| Title | : | Punk Skunks |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0062363964 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780062363961 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 40 |
| Publication | : | First published February 9, 2016 |
Punk Skunks Reviews
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Punk Skunks! A fun idea that just didn’t work or rock for me.
Kit and Buzz, two BSFs (Best Skunks Forever…Haha) loved to rock out together. They played and played side by side all day, every day until a disagreement split them apart. Kit wanted to write a song about skating, but Buzz wanted to sing about painting. Crash! Bam! Boom! Buzz and Kit went their separate ways. Can these two BSFs find a way to work things through?
Words can hold so much magic in their letters. Even more so in picture books. They usually have to say so much with so few words. For me, the magic wasn’t in this book. Negative words like exploded, failed, test, and “I give up” jumped out at me. Plus a BIG word was missing! Where was the sorry? When the word is left unsaid I expect to see or feel the apology in actions. But even Kit and Buzz’s song lacked the compromise and togetherness I longed for. I wanted to hear a song about friendship and painting AND skating.
My disappointment continued with the artwork. The images and colors felt flat. The colors conflicted on the page rather than blended. While empty shadows and flat squares filled up the background creating an unreal and hollow feel to the pages. The happy faces were the only signs of warmth on the page at all. Thank goodness for the big smiles and bunnies! :D
A disappointing read from the BSFs. Here’s hoping their next showing rocks! -
Two skunky pals have a falling out over a song. Will they ever find a way to reunite?
This theme has been explored many times over in much better books than this.
I was also not a fan of the artwork. -
Our book for today is called “Punk Skunks” by Trisha Speed Shaskan. [TURN TO INSIDE FLAP] Kit and Buzz are BSFs – Best Skunks Forever. Think about your best friend…do you have things in common with your best friend? [PAUSE] Does it look like Kit and Buzz have things in common? [STUDENT RESPONSE] Yes, it looks like they both like music and play an instrument. They’re giving each other a high five. It looks like they’re getting along, right? [READ THE NEXT FEW PAGES] It looks like Kit and Buzz are great friends. Do best friends always get along? [PAUSE] No. Think of a time you and your best friend weren’t getting along. Think about how it changed your friendship. Let’s take a look at the next page. What words on the page SHOW the sounds things are making? [STUDENT RESPONSE] Yes, the author uses “rattle, clatter, and smack” to help us as readers HEAR the action of the story.
This opening introduces the text by allowing students to make a personal connection by thinking about their best friend. By discussing ‘getting along’ with friends, the opening foreshadows the problem of the story. Discussing the sounds the words make allows students to notice details about the text and gives an introduction to literary devices that they will learn later in school.
This text was selected because it follows the two themes/major concepts of the text set (friendship/individual identity). In the story, two friends discover that – despite having things in common and being very close most of the time – they are individuals. They are both growing in different ways and have different interests that eventually lead them to fight. Students are able to see how to overcome differences in a friendship and build on commonalities.
Resources
Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (2006). Teaching for comprehending and fluency: Thinking, talking, and writing about reading, K-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Retrieved June 6, 2016. -
So adorable and fun!! The text is short and snappy with lots of fun sounds. Made my first grader want to play air guitar. The illustrations are bright and funky. This might be a good match for people who enjoyed Pete the Cat. I like the sweet message about friendship which is delivered in a lighthearted, kid-friendly way. Definitely dig it!
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I won this cute book in a Goodreads giveaway and it is precious for little ones. The brilliant colors and intricate drawings keep little eyes engaged with delight! It is fun to stop during the story and ask what picture they like best and why? This book is a winner for this reader for little ones!
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Kit and Buzz are BSFs. What happens when they disagree? Will their friendship pass the test?
This book rocks from beginning to end: fabulous prose and marvelous artwork! -
What I Thought- I liked this book. Kit and Buzz are great characters. I laughed at the “parodies” of bands and whatnot in the illustrations – Kit wears an “ABCD” shirt, which I’m 95% sure is an AC/DC reference; Buzz has a “Ratmoans” poster. That was funny, and I bet adults would get the jokes. The book is a great story about how friends can disagree/fight with each other, but can make up and still be friends. Mr. Shaskan’s illustrations use bold colors and dark lines, looking like a cartoon or comic character. Kids will love them. Ms. Shaskan has written a fun book that kids will connect with.
*NOTE* I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book -
Two skunks like to jam out until they get into a fight. The illustrations in this book are colorful and can keep your interest. My daughter enjoyed them. The story, however, did not seem to keep my kid's interest. Maybe she was too young for this book or maybe the colorful pictures distracted her? I have no clue.
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Really cute and I liked the idea, but... to me, things just did not come together in this story. I felt like there was not very much to engage with beyond the adorable skunk friendship and shared love of punk rock.
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Alison, age 6: It was cool and it was exciting and I loved it 💖
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What do you do when you have a huge fight with your best friend? Two rocking skunks find out when they can't play good music without each other.
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A fun story about friendship dynamics and rock 'n roll. A bit disturbing that Buzz sprays purple skunk spray and that's really gross, but I still liked it.
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We need more rockin' kids' books like this!
Please bring us a sequel: FUNK SKUNKS! -
Husband and wife team. Cute book with different characters. I thought it was clever and worth the read.
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Punk skunks! This cute idea ROCKED!!
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Summary:
Kit and Buzz were best skunks forever (BSFS). They did everything together, they "dig it and rock on." One-day though Kit and Buzz have a disagreement on what their new song should be, this causes their friendship to be tested. After figuring out they were not the same unless they were together, they decide to get over their differences and write a new song together.
Activity:
“Two is always better than one.” After reading this book, kids will pair up with a friend or table partner. They will be asked to write a short song just like the song Buzz and Kit were trying to write. After given time to write the song, students will be given the opportunity to share their song to the class. Finally, we will talk about what the students wrote about, why they decided to write about this topic, and whether it was hard or easy to work together to write this song. This will help students learn the process of working in groups and how compromise is key.
Citation:
Shaskan, T. S. (2016). Punk Skunks. New York: HarperCollins. -
A pair of skunk bffs rock out to punk music, have a falling out,make up, and rock out more. Fun details like posters of real punk bands re-imagined as animal themed bands: The Ratmones. Shrewsie Shrew, etc.
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Get out your instruments! Make some music! No instruments?! Hands and feet can keep a beat! As soon as you mention music to children, get ready for some moving and grooving. Their huge hearts hunger for the cadence found in sounds and the rhythm of words.
When you add in a couple of stinky mammal pals to the mix, laughter is sure to follow. Punk Skunks (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, February 9, 2016) written by author Trisha Speed Shaskan with illustrations by her author illustrator husband Stephen Shaskan is a tuneful tale on the art of friendship. Two happy halves make the best kind of melodious whole.
My full recommendation:
http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2... -
"Punk Skunks" is a cute story about two rocker skunk friends who have a falling out during a band session. (Can you tell that I love stories about friends getting back together? I read a lot of those. Ha!)
The combination of the sweet story and the funky art make "Punk Skunks" such a cool read! This is one of those picture books that I enjoy reading several times to pick out all the little picture stories that complement the text. Some of them include the band posters in Kit and Buzz's rooms ('Shrewsie Shrew' and the 'The Ratmoans'); the little bunnies rocking out in the audience at Kit and Buzz's finale concert; and Buzz using his scent glands to spray paint (as any punk skunk would do). -
Kit and Buzz are best friends - they do everything together, but each in their own way. They play at the park; Kit plays hopscotch, Buzz paints. They play in a band; kit on the drums, buzz on the guitar. But when they can’t agree on what to write their next song about, they get into a huge fight! Delightfully full of onomatopoeia - bang, rattle, clickety clack, this is a fun read aloud. Even best friends argue sometimes, and compromise is a good way to solve this problem.
Cross posted to
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com CHECK IT OUT! -
This was an absolutely adorable story. I feel there were a few words that may have been a little too big for a children's story, but I think there was only one or two and they are easy enough for the parent to explain. I love the message about compromise this book has. It's definitely an important message. I fully recommend this book to all parents for their children. It's fun and exciting and has a lesson in it to top it off!
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Kit and Buzz were BSF, best skunk friends. They liked to rock and they dig each other very much, until one day when they argued about what their next song should be. "You stink!" they cried and went home alone. They each tried to play music without the other, but nothing worked for them. Just as they were about to give up, Kit and Buzz decided to give it one more try. Their new song was a hit!
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Forgiveness doesn't always mean saying, "I'm sorry" in this story of two best friends, Kit and Buzz,who get in a fight and are able to move on.
With a title like Punk Skunks and the picture of two skunks rocking out on the front cover, this one should fly off the shelves. As for parents and caregivers, they'll appreciate the black ABCD t-shirt that Kit wears. -
Kit and Buzz are BSFs (Best Skunk Forever) who play and rock out together--until one day--like many rock bands--they had a falling out. This story of friends who fight and find a way to repair their friendship is super cute, and the art is fantastic - full of color and energy.
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A rockin' fun friendship book (bam!) about great music (drum! strum!), accepting differences of opinion (crash!), and writing songs that work with your Best Skunk Forever (wahh! wahh! boom!). This would be fun to pair with Bella and Bean, by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.
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An enjoyable book about two BSF's, Best Skunk Friends, who have an argument and go on a journey where they determine that sometimes friends fight, but that does not mean they aren't still BSF's.
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I wanted to LOVE this one, but I liked it nonetheless! One really cute/funny thing was the animal punk rock poster illustrations.
