King of the Playground

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Nola Langner Malone

With his dad's help, Kevin overcomes his fear of the King of the Playground who has threatened to tie him to the slide, put him in a deep hole, or put him in a cage with bears.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Parenting

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in Anderson, Indiana, US on January 4, 1933.

Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.

Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."

By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.

Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.

Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.

Reviews

[Abigail Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story behind this book is cute and gives a sense of courage and shows some critical thinking. When Kevins dad asks what he would do solve each of the problems sammy presents him with through out the book. The illustrations arent bright at all and could be hard for students to see during a story time. Students could relate to this book through their own personal experiences at recess or at the play ground so it could keep them entertained.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy is afraid of the playground bully. He treatens that if the kid comes into his playground he'll lock him up. He tells his dad, and his dad says, but what would you do if he did that. And the boy realizes each threat is something he could easily avoid or thwart. So he goes to the playground and ends up making friends with the boy.

[Elly Sun · Rating 5 out of 5]

It teaches us not to be a bully. It also teaches us to stand up for yourself, to be creative and think about how to stop the bully.

[Sunni Berbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

(PICTURE BOOKS)

Could be used to help have a discussion about bullying. Also about how to treat others. And how to include others when playing or at recess.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children's. Kevin's dad helps him stand up to a bully. Not sure his method would work or just make things worse.

[Kelly Risinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

bully is bluffing

[Dawn Draper · Rating 3 out of 5]

The King of the Playground was a cute book showing how a little boy relies on his father to help him with the bully that resides in the playground. Each day brings up a new situation and each day the boy tries his fathers advice. Finally, the boy refuses to leave the playground and makes the effort to connect to the "king". You don't really find out if they become friends per se but they do end up playing together on that particular day. I liked the lessons of going to an adult for help, not giving up, and reaching out to others even if it makes you uncomfortable. I can see children relating to this book and being able to clearly see some ways to resolve conflict and help themselves when they have a problem.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kevin is afraid to go to the playground, even when he's wearing his Batman underwear, Spiderman tshirt and lucky horseshoe jeans. Sammy is always at the playground and he always declares himself "king of the swings or slide or sandbox." When Kevin comes home early from the playground his father asks him what the problem is and Kevin explains that Sammy always threatens to do something horrible. However, Kevin's father begins to point out to him that there are many ways in which Kevin could get around being taunted and teased by Sammy.

[Jen Chinn]

King of the Playground is a story about a boy who constantly lives in fear because of a playground bully. He is denied permission to play with the things he loves the most because he is threatened by the playground "king" every day. He soon learns that these words are simply those - words - and he soon sees through the empty threats. This book is great for teaching students how harmful words can be, yet shows them that you can overcome the power of these words with a strong mindset.

[Jessica Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a boy who gets bullied on the playground by another boy, but the boys end up becoming friends. Both characters in this book use their imagination quite often, so it is a good book to show children examples of imagination. Also, children can relate to this book if they know a bully to see that violence is not the answer.

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about sticking up for ones self in the face of a bully. Loved the role of the dad in this book. No helicopter parenting here - just a little advice and encouragement to help his son tackle a challenge ahead. Love the retro vibe of the illustrations...reminded me of my childhood *may even be from then...I forgot to check!

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun K-4 picture book about a boy's encounters with a playground bully. Kevin keeps confronting the bully until they finally become friends and work together. This book has themes of adventure and friendship. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for its positive approach to dealing with bullies from a child's perspective.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about bullying because it was funny and it wasn't overly didactic. Kevin and his father come up with creative solutions for dealing with Sammy, the playground bully. It should help children start coming up with their own ideas for handling bullies.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would make a good companion piece to Boostie Barker Bites, because the parents have similar methods for helping their children deal with bullies. The protagonist in Bootsie's story is a girl, while this one is a boy - so there would be equal time for each gender.

[Fchgcfhfcgfxc]

Helllllloooooo peeps! My honest opion, this book has got some serious gansta life cuz! That lil boy is scared of that mean 'ol gansta who tries to steal his playground but that kid aint scared after he notices that Sammy dude aint nobody!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

We really enjoyed this one! It was great fun!

[Marcie]

Used at Arapahoe Ridge as a 2010-11 respect book.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept is good but a little too simplistic in it's advice.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demonstrates a pretty good way to handle one kind of bully.

[Erin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another mentor text I used with my 2nd graders during Reading Workshop. During this read aloud, we practiced turn and talks. My students thought this book was so much fun to discuss!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bullying

[Heather Lugar · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that shows a solution to a childhood problem. Kevin is wondering how to make it where he can play at the playground. He figures out that Sammy, the bully, cannot do any of things he says he will do to Kevin. In the classroom this would be used for ages 4-8 to allow kids to realize an alternate solution to a playground difficulty.