MaiStoryBook Library

MaiStoryBook: The Bruce Swap + Ways to Have Fun Craft

by MaiStoryBook

Introducing an uproarious read featuring our favorite grumpy bear, Bruce, and his FUN cousin Kevin~ featured in the MaiStoryBook Library Collection: 

“The Bruce Swap” by Ryan T. Higgins

*~Click here to purchase your own copy of “The Bruce Swap” to start on your own reading adventure! (This is an affiliate link~ 5% of your purchase will go to MaiStoryBook to help create Reading Resources for your littles)

Book Synopsis and Review

Bruce is back in the latest addition to the *Mother Bruce* series, but this time~ he’s not alone. His FUN cousin Kevin is in town, and FUN Kevin is about to stir up a whole lot of…well… FUN! Bruce does not like to have fun. The mice and geese secretly wish Bruce was more fun, instead of always saying *no* to their shenanigans and play. They wish he had more *pizazz.* But one day, unbeknownst to the mice and geese, Bruce leaves on a fishing trip and his identical cousin Kevin shows up in his place~ the friends think all of their wishes for FUN Bruce have come true! After all, Kevin, unlike Bruce, LOVES FUN. But, is it possible to have TOO much Fun? The mice and geese are about to find out.

Whenever Bruce and his gang are involved, there is bound to be giggles, laughter, and all sorts of mishappenings and adventures~ and this new read does not disappoint! Littles will guffaw over the outrageous FUN that Kevin instigates, while recognizing the consequences of too much fun with too little responsibility~ it’s the perfect read for discussing the importance of fun with limits. Speech bubbles and clever puns create many outlets of entertainment for younger and older readers alike. It’s fun read aloud for all ages to enjoy!

Vocabulary

  • pizzazz (p. 7) excitement, fun
  • glint (p. 11) a sparkle or a flash of light
  • doppelgänger (p. 14) another person who looks exactly like you but isn’t your twin or part of your family
  • questionable (p. 22) not sure if it’s a good idea
  • pitiful (p. 31) makes you feel sorry or sad for someone

Themes/ Main Ideas

  • Balance fun and responsibility: It’s important to find a balance to make fun and play safe and enjoyable for everyone involved.
  • How to be a good guest/visitor: Discuss polite and respectful behavior when visiting or staying at someone else’s home.

YouTube Video: Guided Shared-Reading Read Aloud Example

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

Subscribe: MaiStoryBook Youtube Channel for additional read aloud videos!

*Ways to Have Fun* Craft

It’s always fun to be a little wild sometimes~ to try something new, something grand, something you’ve never done before that may possibly not be the best idea, but it would be super *fun.* Mai little learners are forever coming up with such grand ideas. I want to encourage their creativity and sense of adventure, so I try not to say *no* overtime they have a wild idea~ instead, Mm role is to support them in making responsible decisions~ to help them create the boundary between safe and dangerous play. As we witnessed with Kevin and the mice, when fun gets out of hand~when friends start to feel unsafe, or overwhelmed, and your surroundings begin to feel out of control~ sometimes having fun is not so fun at all. In this craft inspired by the story, encourage littles to share their favorite FUN activities~ activities that they had *Fun* doing because they felt safe and in control the whole time. It’s a *FUN* way to share new play ideas with each other and to generate ideas for future FUN playdates! Check it out below!

Materials

Directions

  • Choose a “Fun Kevin” Template: Color version or Black and White Version to Color. Print it Out.
  • If you choose the black and white version, use coloring utensils to color it in. 
  • Cut out the Fun Kevin Template
  • Next, choose a Pizza Box Label Template  to use. There are color or black and white versions. 
  • There are different writing prompt choices on the Front Pizza Box Template: “_____ loves fun” “How _____ has fun” (for personalized ones), “Ways to Have Fun”
  • Then, choose an “Inside Pizza Box Template”
  • In both the black & white and color sets, the following templates to answer the prompt are available: Sentence frames sharing different favorite FUN activities and memories, Prompts sharing fun activities and memories with picture spaces, all lines for writing, blank, all blank
  • Each inside template comes with a “pizza” on the top space for drawing a picture of “Me having Fun!” 
  • Print the “front side” double sided with the “Inside template you chose, OR Print both pages separately and glue together back-to-back.
  • This will allow you to fold up the bottom flap so that you have a pizza box. When you fold the flap back down, the writing/drawing on the inside of the pizza box will be revealed.
  • Color in the Black and white version.
  • Cut out the pizza box around the outer edges. *Keep the bottom tab on**
  • Glue the back of the pizza box to the Body of the Fun Kevin (See sample photos)
  • At the top of the box, where the edge of the box meets Kevin’s body, cut a small, straight-line incision as wide as the white tab on the pizza box lid. This is for when you fold up the bottom flap of the pizza box:  the tab can slide into the incision and keep the pizza box closed. 
  • To reveal the inside, pull the tab out of the incision and reveal the writing/picture inside. 
  • Enjoy sharing some FUN!

Enjoy Your *Ways to Have Fun* Kevin Craft

  • Share your craft with friends and family to share your favorite ways to have fun and inspire some fun activities you can do together.
  • Share your craft with family and friends and ask them what their favorite ways to have fun are.
  • Plan a day to do the activities on your craft to have an afternoon of safe and responsible Fun.
  • Display the crafts to remind you of ways to have safe and responsible fun!

*~ Happy Summer and I hope you are enjoying plenty of reading adventures! Tag me on Instagram @MaiStoryBookLibrary or FaceBook , find me on TikTok, or contact me via email to share your own *Ways to Have Fun* Kevin Crafts and your own reading adventures! I’d love to hear from you and learn more about your FUN adventures!~*

*~Until next time, Happy Reading~*