Author/Illustrator: Mordicai Gerstein Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up From the Book Jacket: A boy and his father discover a whale tangled in their only fishing net. Is the whale dead? The father worries about losing their net, but the boy worries about the whale. He remembers the fear he once felt when, tangled in a net himself, he nearly drowned before being rescued. When the whale blinks an enormous eye, the boy knows that he has to try to save the creature, no matter how dangerous doing so may be. This story was inspired by a real-life video of a whale's rescue and the creature's joyful dance through the waves after being freed. Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is a powerful story about taking action based on feeling empathy and compassion when someone else is suffering and in need. Even though we might not have the opportunity to save a whale.....there are many things we can do to help others that can make a difference. I often get requests for books that teach the concept of empathy. My list has been pretty short. I'm excited to add this one to my line up because it has a powerful message and it will have a positive impact on my students. YouTube Video (the inspiration behind the book):
Author: Annika Dunklee Illustrator: Lori Joy Smith Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up From the Book Jacket: Annie, Lillemor and Lilianne are best friends for many reasons, including a shared love of singing. So when their teacher announces a school talent show, Annie suggests they enter as an all-girl singing group. What fun! But when the three girls brainstorm what song they might sing and what costumes they'll wear, Annie doesn't like any of Lilianne and Lillemor's suggestions. It's Annie's way or the highway - the whole thing was her idea, after all! Will creative differences keep the three friends apart? Or will Annie change her tune? Why It's On My Bookshelf: I've been using this one for grades K-2 on how to be a FLEXIBLE friend. It's helpful to have a resource like this when I"m trying to help kids become aware of how their behavior is impacting their friendships. If you choose to always be the one in charge and demand things to always be your way when playing with others - you might find yourself alone. I need more books on friendship skills so I was so happy to come across this one. A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Useful:
Author/Illustrator: Andrea Tsurumi Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up From the Book Jacket: Oops! When Lola the armadillo accidentally knocks a jug of juice all over her parents' best chair, it's a calamity, a catastrophe, a FIASCO! She panics and decides to run away to the library. Along the way, she gathers a group of equally alarmed friends who have gotten into similar pickles. But they're not the only ones in trouble: a stoat's snarled in spaghetti; a bull's broken a whole china shop, a llama's up a tree, and someone should tell that platypus to watch out for that hose! It's the end of the world! Or is it? While "sorry" still might be the hardest word, this silly and sincere book will help readers realize that making a mistake isn't a disaster. And Lola just might find that a small accident can snowball into a big opportunity for forgiveness - of herself and others.
Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is such a HELPFUL HELPFUL book to teach kids the difference between small and big problems, making mistakes, and how to recover from a failure or accident. There are a lot of students who need help with their reactions to the size of their problem. I see this book really helping kids who are overreacting and having big emotions to little problems. A Link to This Book:
