A friend of mine made an illustration of a child leaving the voting booth with a parent. It flashed into my mind that it would be valuable for kids to have their own election. An election where they get to vote on something important to them and then watch the results live on election night. (It might make the night less stressful for the adults too). I feel that kids would get a deeper sense of the importance and value of voting and taking a stand.
I am currently reading The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde. Interestingly, it has a similar theme to this picture book.
Title: Noodlephant
Author: Jacob Kramer
Illustrator: K-Fai Steele
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books, 2019
Synopsis: "NOODLEPHANT is a story about an elephant and her friends who band together to overthrow the kangaroos that run their town. It’s about who makes the rules, and who must break them. It’s about noodles and revolution, laws and lasagna."
Opening page: Once there was an elephant who loved noodles. She loved noodles so much that all her friends called her Noodlephant. She loved to scoop noodles in huge slippery slurps and eat them buy the truckload.
Why I Love this Book:
This is a fun story that also happens to teach kids about social justice. And it's a book about noodles and pasta and cooking.
It's about standing up for what is right and finding solutions to problems.
It's a story about working together to make the world better.
And you'll learn some cooking terms along the way.
K-Fai's illustrations are bright and whimsical. They have a simplicity yet there are so many little details.
Activities and Resources:
Make some noodles for dinner. You will be hungry for them after reading this book.
Have a conversation about what it looks like to have fairness for everyone.
Talk about elections and the importance of voting.
Take a stand.
Learn more about the author, Jacob Kramer.
Learn more about the illustrator, K-Fai Steele.
Learn more about Black and Pink.
Be sure to check out more Perfect Picture Books on Susanna Hill's Blog
You can purchase the book through this link to Bookshop.org
I, too, love this book! Two Lions publishes great books! We featured Noodlephant at Kidquake last year, and K-Fai did a great job talking about fairness, making rules, and her artwork for the book. Great rec!