Books That Heal Kids: making mistakes

Showing posts with label making mistakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label making mistakes. Show all posts

Book Review: A Whale of a Mistake

Author/Illustrator: Ioana Hobai

From the Book Jacket: When you make a really, really big mistake, it can make you feel stuck or weigh you down or even swallow you whole! After a girl is carried away by her whale of a mistake, she feels adrift. What if she can't escape and the whale swims out to sea with her forever? What if this is her life now? But as her journey continues, the world around her, including a sky of shooting stars and even the whale itself, helps her explore all the feelings that come with making mistakes and learning to let them go. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is a great book about not letting your mistake control or stop you from what you are trying to accomplish. The little girl in the story feels she can never escape her terrible mistake. Eventually she is brave enough to let it go and she watches it fade away. This is a terrific message for children to validate the feelings that come with a mistake but to encourage them to move on from their mistake. We are not our mistakes!

A Link to This Book: 
0

Book Review: What Do You Do With A Chance?

Author: Kobi Yamada
Illustrator: Mae Besom

From the Book Jacket: What do you do with a chance? Especially one that seems too big or too wild or just out of reach? Do you hold back? Do you act like you don't care? Do you let it slip away?

This is the story of some remarkable chances and the child who doesn't know quite what to do with them. But the more chances come around, the more the child's fascination grows. And then, one day, a little courage makes all the difference in the world. 

This is a story for anyone, at any age, who has ever wanted something, but was afraid of risking too much to get it. It's a story to inspire you to embrace the chances that come into your life. Because you never know when a chance, once taken, might be the one to change everything. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is my favorite book out of this whole series. You can find so many different meanings in these books! My takeaway from this one was to be a seeker. To seek opportunities, adventures, experiences, and doors to new beginnings. When you try to make positive changes in your life it can also feel scary and cause you to be afraid. But you have to try and take the chance. When we hold back, we miss out. Brilliant!

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful:
0

Book Review: Accident!


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: 
0

Book Review: Melena's Jubilee: The Story of a Fresh Start


Author: Zetta Elliott
Illustrator: Aaron Boyd

About This Book: After being sent to bed early the previous night, Melena wakes up to a new day with a song in her heart. At breakfast she learns she has been given a “fresh start,” and she decides to celebrate by doing things differently for the rest of the day. Melena chooses not to fight with her brother, and shares the money she has rather than demanding to be repaid by a less fortunate friend. This story introduces children to the concept of jubilee, which stresses the important principles of generosity, and forgiveness.



Why It's On My Bookshelf: What a WONDERFUL book! I am so excited to share it with my students and my own children. We all make mistakes. But how we recover and move forward is what matters most. Lets start modeling to our kids we can do that without being so hard on ourselves. I have always loved the message that tomorrow is always a new day and it brings with it renewal. Melena's Jubilee models this concept so well and it can truly be life changing for kids. Mistakes are not the end of the world - they are a catalyst for positive change. 

A Link to This Book:
0

Book Review: Zach Makes Mistakes


Author: William Mulcahy
Illustrator: Darren McKee
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket: For Zach, a class field trip to the museum is about more than cool exhibits—it’s about learning from mistakes and dealing with embarrassment. First he forgets to wear his field trip shirt, then he forgets the rule about not touching displays. His teacher helps him see that everyone makes mistakes—and how to use them to grow. Using an easy-to-remember tool, the Key to Mistakes, she shows Zach and readers a simple three-step process: Detect (find the reason for the mistake), Correct (fix the mistake if you can), and Reflect (think back about your mistake to find what you can learn from it). 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I am always looking for books to help kids understand mistakes are not failures - in fact they are a normal part of life. So I was super excited to see the Zach Rules series take on this issue. It teaches kids how to learn from their mistakes and something positive can come from it. Zach says when he makes mistakes he feels awful and tries to forget them. He learns nobody is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. I really liked the three-step process to teach kids how to deal with a mistake instead of beating themselves up. So happy to use this as part of my growth mindset curriculum!

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful:
0

Book Review: Jack's Worry




















Author/Illustrator: Sam Zuppardi
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket: A touching and reassuring story about the jitters associated with first experiences — and the satisfaction that comes with conquering your fears. Jack loves playing the trumpet, and for weeks he’s been looking forward to taking part in his first concert. But on the morning of the big day, Jack finds he has a Worry. And his Worry starts to grow. Even when Jack’s mother calls him for a special breakfast, even when he hides under the bed or runs around the yard, his Worry follows him. Suddenly, when it’s almost time to leave for the concert, Jack finds it’s all too much. For anyone who’s ever been afraid of failing at something new, this book offers just what’s needed to shrink a Worry down to size.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Such a great book to help kids understand their anxiety and how to overcome it. I feel like I have so many kids who are dealing with worry. These worries are debilitating because kids don't know what to do other then Fight, Flight, or Freeze. 

Jack is worried about performing in a concert so he tries to deal with it by avoiding having to go. When his mom asks him if everything is OK, he cannot find the words to talk about his worry. Many children feel this way. He is afraid of making a mistake in the concert. His mom is able to reassure him that the concert is about having fun and not about being perfect. His worry begins to shrink. 

When he arrives at the concert he sees his friends are also covered with worry. So he helps them make their worries go away. As a counselor I am so happy to have this new resource. It's going to help me show kids how to open up, develop strategies, and face their fears. 









A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful:
0

Book Review: It's Okay to Make Mistakes

Author/Illustrator: Todd Parr
Interest Level: Ages 3 and Up

From the Book Jacket: It's okay to fall down. You can always get back up. It's okay to color outside the lines. It's good to follow your own path. 

In a colorful, kid-friendly way, Todd Parr shows reader that mistakes are okay - that's how you learn. 



Why It's On My Bookshelf: I've become so passionate about this message. Todd Parr does a great job of keeping it simple and understandable for the littles. I see this as a great read for the preschool -first grade kids. But really - you can use picture books for any age. I read this to our two year old daughter and I heard her later in the day playing and singing, "Making mistakes is okay...." She made up a whole song about it. So this will be in my library at school and home. We are moving this generation away from perfectionism and towards living a life free of anxiety and full of courage. Yes to that!





A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful: 
0

Book Review: Regina's Big Mistake


Author/Illustrator: Marissa Moss
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket:  Everyone in Mrs. Li's class got a piece of paper. Everyone was supposed to draw a jungle or a rain forest. That meant Regina, too. But where should she begin? And what if she should make a mistake? Jungles are sprouting up on classmates' papers all around her, but Regina's own paper remains blank. And when she finally puts crayon to paper, nothing seems to go right. 

Regina's difficult journey of self-expression will be all-too-familiar to anyone who has faced the command to "draw," "write," or "be creative." Readers will come to discover, with Regina, some liberating truths about creativity and originality that should make the most timid reach for a box of crayons.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Children who are striving for perfection will really relate to Regina's Big Mistake. I'm going to use this story to help kids build self-confidence. Some kids think a successful accomplishment needs to be a perfect result from start to finish. When the truth is the process of making mistakes, trying again, and seeing something through is the real feeling of success. 

Regina does not start her drawing right away because she wants to get it just right. How many kids have you seen sitting there - drawing a blank. Or maybe they are afraid of failing. The fear of failure can be a real obstacle. What Regina figures out is positive things can be learned by making mistakes. Such a great lesson to share with students. I'm on it!

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


0

Book Review: Your Fantastic Elastic Brain




















Author: JoAnn Deak
Illustrator: Sarah Ackerley
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

About This Book: This innovative and timely picture book teaches children that they have the ability to stretch and grow their own brains. It also delivers the crucial message that mistakes are an essential part of learning. 



Why It's On My Bookshelf: I have been wanting this book FOREVER. It was picked as one of our Book of the Month selections at school so copies were ordered for everyone! So why is this book so uber cool in my opinion? It teaches kids ALL about their brains but most importantly:
  • learning new things strengthens the brain
  • making mistakes is one of the best ways your brain learns and grows
  • you can STRETCH the part of your brain that controls your feelings
And much more........

Don't these seem like things kids should know and understand? And shouldn't we be reinforcing these messages as they navigate their ever complicated world? Love this resource and I think it should be on EVERY teacher's shelf in America. Seriously.

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



1

Book Review: Ozzie and the Art Contest

Author/Illustrator: Dana Sullivan
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Ozzie loves to draw. Ozzie loves drawing and being an artist more than anything—even more than skateboarding! So when his teacher, Miss Cattywhompus, announces an art contest, Ozzie can’t wait to get started. He works really hard on his picture of a goat. He knows it will win first place. There is only one problem. Miss Cattywhompus didn’t ask the class to draw pictures of goats—the contest instructions say "Draw a Boat." Ozzie’s picture doesn’t win first place. And even though it does win honorable mention, he is devastated. How could he not win? He worked so hard. With a little help from Miss Cattywhompus, Ozzie comes to see that he, with his love of art, has won something far more important than a contest.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is a terrific book for teaching the skill of following directions. And it goes further by showing that a consequence can happen when you don't follow a direction. In Ozzie's case, he is so focused on winning the contest he " glanced at the instructions." Even after the teacher said, "remember to read the instructions very carefully." Ozzie beats himself up emotionally over it though. Finally, he is able to amend his mistake by making the boat. Good lessons in this one.

Really excited about having this new book in my line up for teaching academic skills. It's going to be a hit this fall. 

A Link to This Book: 

0

Book Review: The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes


Authors: Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

A Note From the Publisher: Meet Beatrice Bottomwell: a nine-year-old girl who has never (not once!) made a mistake. She never forgets her math homework, she never wears mismatched socks, and she ALWAYS wins the yearly talent show at school. In fact, Beatrice holds the record of perfection in her hometown, where she is known as The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes. Life for Beatrice is sailing along pretty smoothly until she does the unthinkable–she makes her first mistake. And in a very public way!  

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I teach lessons around the message that it's okay to make a mistake and we all make them. Most importantly - how to recover from a mistake! Kids are working hard everyday practicing and acquiring new skills in so many areas. Part of growing up is learning how to deal with making a mistake. This is a brand new book to my shelf so I haven't gotten a chance to use it yet. It's going to be a HIT. Kids need to hear it's absolutely OKAY to flub up because as we say in our school: Mistakes are opportunities for learning. Mistake DOES NOT mean failure or there is something wrong with you. Sometimes children get that stuck in their heads. You're going to appreciate this new one.

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

2

Book Review: Beautiful Oops!

Beautiful Oops!
Author/Illustrator: Barney Saltzberg
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company

From the Book Jacket: A spill. A smear. A smudge. A tear. When you think you have made a mistake (and what kid or grown-up hasn't?), think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: We have kids in our school that can be super hard on themselves, especially when they make a mistake. Beautiful Oops gives kids new perspective on those so called mistakes. Can I get three cheers for optimism!? Maybe you didn't get the math problem correct or you flubbed up a situation with a friend....well it can be solved. Not only that, but you can GROW and learn from it. Don't we all need to remember that? Are we telling our kids this? This is such a fantastic little read for children. 

The focus of the book is art - but you can use examples of other mistakes in life.  The pages are laminated so you don't have to worry about wear and tear. This is something I will be reading K-5. I've never put together lessons on perfectionism and making mistakes. Now I can!

Watch the book trailer!



A Link to This Book:
2