Karate Hour

by Carol Nevius, Bill Thomson (Illustrator)

Karate class begins and students come together to practice their blocks and stances––from crescent kicks to front kicks to tuck roll stands. Dynamic black-and-white artwork of children bowing, kicking and sailing through the air contrasts with their brilliantly colored karate belts in this rhythmic read-aloud that explores the action and philosophy of karate.

Genres: Picture Books, Sports, Martial Arts, Childrens, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for a child about to start taking karate. You really have to 'clear' your mind before going to class; injuries happen when individuals enter and fail to focus on the lesson. Have been witness to several situations where individuals are yelled at for not paying attention. This book will put things in perspective for beginners.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if you have no interest in karate, the rhyming couplets which make up the book's text, and the nearly monochromatic illustrations, make this worth reading. ("Karate hour is starting now. / Dressed and belted, we all bow.") The illustrations are very skilled and creative. We see the children's karate class from a variety of perspectives: above their heads, looking down at them, a girl's kicking foot in our face, foreshortened legs. The emphasis is on karate as character-building. The book ends with the dojo kun, or training hall rules:

* Each person must strive for the perfection of one's character
* Each person must be faithful and protect the way of truth
* Each person must endeavour (fostering the spirit of effort)
* Each person must respect others and the rules of etiquette
* Each person must refrain from violent behavior (guard against impetuous courage)

[Rfrancik · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible realistic picture book told all in shades of Black White and Gray except for the color of the Karate student's belts. I used this book to teach my students about the marshal arts and discuss the value of practice and discipline if you want to be good at Karate, piano, reading or football.

My K-5 classes and I read through the entire book and then went back and acted out every page. It was a smashing success! When was the last time you were able to get your 5th graders to act out a book? This book hasn't sat on a shelf since we read it together. Nominated for the Washington Children's choice Award it didn't win but it certainly got my vote

Reviews:

1)Booklist starred (September 1, 2004 (Vol. 101, No. 1))
" The text does a fine job of capturing both the precepts and the movements in relatively few words, but it's Thomson's amazing artwork that will make kids feel as though they are right with the students in the dojo." "An excellent afterword explains the history of karate and its philosophy as a defensive discipline."

2) Horn Book (Spring 2005)
Horn Book disagrees with Booklist stating "they overdo the close-ups of feet, fists, and faces. An afterword provides fascinating information about the history and principles of karate."

I don't know who does the reviews at Horn Books but I don't think they had their glasses on that morning. The art work is incredible! I would be especially interested in these reviews if I were looking for books about the martial arts or high quality art work.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Karate Hour because in my youth I was a Taekwondo instructor. This book really made me reminisce about how delightful it was teaching martial arts to kids, and about how big a role Taekwondo played in my life. Karate Hour is extremely well done, and realistically portrays what a good kid's martial arts class is like. I really enjoyed the last several pages of the book where the author gives a brief history of Karate, and stresses that Karate is really all about how to not fight. The poetry in Karate Hour was clean, descriptive, and simple, and the illustrations were just beautiful.

My niece desperately wants to take martial arts, so she also enjoyed Karate Hour. My nephew was not interested in this book at all. Oddly enough, between the two kids, I think my nephew is the natural martial artist!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early reader with lots of rhyming about karate, kempo style specifically. It has amazingly realistic artwork showcasing movement and lots of diversity, including a student with a walker. The end has a short history of kempo karate, an explanation of the rank system, and a few character traits important to karate such as respect.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

rating: 3 or 4 stars (will depend on the kids' responses)

Clearly explains and illustrates the basics of karate. This will probably be of most interest to a child who has had some introductory experiences with any of the marital arts.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karate Hour is a great book about kids being in a karate class. It provides useful information, a vocabulary to go along with the activity and extra information in the back on karate. I am no expert on it so I was very interested in what I read in this picture book. Kids who take classes in karate or dream of doing so will love this book. It is a terrific book for both school and home and I recommend it highly.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discipline, practice, self-control are essential to any one interested in pursuing the martial arts. This picture book looks at one karate class from the point of view of the young students. The illustrations are fantastic. Students interested in martial arts will enjoy this book. For the Bill Thomson fans who like to build collections that allow for artist/illustrator studies along side author studies, this is a must have.

[Pam]

excellent book for boys or girls who like the sport.... same illustrator that did chalk and building with dad...excellent illustration re: perspective... there is also soccer hour and baseball hour
learn the names of the moves, it's origin and self respect for others and non violent behaviour.very simple with rhythmic text..notes at the back re: further information on sport

[Sonya Huser · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a really simple rhyme about standard happenings during a weekly karate class. I especially loved the realistic illustrations in this book. Except for the colors of the different belts, the tones are muted. This makes the belts stand out. At the end of the book there is some information about what the different colors mean and other info about karate.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does anyone beside me find a fascination for the hint given on the first page of a child sized walker and a dangling yellow belt? This looks like another story entirely that needs to be told.

Loved the pictures. This brings back fond memories of my own kids taking martial arts. Highly recommended.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grades: 3-5
Genre: Fiction
This book was boring to me, probably because I don't have an interest in karate. But I do think this would be a good story for people who do karate, or have some type of interest in it. In the back of the book there is a ranking order of belts which is interesting. Rate 4-5

[Lesley Looper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I'm thinking about taking up a martial art as a replacement of sorts for running, I enjoyed this children's book about karate a lot. It was well done, explaining several things about karate without talking down to the audience. The illustrations were very nice, too.

[Julie Darling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that explains Karate with beautiful, realistically drawn illustrations. It is a rhyming book and contains additional information about the origins of karate and what the different belts indicate at the end of the book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for young karate enthusiasts. This rhyming text perfectly captures the energy and spirit of this martial art. Recommended for kids aged 4 - 6, it's a particularly good book for kids just beginning karate lessons.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are what make this book for me. Bill Thomson is an amazing illustrator.

[Debra]

K-4

Great for teaching about rhyming words and the discipline and history of karate.

[Christina Camp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! It tells a story and also includes a lot of information about karate. The pictures are awesome and the wording is great!

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations. Fun rhyme.

[Morgan Rhule · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a martial artist and as an instructor I love this book. The lessons that are taught within the book are also taught at the dojo I instruct at. The illustrations show students of differing abilities still participating in and giving their all. It explains not only the physical teachings but the emotional and mental teachings that come along with martial arts training. Not only that, the author talked to martial artists to make sure the book is accurate. Along with this, the end of the book explains the history of karate along with explaining ranks and definitions while making sure to point out that ranks can differ between dojos.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

the angle of these illustrations for me is just so pleasing, i have always been curious about the sport (guess we put it into that? or is it a discipline side of life?) point is, i wish i had started when i was younger to learn, we all can learn to center ourselves and focus, i think focus is key!! learning to zoom in and focus on the point of life and what we need to zoom in on, well done, great read ...really makes them feel more life like. lovable. fun. great to read.

[Geoffwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought from the cover this might be silly and/or have some action, but it is very self-serious and kinda Foot Fist Way. The author bio explains this, as it's written by a parent who got interested when their children started martial arts classes. It seems to cover the whole "American pay school with belts" thing well enough, if that's your jam. Art is photorealistic monochromatic shading which is also not my jam.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for kids interested in martial arts. My daughter especially loved the illustrations (grey scale with only the belts in color).

[Yesenia Blanco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great visual. For anyone who loves and is interested in karate.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful sepia tone illustrations with some color for the karate belts
Rhyming text portrays the exuberance of an hour of karate class. Includes nonfiction information at end.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for kids who like karate.

[Shayne Cope · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a good depiction of karate information. It would be great for children interested in karate.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magnificent illustrations, dull text.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun journey through a karate class.

Excellent illustrations.

[Kiki Langberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not that I disliked this book... It's just that it's exactly what the pop-up rating indicates "it was ok".