Kid Tested, Mother Approved - Gooney Bird Greene

I don't know if I've mentioned this book before, but it's one of our favorites, and the other day at the library we picked up the next two in the series: Gooney the Fabulous and Gooney Bird and the Room Mother.

The kids like the stories because they're fun. I like them because they peak my kid's interest in writing and gives them great examples of how to do it. The first book teaches them how to write interesting title prompts, and to tell stories well. The book we're reading now, Gooney the Fabulous, demonstrates how to write fables. I could have said to my kids, "Hey, let's write some fables" and I know I would have had moans or blank faces. But after reading a few chapters, I suggested we write fables - both of them ran off and wrote one (both with the moral "help your friends"). Megan even wrote two, and one of them we wrote an alternate ending.

The third book at a quick glance looks to be about a play, so I'm hoping we can use it to act out our own little play, or even write one. If you're looking for a fun activity for language arts, or just a fun book to read, these are great.