Books That Heal Kids: sharing

Showing posts with label sharing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sharing. Show all posts

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: Katie and the Puppy Next Door

Author/Illustrator: John Himmelman
Interest Level: Ages 3 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Katie is surprised when Ruby, the puppy next door, comes for a visit. Ruby runs right into Katie's house and starts playing with Katie's favorite things. She even eats Katie's food! Katie thinks this is terrible, and chases Ruby away. But Sara Ann is disappointed. She wants Katie to share. She says sharing is fun. But Katie has her doubts about that!

Why It's On My Bookshelf:  I am a HUGE fan of the first Katie book Katie Loves the Kittens. This time author/illustrator John Himmelman helps us with sharing. When Katie begrudgingly gives in to sharing with Ruby she discovers you get out of a friendship what you put into it. There are many paths to friendship and the importance of sharing is just one of them. Lets direct our kids towards generosity. Thank you Katie for teaching our children and I hope we see even more stories in the future!
 
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Book Reviews: More Awesome Ones on Sharing

Share With Brother
sequel to Love the Baby
Author: Steven L Layne
Illustrator: Ard Hoyt
Interest Level: Ages 3-7

A Note From the Publisher: Brother has been waiting to play with his new sibling since the day Mommy and Daddy brought him home. However, his excitement soon wears off when everyone reminds him that he must share. As Brother tosses jacks and plays safari with his friends, his family says, “Share with brother and someday brother will share with you.” But he doesn’t want to share, and his temper steams until he is sent to his room for his selfish behavior.

Nevertheless, when the baby becomes sick, Brother doesn’t hesitate to come to the rescue! He strings lights across his bed, reads him a book, and even shares his ice cream. Although Brother likes taking care of the little tyke, he later discovers that sometimes sharing comes with a catch!

This charming tale, complete with illustrations of cuddly bunnies, humorously approaches the subject of jealousy between siblings. Children will laugh at Brother’s silly antics as he grows to accept the baby while parents point out the lesson he learns about sharing.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Just the other day I was out shopping when I saw a little girl point at her younger sister and say angrily to her mother, "But I always have to share with her!!!" Growing up with four siblings I can relate. A little autonomy is what all we older siblings prayed for on a daily basis. Wishful thinking! But what if you framed it in a new way to your child...that by sharing with a sibling you are TEACHING them to treat you the same way. As a child, it's nice to be praised and appreciated for the kindness you give, especially to a sibling.

I think that's why I like Share With Brother so much.  Over and over older brother rabbit is told, "Share with brother and someday brother will share with you." This is a hard thing for him to hear and he is quite stubborn about it. Reminded me of how siblings get in turf wars over little and big things. I plan on using this as a read aloud on building sibling relationships. But it can also be a great reminder to treat each other the way you want to be treated. If you want others to share with you - share with them first. 


Ribbit Rabbit
Author: Candace Ryan
Illustrator: Mike Lowery
Ages: 3-7

A Note From the Publisher: RIBBIT RABBIT, GRIP IT, GRAB IT! Frog and Bunny are best friends. RIBBIT, RABBIT! They do everything together, like fight monsters (ZIP IT, ZAP IT!). And even though they get in fights sometimes-YIP IT, YAP IT!-they always make up in the end. 

Ribbit, Rabbit features an effortlessly clever text that, in less than 150 words, captures the ups and downs of young friendships. Combined with adorably hip and fresh illustrations and an irresistible package, Ribbit, Rabbit is the perfect choice for the youngest of readers.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This has been a major hit in my kindergarten classes. It's got cool wording in it like wibbit wabbit, dip it, dab it, nip it, nab it, yip it, yap it........ahhh, social skills books can be fun!

I thought this was going to be a fast read but I took time to focus on the conflict in bunny and frog's friendship. They love playing together but they sure don't like sharing things. That's a recipe for friendship disaster. A showdown over a robot causes a riff between them. But the robot won't work if they don't get over their sharing issues which they quickly realize as they sit alone. They also take a moment to think about each other (this is the part I care about). Feelings are more important than toys. So important for kids to learn this. Amends are made quite sweetly between them. I'm all for amends in books. Another perfect kindergarten social skills story on my shelf. Be sure to pull in a frog and a bunny puppet if you can. Makes for a much more impactful lesson. I found a toy robot for kids to role play with also.


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Book Review: A Few Good Ones On Sharing


Martha Doesn't Share!
Author: Samantha Berger
illustrated by Bruce Whatley
Interest Level: Ages 4-8

From the Book Jacket: Martha has a new favorite word. And that word is Mine! Martha's sharing skills need some work. She's not very good at taking turns either. But when Martha realizes that keeping her toys all to herself means having to play all by herself, too, she decides to give sharing a try - one (small) toy at a time. In this follow-up to Martha Doesn't Say Sorry!, our unforgettable otter learns that when it comes to sharing, practice makes (almost) perfect. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Martha Doesn't Say Sorry! has made many rounds to K-1 classes. So the students are very familiar with this little otter (who can be a total stinker). This is a classic story of the consequences of not sharing....no one wants to be around you, give you attention, or play with you. Martha experiences this and she gets to thinking....oh oh, time to change my ways! A page I enjoy reading is when Martha has her a ha moment, "Martha thinks about sharing. She thinks and thinks and thinks about it. Then she thinks about it some more." Ahh, perfect stopping point for discussion about that lovely little word "think."

The last illustration gets me giddy. It might look like a cutsie ending but good discussion awaits. The picture shows Martha sharing with her baby brother. 

Here's the deal though....she's only sharing a few blocks. Yo, it's not sharing when you give someone three items and you have fifty. A kindergarten teacher listening in interrupted our lesson and we had a talk about this last illustration. (great time to role play this with those problem toys) This is a sharing behavior that's been going on in her class. Some of the kids had that 'oh oh' look on their face but they were able to receive and understand it's perceived as unkind when you do this. LOVE IT. Now all I need is a Martha otter puppet and I'm set!

Eleanore Won't Share
Author: Julie Gassman
illustrated by Jessica Mikhail
Interest Level: Ages 4-8

About This Book: Eleanore does not like to share and soon learns a valuable life lesson about sharing and friendships.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Whoa. Eleanore and Martha must be related! Eleanore definitely does not like to share and she even has her own set of rules about sharing:

1. Always share things you don't like.
2. Always share things that belong to other people.
3. Always share when it make things more fun...for you!

So the story continues with Eleanore hoarding away while making others feel bad. But soon enough she feels those social consequences that come with unkind behavior. "The other kids were NOT happy about it. Soon, they stopped playing with the dress-up clothes - and with Eleanore."


When she tries to join in a game the kids assertively let her know she will not be included unless she changes her ways. Taking a little think time, Eleanore rights the wrong and says, "From now on I will try to share - even when I don't want to." In the end, she shares a hug with her teacher. Ahh...adorable. Make sure to create a new and improved list of sharing rules for Eleanore with the help of students. Hint: don't do a boring 1 2 3 list. I traced a picture of Eleanore on a huge piece of construction paper to make our list more engaging.

Author: Annabelle Dixon
illustrated by Tim Archbold
Interest Level: Ages 4-8

About This Book: Joe has a shiny red car. Charlie hides it, Ben finds it, but whom will Joe choose to share it with?

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I own this whole series on making good choices. What I love about them is how they end - no perfect ending. A book requiring kids to fill in the holes and do some thinking. Yippee! But don't worry, a helpful parent/teacher guide will give you thoughtful questions to ask the kids if you need some help. 


The story is centered around Joe's car. Charlie decides to hide it because Joe won't let him have a turn with it. An all familiar story I've seen happen with kids. It's discovered by Ben who makes a decision to lie and say it's his own. Whoo! All kinds of poor choices going on in this one. This is a great story to not just talk about sharing but also friendship and honesty. Enjoy!

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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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