Books That Heal Kids: tattling

Showing posts with label tattling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tattling. Show all posts

Book Review: A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue and Supplementary Activity and Idea Book

Author: Julia Cook
Illustrated by Anita DuFalla
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: No one likes "Josh the Tattler" because he tattles way too much. He tattles on his classmates, his brother, and even his dog! But one night Josh wakes up to find that his tongue is very long, yellow, covered in bright purple spots, and Itchy, Itchy, Scratchy, Scratchy...Will a bad case of Tattle Tongue teach him a lesson?

A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue gives teachers and counselors a humorous, cleverly creative way to address the time-consuming tattling-related issues that often sap classroom energy and thwart teaching opportunities. Parents who "battle the tattle" at home, on the playground, in the grocery store, or anywhere else can use this book to both entertain and enlighten their children about "The Tattle Rules." Every adult who desires to help children understand the differences between tattling and the need to warn others about important matters needs this book.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: A little tattling from kids is not the end of the world. But when they are tattling 24/7 it will pretty much drive a person bonkers. Me included. It's 2:30pm...the recess bell has rung and I've got 10 tattlers on my heels and that's usually when it dawns on me. "Whoa! I need to read A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue pronto!!" I'm not trying to shut the tattlers down. I just want them to give the problem a second look. Tattle Tongue takes a smart approach to tattling. Author Julia Cook focuses on teaching kids the difference between a small problem and a big one. This concrete information can transform the way kids make decisions about how to handle the conflicts around them. Josh also goes through a little social exclusion as he exhausts everyone with his tattling behavior. Yes, this sometimes happens. However, we don't give up on these kids and label them tattlers. We guide them with appropriate counseling and resources to turn them into leaders. And now I'm probably down to 2 tattlers instead of 10.

PS. If you want to take it a step further, check out A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue Activity and Idea Book. I got it last spring and have been incorporating it into my lessons and small group settings. I've had two teachers use the "Tattle Box" idea. And I of course have the The Four Tattle Rules poster. You can never have enough GOOD resources on your shelf!

A Link to This Book:
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Book Review: Don't Squeal Unless It's A Big Deal: A Tale of Tattletales

Author: Jeanie Franz Ransom
Illustrator: Jackie Urbanovic
Interest Level: Ages 5-8

About This Book: It all started when Jessica trit-trotted up to Mrs. McNeal's desk... "Peter pulled my pigtail!" And soon..."Rachel took my marker!" "Frankie called sookie a fat sow!" "Justin ripped my paper!" !" "Can anyone tell me what squealing is?" Mrs. McNeal shouted, waving her cowbell.

Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal helps kids figure out the difference between Big Deals that need telling and kid-sized problems that kids can work out themselves, With a note to teachers and parents about why children squeal and how to help them deal on their own. -from the book jacket

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Tattling. Let me define it for you.....behavior by children that will send teachers and parents over the edge to the land of unhappiness and complete insanity. Tattling has been around forever. How am I an expert on this? Because I used to tattle on my sisters when I was a kid. Why did I tattle? Oh, I SO loved getting the attention (look Mom, I know the rules!), liked being bossy at times, and it was also a nice revenge move on my sisters.  I know. Shameful. And now the revenge has been turned on me. I work with about four hundred K-5 students and yep.....they sure can tattle! So being the proactive lady I am....I have scoured the EARTH for SOLID books on tattling. I say solid because I am not a fan of books that make kids feel bad for tattling. Not cool. Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal is definitely a favorite. I work really hard on helping students see the difference between small problems ("Laura looked at me!") and big problems ("Laura punched me!"). Hint: make sure to incorporate lessons on how to problem solve with tattling lessons. If they truly don't know how to solve a problem - then of course they'll tattle! I seriously notice a decrease in tattling when the kids feel educated and AWARE of their behavior. And of course I have a blast with this lesson when I use my trusty pig puppets. The kids love coming up and using the puppets to figure out how not to sweat the small stuff.

A Link to This Book:
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