MaiStoryBook Library

MaiStoryBook: The King of Kindergarten + *Back-to-School Storybook* Activity

by MaiStoryBook

Introducing a royal read aloud about confidence, pride, and back-to-school adventure, featured in MaiStoryBook Library Collection:

“The King of Kindergarten” by Derrick Barnes and Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Book Synopsis and Review

It’s the first day of Kindergarten~ and our little king wakes up to the sun trumpeting its rays through his bedroom window, a tall stack of pancakes swimming in syrup on the table, and a royal yellow carriage awaiting him outside the door to take him to the grand fortress~ *school.* The confident little hero is ready to conquer the day~ and though there may be many new people and things to learn~ he is up for any challenges! Follow him through a jam-packed first day of school, for a sneak peek at the wonders of learning. The best part of school…? You get to wake up and start a whole new day of fun again and again!

This is the perfect read aloud to give little ones, especially kindergarteners, a confidence boost before starting the first day of school. The story outlines a day of adventure and play~ and while there may be challenges, littles are encouraged to face them with courage and a big smile on their face~ for they can do anything they put their mind too! Plus, the vibrant, colorful illustrations paint a learning wonderland. The bright pictures adding thrill to going to school to revel in all that is new, different, and exciting! This is a story sure to get anyone pumped up for back to school, and ready to face the new school year with pride and confidence.

Vocabulary

  • Blares (p. 2) makes a very loud noise
  • Crest (p. 4) a special family symbol or sign
  • Garments (p. 4) clothes
  • Fortress (p. 7) castle
  • Farewell (p. 26) goodbye

Themes/ Main Ideas

  • School may be new and different, but its jam-packed with fun, friends, and opportunities to create and learn.
  • Be confident. Put a big smile on your face, be kind to friends, be open to learning new things. Enthusiasm can make anything new, and even a little scary, feel exciting!

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

Example of a shared-reading, interactive Read Aloud of “The King of Kindergarten” – how to subtly introduce the vocabulary list words within the text, ask guided questions, and spark conversation!

*~Check it Out~*

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*QUEEN OF KINDERGARTEN TEMPLATE NOW AVAILABLE*

Click Here for Craft Template

Inspired by Derrick Barnes and Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s New Companion book : *The Queen of Kindergarten*

*King of Kindergarten* *Back-to-School* Storybook

One week until I start mai very own back-to-school adventure with mai new fifth graders! The past few weeks have been filled with me scrambling to move classrooms and put together a whole new room/home for this upcoming year. As the classroom finally comes together and resembles a space for students to learn and thrive in, my own confidence in the new school year is slowly coming together as well. I now can more clearly envision the learning that will take place in our room this year~ and am finally starting to fell more pumped up and excited for the school year to begin! While there are still final details to finish on the room, and a whole lot of first-week-of-school planning to do, I now enter my new classroom with a big smile on mai face, ready to conquer the tasks for the day! Plus, reading back-to-school books, both children’s books and teaching books, definitely get me excited for the new teaching adventure ahead of me! I wish I had mai very own storybook about my first-day-of-school/back to school experiences! Well, for this week’s MaiStoryBook craft, you and your little can document your very own back-to-school adventure in your own storybook! Create a storybook to be shared and read aloud to fiends and family~ all bout you and your very first day of school!

Materials

Directions

  • Download your *Back-to-School Storybook* template
  • Choose which storybook you want to create (i.e. King/Queen of Kindergarten/First Grade ~~ or edit the template to create your own grade-specific storybook)
  • Check to print out the pages that correspond with the book you choose~ the king/queen pages, or the fill-in-the-blank pages for older grades
  • Put the pages in the correct order to match the order of the *The King of Kindergarten* read aloud story
  • Complete the cover page. Draw your own face in the circle, write your name on the “by___” line, and color the cover.
  • Go through the pages, filling in the blanks and the illustrations to document your very own back-to-school experiences
  • When you are done, put the pages together and staple on the left hand spine of the pages to bind them together into a book

Enjoy Your *Back-to-School Storybook* Activity!

  • Share your StoryBook with family and friends. Host your very own read aloud to share your own back-to-school adeventure
  • Use the storybook as a way too hare with your family and friends about your very first day of school! Having the pictures and templates will help remind you of all the details and parts of your day
  • Re-read *The King of Kindergarten*, and compare your back-to-school adventure with his. Did you do or learn similar things?
  • Create your own pages and continue to add to your book to document your whole year of fun and learning!

*~Overall, have a fun back-to-school adventure with the *Back-to-School StoryBook* activity and read aloud,  and I hope you and your little ones have the best back-to-school experience this year!  – tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary, Twitter @MaiStoryBook  – or post on FaceBook to share your photos of your own *StoryBooks*, and your own back-to-school and reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you!~*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~*