Books That Heal Kids: PTSD

Showing posts with label PTSD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PTSD. Show all posts

Book Review: The Bad Seed

Author: Jory John
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket: There is a bad seed. A baaaaaaaad seed. How bad? Do you really want to know? He lies about pointless stuff. He cuts in line. Every time. He never washes his hands...or his feet. And he does lots of other bad things too. But what happens when a bad seed doesn't want to be bad anymore? Can a bad seed change his baaaaaaad ways?

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This book helped provide so many insights to our students about what is really underneath anger.....hurt and sadness. When I teach my students strategies to calm down or deal with anger, it's important that I am also helping  them figure out what is really triggering their behavior in the first place. It could be bullying, a problem at home, feeling left out....many many things. We have to take the time to get to the root. I highly recommend this book!!!!



A Link To This Book:
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Book Review: Healing Days - A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma

Author: Susan Farber Straus
Illustrator: Maria Bogade
Interest Level: Ages 6 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Healing Days is a sensitive and reassuring story intended for children who have experienced trauma and covers the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that many kids have after a bad and scary thing happens.

A useful book to read with a parent or therapist, Healing Days emphasizes that children are not to blame for what happened, and that they can get help and look forward to a happy future. Kids will begin to understand their response to the trauma and learn some strategies for feeling safer, more relaxed, and more confident.


An extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers, including a list of helpful resources, is available for download at the publishers website at www.apa.org/pubs/magination

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is probably my favorite find of the summer. First of all, the name of the book is beautiful and after I read it what came to my mind was "this is so healing for kids!" Second - just look at the below and you will see exactly why you need this on your counseling shelf:


 
teaches kids about "fight, flight, or freeze"
(my jaw about hit the floor - yes to this!)

 
My Safety Plan (I write these with kids ALL the time.
So I love how this is reinforced).

 
My Feel-Good Plan - Another great tool to use with kids.
 
Healing Days does not reference a concrete traumatic experience. It leaves it open to the reader to relate their own experience to the feelings going on. Breathing and practicing yoga are also discussed as tools to help kids. I appreciate how the author took the time to really explain to kids what these coping mechanisms are and how to use them. It's WELL written. I just absolutely love it and will be recommending it to ALL my counselor friends.
 
It's definitely geared towards kids who are going to be working directly with a therapist. But even if a child is not seeing a therapist - it can STILL be used to help you guide kids towards healing. You can be creative with the words.

What an OUTSTANDING resource.

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful:



 
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Book Review: Flood

Author/Illustrator: Alvaro F Villa
Interest Level: All Ages

For a Google Preview of this book please go HERE

About the Book: When a flood threatens to destroy a family’s home, they must leave. What will they return to once the waters recede? This intense, beautiful wordless picture book looks at a flood’s effect on a family  and carries a simple message of hope and recovery.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I've never seen a book like this. It's exceptional. The children who have recently experienced Hurricane Sandy came immediately to my mind. The pictures unfold so beautifully telling a story of a family who is trying to save their house from a flood. Their home is destroyed but it's the rebuilding that will help children understand  when an awful tragedy happens - life can go on and you can be happy again.

What makes Flood so powerful is it is wordless. This is a really smart and non-threatening approach to help children open up about their feelings and fears after a traumatic event. Most importantly it delivers the message that starting over is possible and can be positive. If you are working with children who have been impacted by hurricanes, floods, or any type of house tragedy (fire) please get this book. It's a very therapeutic and healing resource. 

Note: I also plan on using this book to teach empathy.

A Link to This Book:
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