotional needs. Even if your kids simply get the book to see the art, it is worthwhile.
Dorothy Bennett is a writer and artist in Austin, TX where she runs a creative agency with her husband.
