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I had a wonderful morning reading Kayla The Great And The Magic Red Dress
I brought Kayla in my book basket with my library books that I pick up during the week. I usually read three books but this morning I only had time to read Kayla The Great. I was also reading to the other 1st grade class and I wanted to make sure I had enough time to have a book discussion after.
The children were very excited to hear about Kayla and loved the vivid and detailed illustration. They learned that they had so much in common with Kayla not only because she was 6 years old but because she struggled with self confidence just like most children. They had lots questions and comments during the story, especially on the page that illustrates her bi-racial parents. I had to remind them to hold their response until after.
Kayla has a favorite red dress that she believes is magical. But when she looses it, she is devastated and worried about her upcoming field day. She holds a family meeting with her parents, brother, and her dog Sunshine but still doesn’t find her dress. In the end Kayla discovers that she didn’t need her “magic red dress” to win a medal, she only needed to believe in herself.
“You can do this Kayla! You can do it!”
The class loved Kayla’s victory and a few students even gave her a round of applause. Here are a few more reactions from Kayla The Great and the Magic Red Dress:
“Sometimes my brothers take my stuff too.”
“Her mother is white and her daddy is black?”
“I have two puppies and they always run faster than me because they have more legs.”
“I sing at my church!”
“Only 3 people at the birthday party?”
“Why did she let Sunshine have the dress?”
“Why didn’t the dog tell Kayla he had her dress?”
“Why did the dog take her dress?”
“I have Kayla the Great at home and I like it.”
Read Aloud Tip: Allowing readers to ask questions and make comments after the story helps them to process the content. It gives them a better understanding of what the story is about. Kayla the Great and the Magic Red Dress was a big hit in both 1st grade classrooms. I asked them if I should bring back Kayla The Great Visits Washington and they unanimously agreed, Yes!
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To Find out more about Kayla The Great and the author Stephanie Davis click on this link: Kayla The Great
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