Books That Heal Kids: manners

Showing posts with label manners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manners. Show all posts

Book Reviews: Manners Mash-Up and Time to Say "PLEASE"!


















From the Book Jacket: Should you eat nachos at the opera? What about wearing your birthday suit to a birthday party? And just where DO you put that napkin? These etiquette questions have been puzzling kids for ages. Now, fourteen hilarious and well-loved illustrators show you all the answers and many, many more, right inside this book!

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This has been such a helpful resource to reteach some of our school expectations. When we get to the end of the year a lot of behavior escalates and not in the right direction. This has been a great fit for K-1 grades. Kids love the illustrations and we can keep the school rules conversation feeling positive and not punitive. Areas covered: Bus, Cafeteria, Playground, Classroom, Sportsmanship, Table Manners, Party Manners, House Guest, Doctor's Office, Theater, Grocery Store, and swimming. 













From the Book Jacket: As a companion book to the popular Time to Pee!, Mo Willems has created a book on manners in his own signature style. Groups of ebullient mice narrate this humorous text as young children try in vain to get what they want, learning along the way that it is helpful to say "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and "I'm sorry." Oh, and you have to mean it, too.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I love that Mo Willems is tackling manners. I'm going to use this one to reteach how kindness includes saying "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and "I'm sorry.". Just using those simple phrases really goes a long way and makes our school community a more positive place to learn. A good read!

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Book Review: Bernice Gets Carried Away


Author/Illustrator: Hannah Harrison
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Bernice is having a truly rotten time at her friend’s birthday party. First, everyone else gets a piece of cake with a frosting rose. But not Bernice. Then, everyone else gets strawberry-melon soda. Bernice gets the prune-grapefruit juice. And it’s warm. The last straw is the one lousy (squished) candy she gets from the piñata. So when the balloons arrive, Bernice knows just what she has to do: grab them all. And then, poor cross Bernice gets carried up, up, and away. Luckily, she figures out just how to make her way back down to the party…and she brightens lots of other animals’ days on her way.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: A great message in this one - focus on others...don't focus on what you can GET from others. What's most important are friendships and relationships. Bernice Gets Carried Away delivers this message in such a lovely way. I want to figure out how to add this to my bucket filling lessons. What makes Bernice most happy in the end is when she gives all the balloons away. Because it's really not about the balloons - it's about being a giving person. If you are focused on being a receiving person - you are going to miss out on being connected to those around you. Love.


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Book Review: Little Bird's Bad Word





















Author/Illustrator: Jacob Grant
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Little Bird learned a new word! He loves it so much, he's bursting to share it with all of his friends. BLARK! The only problem is, this isn't a very nice word. Little Bird doesn't realize it, but it might even hurt someone's feelings. With the help of Papa Bird, maybe Little Bird will learn another new word - one that will make things better. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Lots of good lessons in this one about language and how we have the choice to be appropriate or inappropriate. Kids quickly learn there are attention getting words and they can make people feel uncomfortable, Little bird almost loses a friend over his behavior.  But the power of an apology and changing his behavior saves the friendship and he learns a big lesson. 

My daughter is learning what words are socially acceptable and she is especially starting to figure out words can trigger reactions and emotions in others. This is a nice reminder for adults - they are not only watching us but LISTENING to everything we say. (Little Bird learns the word from Papa!) This will fit into many lessons at school around kindness and community building and maybe even be part of our No-Name Calling week. I've worked with many students who are heart broken over hurtful things said to them - this is a helpful resource to stop that negative behavior. 



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Book Review: Rude Cakes


















Author/Illustrator: Rowboat Watkins
Interest Level: Ages 3 and Up

From the Book Jacket: In this deliciously entertaining book, a not-so-sweet cake - who never says please or thank you or listens to its parents -gets its just desserts. But even the rudest cake can learn to change its ways. 


Why It's On My Bookshelf: With a three year old in the house I am always looking for books to help with manners. My daughter is obsessed with Rude Cakes. This cake lacks some serious social skills. The tables get turned though and the cake quickly learns the importance of thinking about others feelings. This is a cute book and we are really enjoying reading and discussing it. I can see this being used in my social thinking groups at school. 

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Book Review: Being Frank

Author: Donna Earnhardt
Illustrator: Andrea Castellani
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket: "Honesty is the best policy." That's Frank's motto. He tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But Frank's overly frank comments tend to annoy his friends, his teachers, and even his mother - and now Frank is honestly unhappy. 

He decides to visit his confidant and pal, Grandpa Ernest, who has a history of frankness himself. A few outrageous hats, a spicy jar of relish, and some grandfatherly wisdom help Frank realize that the truth is best served with more sugar and less pepper.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: "I really love the book you just read." This was a comment I received from a teacher after reading Being Frank to her second grade class. When I get good teacher feedback, I know I've got a great one on my shelf. This is a social skills WINNER. Being Frank teaches kids the importance of THINKING before they speak. Your words can either build people up or break them down. Frank had a big impact on our students. I used the metaphor from the book about how our words are either like sugar or pepper. They can leave a person with either a sweet or bitter feeling. This book has breathed new life into some of my social skills lessons. It is a MUST.

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Book Review: The Call of the Cowboy


Author: David Bruins
Illustrator: Hilary Leung
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

A Note From the Publisher: When the bear wants to spend the afternoon photographing birds, the exuberant cowboy inadvertently makes a nuisance of himself as he loudly chews bubble gum, hops on a pogo stick and slurps a pop. When the ninja just wants to read quietly, the cowboy is wildly distracting as he drums on rocks, bats a paddleball and gabs on his cell phone. The cowboy's boisterous mood prompts the ninja and the bear to drop their respective activities, leaving their pal alone to wonder why no one wants to be with him. Can he find the peace and quiet he needs to figure it out?

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Ever been focused on an activity and there is a constant interruption? Kinda annoying. Walk into a classroom and you will see all kinds of concentration going on. Take a closer look and you might see some kids off task interrupting that focus. This book is for those little darlings - the invaders of learning. I also love how the story starts out describing cowboy as a good friend, kind, caring, and fun. It's important for the interrupters to know we think they are awesome. But they can be more awesome if they show respect to the other learners around them. This is a short sweet story and it will be making the rounds with me this fall as kids get back into their school groove.

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Book Review: Manners on the School Bus (Way to Be! Manners Series)

Author: Amanda Doering Tourville
Interest Level: PreK - Grade 2

What should you say to the bus driver? Find out how good manners make bus rides pleasant for everyone.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Okay, listen up...the honeymoon is over...I repeat...the honeymoon is over. Those of you who work in education know exactly what I'm talking about. Yep, the dreaded bus referrals are here. So I've decided to get proactive this school year. And of course, I can't do that without a trusty book!

Manners on the School Bus has been making its rounds with me to the K-2 grades. Here's what's really cool - the students LOVED learning and reading about good manners and behavior on the bus! The skills modeled in the book are concrete which I love. It shows behaviors like kids sitting safely in their seats, keeping their hands to themselves, and showing respect to each other. Each page ends with a repetitive phrase about good manners. The kids started saying the phrases with me as we read. It's so much more interesting for students (and myself) to talk about bus rules and safety in a way that doesn't come across like some professional lecture. I also jazz up the skills being taught with fun role plays. So next time a referral comes rolling in....if it's a K-2 student they will be re-reading this story with me. I've already had a student on their way off the bus say, "I am having good manners, Mrs. D." A good social skills book strikes again!

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Book Review: Mine! Mine! Mine!


Author: Shelly Becker
Illustrator: Hideko Takahashi
Interest Level: Ages 3-6

About This Book: “My name is Gail, and here’s a tale that I would like to share…” Gail may happily share her tale…but never her toys, books, or other possessions. And that’s the problem in this entertaining story, narrated in rhyme by the resistant little girl herself.

Gail’s favorite words are “Mine! Mine! Mine!” and she uses them all the time. Even when she tries to follow her Mom’s good examples of generosity, Gail doesn’t get it quite right. “An ugly hat, a broken bat, a smelly, chewed-up shoe…” are all she’ll hand over during her Cousin Claire’s visit. Will Gail EVER become a “sharing superstar”?


With its adorable art and humorous perspective, this picture book makes its point in the most delightful way.


Why It's On My Book Shelf: I'm guessing 99.9% of kids go through the stage of 'Mine Mine Mine!' Oh yes, just the other day I saw kids burying coveted sand toys in the playground sandbox. Apparently, some were still learning that hoarding the toys is not cool. So it seemed like the appropriate time for a dose of Mine Mine Mine. As I read the story to kindergarteners, a wave of guilt seemed to sweep across the room. Students related to Gail's possessive behavior. At one point, a little girl blurted out, "Oh, she is really rude!" I let the outraged blurting continue throughout the first few pages, "She doesn't have any manners!" "That's really selfish!" As the story progressed the students quieted down and an overwhelming sense of empathy seemed to be developing towards Cousin Claire (Gail's victim). Author Shelly Becker does a marvelous job of making sure the reader sees how refusing to share can cause hurt feelings and you might even lose a play date. Gail's mom steps in to not just save the day but also models the importance of sharing and kindness. Liking that a lot! 


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Book Review: Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners



Author: Laurie Keller
Interest Level: Ages 6-9

About The Book: Mr. Rabbit is worried that he might not get along with his new neighbors. A wise owl gives him the advice, "Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you" and proceeds to explain what this means. Thus follows a listing of traits and qualities such as friendliness, politeness, honesty, consideration, cooperation, and sharing. Each one contains humorous examples of Mr. Rabbit and the Otters following those rules. Also included are samples of how to say certain phrases such as "Excuse me" and "Please" in Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Pig Latin. Each page bursts with colorful illustrations and is scattered with words of different sizes and fonts.

 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I was so excited when I found this!!! I love bibliotherapy that uses humor. I've read the very beautiful children's book The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper many times to students. So it was neat to discover such a humorous complimentary companion to teach this beautiful universal rule of life. I get many giggles and smiles when I read Do Unto Otters. I love the author's cute website. Oh, and I even discovered you can buy a little video of the book. Here is the adorable trailer. This is an enjoyable read for your shelf.

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