Mitchell Goes Bowling #Giveaway

The first few illustrations in the new picture book Mitchell Goes Bowling depict a young boy reaching for a glass of milk while reading a book (knocking over the glass in the process), followed by the same child kicking a stack of lettered blocks, running through a stack of papers under the glare of the hard-at-work mama sitting at a table, and ramming head first into the legs of his dad.

Mitchell ALWAYS knocked things down. That’s just how he rolled.

Author Hallie Durand and illustrator Tony Fucile have teamed up again to bring us another adventure with energetic Mitchell and his fast-thinking father. If your kids loved Mitchell’s License, then they’ll surely want to check out this one.

One Saturday, Mitchell’s dad literally scoops him up in the middle of a jump to knock into him and brings him on a surprise adventure. Mitchell may not have known what a bowling alley was before, but he immediately knows this is his kind of place. As he and his father begin to play, Mitchell is curious about how the place works– where does his ball go, and how does it pop back up? He might be a newbie, but his father is clearly a bowling expert, and he shows him how the game works, including what an X means on the score sheet, since that’s what his dad keeps on getting.

Mitchell wants to get an X. He needs to get an X. He is determined to get that X.

Uh-oh… will Mitchell get too frustrated to go on after lots of turns and no strikes? No need to worry. Remember how Mitchell’s dad is a pretty good fast-thinker? He has a great idea to help Mitchell feel better and to keep going after that elusive X.

As a parent, there was much in this book to relate to, for my own kids do enjoy going bowling, though there are sometimes bad feelings when scores get compared. This is a fun reminder to parents about the importance of helping kids through their frustrations, and Mitchell’s dad continues to be a calm and fun parental character. So often children’s literature presents a mom/child combination, and when dads are present, they sometimes are depicted as inept or just plain goofy. That’s one reason I love Durand’s books with Mitchell and his dad, because they show a competent and compassionate father who genuinely knows what works best for his son, and he can parent effectively in a fun and playful manner.

Enter to Win

We have a copy of this book to giveaway today, open to U.S. and Canada residents. Start off by entering your name and email address in the form below and follow the directions to be entered to win. The giveaway is closed.

• The winners for the Romeo and Juliet movie giveaway and Almost True Confessions have been announced on the widget on the original posts. The winners have been emailed.

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