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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Is There A Knuffle Bunny In Your Life


Why should every kindergarten teacher have these books?




If you have never come across these books head over to a bookstore because you are in for such a treat. Mo Willems is the author and these stories are about his daughter Trixie and her mishaps with her stuffed bunny. She has a stuffed animal (Knuffle Bunny) that is her all important cuddle toy. Any five year old can connect to the text and relate to these stories. I am so in love with the fact that the settings are in black and white in the form of photographs and the characters are drawn by the author in color, like cartoons. This is the B.E.S.T mentor text to use when teaching about story elements and you want them to understand character and setting! I love these so much! The stories are tender and loving and every single child has the background to connect to them. As a parent you will laugh out loud and be reminded of all the crazy things you did out of unconditional love for your own kids. Mo Willems is a rock star author. The last book will make you cry. My partner adores these stories and I love to open up my trainings with them so all teachers can fall in love with them as much as we have.

I know others have talked about these books but it is just a reminder that these are stories kinder kids will ask for over and over again.



Kathy and I are in this book together. Isn't this idea adorable? Wouldn't this be great to use in your classroom? Kids would love taking a picture with a friend inside of a giant frame. Kathy  is so full of life and has a real passion for teaching. Her material was fantastic and I really loved meeting her. My friend Amber from Kindergarten Rocks was in this class with me. We had a blast! 








18 comments:

Glenda said...

Love the frame idea. Off to order the books! :o) You're my hero.

Penny Waddingham said...

I love all Mo Willems books but especially the Elephant and Piggie Books. These books are great for dramatic play and retelling activities.

Penny

Rebecca said...

Fran,

What are the rules in your classroom?

alwayslearning said...

Wow! I LOVE the frame idea! Thank you for sharing!! I will be doing that! Your blog is my FAVORITE and I am always excited to see your next post!
Holly
www.joyofkindergarten.blogspot.com

Cindy said...

Fran,
I love the concept of the Knuffle Bunny. My daughter had Kanga (Kangaroo) that slept with her as a child and then went off with her to attend college! ;-) Perhaps not the first stuffed animal to earn a degree! ;-)
Thanks for sharing what looks like a great set of books.
Amazon, here I come! ;-)

Fran Kramer said...

My kids come up with the rules for our room with me after a week or two of school. I have another book I read to get them thinking about this.
I will share it!

Learning with Mrs. Parker said...

I am in love with Mo Willems Cat the Cat series right now. I brought them home for my son. He loes that he reads the book to us. Beverytime I read the, I can't help to think of a shared reading or writing lesson to go with these books.

Chrissy said...

I love Knuffle Bunny! Barnes & Noble has a stuffed Knuffle Bunny--I saw it just a few days ago! And, yes, the third book made me cry....especially now that my oldest child will be leaving for college in 18 days.

:-)ReadWriteSing

Rachelle said...

I love Mo Willems!!!!!

Hey Fran, I'm trying to email you, but I can't find an email for you! :) Can you email me so I can chat with you? whattheteacherwants@gmail.com

Thanks!!!!
-Rachelle
whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com

Katie P. said...

We need some Kinder lovin' over here at Teachers Ask, Teachers Tell! A teacher is asking for ideas for Kinder Round Up!

Katie
Teachers Ask, Teachers Tell

lovetwoteach said...

I love Mo! Does Kathy have a website?

Kristen
www.first-grade-teachers.blogspot.com

MrsKinne said...

I am super in love with Mo Willems' books! DId you know it's pronounced "Kuh-nuffle" with a hard K sound? I guess that's what Mo's real-life daughter called her bunny.

Kathy Griffin said...

Thank you for your kind words and for attending my session! My friend Tammy sent me a message today telling me to go to your blog because, "I was in a book." Thanks for sharing the picture. I enjoyed meeting you in Vegas. The teachers attending my session were amazing and so excited about teaching young children. I am sure our paths will cross again, as I now have your blog to follow. My website will be up on August 1st.
www.kathygriffinteach.com

Fran Kramer said...

Dear Kathy,
I loved your presentation and I only wish some of my blogging friends could have been at your session. The giant frame was the highlight but your love for books makes me want to spend my last dime on Amazon. Thank you so much for coming on my blog. I feel honored to say the least.

Pingles said...

Okay, I just ordered the last Knuffle Bunny and the We're in a Book. I love them both. Oh yea and a couple others you mentioned.

I love Knuffle Bunny and I still have Mr. Bear from my son who is now 22 years old and still my baby.

Tammi said...

Mo Willems is far and away my favorite children's author. His books are ageless. I have so much fun reading them which in turn makes the kids love his books. I can't wait to use your idea for a class book during our author study.
I love the HFW units you've been posting lately! Would you consider adding a blank template for your pages when you post the unit to TPT. (I can only assume you will be posting it there right?) I really want to be able to use it but I get so frustrated when we all have different word lists that we use.

Tammi
Having Fun K-1

Janice said...

Fran, I am sure I am your number one fan!! I LOVE checking out the ideas you share - the first thing I do on the computer every morning is head to your blog. Yes, I miss you when you are MIA! I just ordered the Knuffle Bunny books from our library - can't wait to check them out. I am excited to share my new favorite, "Pete the Cat" with my grade ones; I know they will LOVE it. I feel like you are my new best friend. Thank you, thank you for all you do to inspire us daily!

Kathy Griffin said...

Hi Fran. I joined the blogging world and wanted to give you updated information about my new blog.

kathygriffinteach.blogspot.com

If you know any teachers looking for technology based multimedia files for the digital computer, Smart Board, Interactive Whiteboard, or student computers, I have a CD "Growing Dendrites with Kathy Griffin" out now along with many multimedia files, mp3 songs, student books, and games to teach phonics. My new blog has YouTube videos of how I use them in my classroom. If you see a song or file you would like, let me know and I will email it to you.

Thanks for attending my session.