Creative Writing Inspired by ‘Ninja Bunny’
If you aren’t totally sick of ninjas yet, we’ve got one more fun book on the topic that we found during a recent library trip. I have to say, after the build up to the holidays that starts earlier and earlier each year, occasionally a mid-December break from anything holiday related is welcome in my opinion, and Ninja Bunny (affiliate disclosure) gave us exactly the quick respite we needed. Jennifer Gray Olson has created a sweet, silly tale about a rabbit working so hard to learn the rules to become a ‘super awesome ninja’.
The text in this book is fairly minimal, making it a quick read- great for busy parenting moments when you can’t read forever but also perfect for a new reader, who can sometimes become overwhelmed when facing too much text on a page. The illustrations completely steal the show in this tale- colorful, quirky, and energetic, with adorable characters full of personality like little bunny and bear.
I decided to use this book as a creative writing prompt, because it’s important for #thebigone to practice his handwriting, spelling, and his creative thinking skills regularly. So after we finished looking through the book together a few times, I asked him what rule he would add to the list in the ‘How To Be A Super Awesome Ninja’ Handbook’. He took a few minutes to think, and then spent some time writing & illustrating his response.
[Side note: I used to think I was kinda crazy, having my kid do occasional creative writing like this at home after we had read together. But this year, I started volunteering in #thebigone’s first grade class a few times a month to run one of the literacy centers, and I discovered this is exactly what his teacher has them doing regularly. And my kid enjoys it, luckily. So now, I’ve decided I’m actually kind of a little brilliant. And maybe only a tiny touch crazy.]
You can use the free printables I created to accompany Ninja Bunny to see what your kids think is an important part of achieving super awesome ninja status. If you have pre-writers, the drawing sheet alone is perfect for them to practice developing their thoughts and conveying them on paper. Older kids are more likely to benefit from both sheets- whether they are writing independently, copying words from another page, or tracing ‘dotted’ words, there’s some great benefits there for them.
My kiddo thinks that in order to become a truly super awesome ninja, all prospective ninjas must first compete in the Olympics… His illustration makes it clear that the high jump is one event the ninjas should be focusing on, haha. What responses did your kids come up with? Let me know in the comments, or tag me on social media to share!
If you are thinking about adding this book to your home library, please consider purchasing via my Amazon Affiliate link below- you’ll get a book that we love & highly recommend at no additional cost to you, while I earn a small commission that allows me to be home with my kiddos. Win-win, right?!
For other creative writing and art ideas inspired by children’s literature, follow me here on Pinterest!