It was Edward’s first day at knight school so he put on his armour and helmet. It would protect him from the battles he would face throughout the day.
Starting a new school year is often scary for children whether it be starting kindergarten, joining a new school or even a new class without close friends.
The Battle by Ashling Kwok and Cara King has used the analogy of going into battle to show how when we are nervous or worried we often ‘layer’ ourselves in armour. In this story children will see that when we put on too much armour, we often think the world is a lot more scary than it really is and it’s only when we start to take it off that we see that most people feel just like we do.
In ‘The Battle’, Edward sits at the back the great hall hoping that none of the dragons or ogres notice him, he hides away in the playground and only wants to keep to himself, worried that they will all hurt him.
It is only until a scary looking ogre sits next to him that he realises that perhaps these ogres and dragons weren’t too bad after all.
Children will enjoy reading the story and I’m sure will relate to how Edward is feeling throughout the story. Cara King’s illustrations are lots of fun and you’ll wonder how Edward could ever fear the cute dragons and ogres!
The Battle by Ashling Kwok is a must have read for all young children who come across this major battle in life. Knowing that many others feel this way is important and also being able to explore the concept in a playful way, makes it easier to talk about too.
Teacher notes can be accessed here: https://ekbooks.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Teachers-Notes__the-battle_lowres.pdf
Ashling’s website: https://www.ashlingkwok.com.au/books
Cara’s website : https://www.caratoons.com
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