Karate Kid

by Rosanne L. Kurstedt, Mark Chambers (Illustrator)

Overview

Gain mindfulness, focus, and inner strength while learning karate moves with a goat kid!

A goat kid loves to do karate! And he is sure to inspire young kids to try karate as well. Follow Goat as he goes through the major stances and karate moves, teaching readers to channel focus and strength through each pose. Karate Kid's simple, measured, and meditative text is complemented by playful yet instructive illustrations by Mark Chambers to teach youngsters how to get involved in karate—and to have fun while doing so, too.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762493425
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	25 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Rosanne L. Kurstedt has been an educator for over twenty years, supporting learners of all ages. She is the author of several books and professional development guides for teachers, including Teaching Writing with Picture Books as Models and most recently a series entitled 100+ Growth Mindset Comments. Rosanne is the founder of The Author Experience, a nonprofit organization that partners with schools to build and sustain a culture of literacy-one that inspires a lifelong love and connection to the written word. Rosanne loves picture books and anything kid lit so she volunteers as the Assistant Regional Advisor for the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators. She is a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and lives in New Jersey with her family, including their dog Dorothy (who looks just like Toto).

Mark Chambers is an author and illustrator of children's picture books and young fiction. He studied Illustration at the University of London. In 2017, he was shortlisted for the AOI World Illustration Awards, and in 2013 for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Since then Mark has illustrated a wealth of picture books and young fiction. In 2013, he won the Sheffield Children's Picture Book Award and was also highly commended in the young fiction category. Mark currently lives and works in France.

Editorial Reviews

"Solid color backgrounds keep readers focused on the book's entertaining but accurate content, and the smoothly written text incorporates the mental component of the sport. . . . [A] solid introduction to karate."——Booklist

From the Publisher

2019-06-30
A series of karate moves is described and demonstrated by a goat kid.

Before laying out the stances, kicks, punches, and blocks, Karate Kid opens with the beginning steps of a karate class. All of the English karate-specific vocabulary is accompanied by the Japanese translation in parentheses: "belt (obi)." Karate Kid then goes through the positions, each given its own two-page layout that describes and illustrates the move. Some, such as a position the text labels the "Horse-Riding Stance," have clear explanations; others, like the "Back Kick," are harder to follow due to missing details or the simple challenge of depicting a moving action on the page. Chambers' illustrations show Karate Kid against a plain, bold background, donning his uniform, and showing the moves. While he's certainly a cute character with his headband and beard, it's hard to make sense of moves that describe things like pinched fingers when goats have hooves. A very helpful note for caregivers expanding on the martial art comes on the last page of the book, which means that the explanations of the words, moves, and concept of karate come after readers have largely finished making sense of the book. Due to the occasionally unclear explanations and illustrations, this is best for readers who are already familiar with the sport.

A nice homage to karate but not a worthy teaching tool. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews