Books That Heal Kids: perfectionism

Showing posts with label perfectionism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perfectionism. Show all posts

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. 

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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. 









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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!





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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!

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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.

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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!



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Beautiful Oops

Oh wowee! Watch this book trailer for Beautiful Oops written by Barney Saltzberg. I work with a teacher who tells her students, "Mistakes are opportunities for learning." She would love this book. It's going on my wish list for sure.



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