And the reading challenge continues! As stated in a previous post, my librarian friend Ashley Lambacher of the Book Talker and I are hosting the Buckeye Book Award Reading Challenge. Our goal is to read all the past winners from the children’s book category in chronological order from 1982 to the present. I will read the K-2 picture book winners and Ashley will read the 4-8/3-5 chapter book winners. Because 2006 was skipped, today I continue my challenge by reading the winner of the K-2 Buckeye Book Award in 2007, Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O’Malley.
Once Upon a Motorcycle Dude is about two classmates, a boy and a girl, writing a fairy tale together. However, they can not agree on how the story should go. The girl starts off with a flowery story of a pretty princess and her pony. The pony is stolen by a giant. Instead of a prince coming to the rescue, the boy chooses a muscle-bound guy on a motorcycle. The story unfolds as the two kids argue their side of how the story should unfold. Finally, the kids decide on a happy ending that satisfies them both. As the story is told through text and illustrations, the boy and girl are featured within the images with their dialog told through speech bubbles. It’s a unique combination of picture book style with graphic novel features. I’ve read this book to 1st graders who loved it, and even 5th graders who loved it! It’s a funny book that both boys and girls enjoy. It’s humor and appeal to a wide audience makes it a fitting winner of the 2007 Buckeye Book Awards.
Ashley, your upcoming 2007 book is Megan McDonald’s Stink. Many books later, he remains a favorite with kids still today.
Would you like to join Ashley and I as we read through Ohio’s award winning books? We welcome any and all who are interested in participating in this fun reading challenge. For more information, click here.
I hadn't known about this book until a couple years ago, when I discovered it on the shelves of one of my buildings. It was so "well-loved" -- meaning, it was falling apart -- that it caught my eye, and I was immediately intrigued. While we tried to repair it, I had quite a few kids asking for it. I ended up purchasing another copy, knowing how much love it was going to be getting in the future. It's a great fit for both genders, and a great way to get thoughts going for writing and how to come up with stories. A wonderful choice by Ohio kids in 2007!
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