From the Book Jacket: This is the story of Willoughby, whose new house feels too small and very lonely. It's also the story of an enchanted lion and spectacular wishes come true: of roller coasters, and fast, fast shoes, and enormous crowds of people. But most of all, it's the story of one important question: What is the most wonderful thing of all?
Why It's On My Bookshelf: A teacher at my school shared this really special story with me. Willoughby is a lonely boy who meets a lion who is able to grant him wishes....so he starts wishing for material things which are all granted. I know....you are already loving this book since we are surrounded by material mania. And how many times have you gone out shopping to fill a void? Guilty. Sharing this message with kids is a must...the internal vs external needs. In the end the boy is faced with a decision where he must choose between the two. If we choose the external stuff then we miss out on the really important things in life. I really enjoyed explaining this and giving real life examples to kids. What's really more important? A toy? Or how we make each other feel and what we can do to help one another? You'll love this book. I'd love to see more with this message.
PS. Make sure to ask the kids to guess what they think the gold coin says in the end of the story.
From the Book Jacket: Chester Raccoon is faced with a common problem to school children - a bully! When a badger causes problems for all the young animals at school, Mrs. Raccoon brings her usual insight and understanding to the problem. She tells Chester and his friends a story of how, in another forest, a pointy blue stone that could hurt tender paws was turned into a smooth pebble with the help of the animals who lived there. Chester and his friends understand the message and join together to help the bully change. When they ask the badger to play, they are surprised how well Mrs. Raccoon's strategy works!
This sweet story illustrates many lessons: that many child bullies are themselves unhappy and that sometimes the best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him or her a friend. Chester and his friends provide readers with a good example of settling differences by peaceful means.
Why It's On My Bookshelf: This book was published a few years ago and I had read it and just really couldn't figure out how I wanted to use it with the kids at the time. Just because a book title has the word Bully in it - doesn't always make it a perfect resource. Fast forward to the end of this last school year and a first grade teacher (who has a major love of bibliotherapy also) approached me with it. She had read it to her class and it was a major hit because of the wonderful spin she put on it. So I was sold. Here's what I've gotten out of it.....
There's another teacher in my building who often says to her students, "What is the kind thingto do?" She'll use this question when dealing with problem solving or bullying situations. LOVE THAT. It absolutely reminded me of Mrs. Raccoon's strategy. So I've started using it too. We do have steps our students are asked to use when dealing with bullying but I just have to say ....there's nothing wrong with also using a kindness strategy. Some kids really respond to this. I really love the responses when I ask this question.
Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully is also a good empathy builder. Mrs. Raccoon tells a story about finding a sharp prickly stone. We used the metaphor of the stone to talk about how it reminds us of bullying behavior. Wow - the kids really responded to this. We drew a picture of it on the board and discussed ways to help the kids who are using bullying behavior and how to help smooth their tough ways out.
My main message to the students was there is nothing wrong with trying to reach out to someone. It's tempting to be mean back to someone but maybe instead of hurting someone in the moment, we could help them. It may not work everytime but it's sure worth a try.
Before I forget....the Kissing Hand puppet is available at amazon but much cheaper on the publisher's website. It's darling.
Author: Stuart J Murphy Website: I See I Learn Publisher:Charlesbridge Interest Level: Kindergarten/Preschool
Percy Gets Upset Sometimes Percy gets upset. He scowls and stamps his feet. But when he learns to take a deep breath, count to ten, and talk about his feelings, he can calm down. When Percy's not upset, he can have fun again!
Percy Plays It Safe When Percy plays at the park, he's a monster! Roaring and growling, he climbs up the slide, stomps in the sandbox, and jumps off the swing. Will he ever learn how to be a safe monster?
Freda Plans a Picnic Freda's mom says that she can invite her friends to a picnic in her backyard. There is so much to do, from packing the picnic basket to cleaning up. Will Freda's plan be a success?
Freda Is Found Freda is excited to be on a class field trip. But after she stops to look in a store window, she can't find her group.
Emma's Friendwich Emma has just moved to a new city where she doesn't know anyone. When she sees a a girl her age next door, she wonders what she can do to get to know her. What if she smiles, asks to play, and shares her toys?
Camille's Team Camille loves to build sand forts at the beach. But it's hard to build a big fort alone. Camille and her friends make a plan. They find that they can get more done--and have more fun--when they work together.
Write On, Carlos! Carlos wants to write his name like some of his friends can. After he practices over and over again, Carlos is proud to show his friends what he can do.
Good Job, Ajay! Ajay wants to throw a ball strait and far like his big sister, Meera. He tries, but he just can't do it. then his friends remind Ajay how he learned to do other things that seemed hard at the time.
Why They Are On My Bookshelf: Here's what this series covers: making friends, building confidence, playground safety, sequencing, cooperation, dealing with frustration, getting help when lost, and writing your name. These are some of the social/life issues our kids need to master. What better way to learn them then through a concrete series.
Growing up I remember my mom had a set of books similar to these. Granted it was the 70's so they might not have been so vividly illustrated with cool characters. But I read those books OVER and OVER again. They had an impact on me and I remember feeling like a little adult as I gained knowledge about important life skills. I'll be loaning these out to teachers and parents for sure next year. You might want a set of your own to sneak into book boxes in your classrooms. Oh, and of course I'll be reading them to my daughter!
Also, the author talks/previews each book on YouTube. I'm a huge fan of being able to peek at a book before I buy it. Here's a trailer of Emma's Friendwich:
If you check out the series website there are posters you can print out for each book as a teaching tool. It's under the link resources. LOVE!
Author: Heather Hartt-Sussman Illustrator: Genevieve Cote Publisher: Tundra Books Interest Level: Ages 4-8 From the Book Jacket: Noni can do all sorts of things: tie her own shoelaces, recite the alphabet backwards, even walk to her friend Susie's house all by herself. But what Noni can't do is say no. When she finally finds her voice, the consequences are not what she - or the reader - expects. Many children will root for Noni as she learns that you can stand up for yourself and still be a good friend.
Why It's On My Bookshelf: Lots of kids put up with bad behavior in their friendships because they are afraid if they say "no" they will hurt the other person's feelings and lose them as a friend. As we read, a student pointed out, "Well, if they don't want to be your friend anymore because of that - they weren't your true friend in the first place." Ahhh....music to my ears!
Noni can't say no to Susie because she fears there will be a confrontation or maybe it will end the friendship. Susie on the other hand has no problem saying no. In fact, maybe she needs to learn to be a little more balanced and say yes. It even gets to the point where Noni allows Susie to cut off all of her hair! I kind of appreciated the extreme example. If you don't say no, you can be putting yourself in an awful situation. But Noni finally reaches her limit and has to say no. Before I turned the page to show Susie's reaction we talked about how a good friend should respond when they are told no. So do Noni's fears come true? No, they don't. Susie simply says, "Okay." Just like a good friend should. This will be in my personal home library as well as at school. It's important to me to raise a kind child, but I worry that in the process some kids can become pushovers. A well balanced child should be empowered to say yes and no in social situations.
Author/Illustrator: Tom Lichentenheld Publisher: Henry Holt and Company From the Book Jacket: Being small has its advantages...if you're a little cloud like Cloudette, you can always find a good spot to watch the fireworks. But what if you want to do something big, like help a garden grow? When a thunderstorm blows Cloudette far from her neighborhood, she discovers what a little cloud can do that makes a big difference.
Why It's On My Bookshelf: Cloudette has gotten a lot of praise and rightfully so. It's a 'build your kids up' kinda story. This little cloud knows she has gifts and is determined to not let anything stand in her way. I also love how she wants to do good - to be a blessing. She is a little cloud with a big heart. Being around children everyday I get to watch them discover themselves. Cloudette is an adorable story with a needed message to help kids be the best they can be.
From the Book Jacket: RJ has had a rough day...he wakes up with gum stuck in his hair, misses recess because he's late to school, earns a zero on his math homework, kicks the ball into his own team's soccer goal, and messes up Mom's kitchen with his overflowing pancake batter! With his mother's help, RJ learns that his problems happen because he doesn't listen or pay attention to directions from her, his school principal, teachers, or even his friends. This book is the first in the BEST ME I Can BE! series to teach children social skills that can make home life happier and school more successful. Tips for parents and educators on how to reinforce the skills are included. Children can also listen to the author's entertaining rendition of RJ's story on the accompanying CD. One track features the text only while a second track includes cues on when to turn the page for youngsters just learning to read.
Why It's On My Bookshelf: All of author Julia Cook's books are STAPLES in my academic skills curriculum. There's a very simple reason I re-read them over and over every year - they WORK. The best way I know how to help kids overcome academic deficits is to practice these weaknesses. What better way to introduce skills then through an engaging story of a character going through the same struggle. Some kids have no problem following directions, but other kids like RJ come to school everyday with the best intentions and leave feeling down on themselves. That really breaks my heart. As an educator it's my job to help those students find success. The whole reason I started this blog is because I am finding that success through books. If we want kids to follow directions - lets teach them in a loving and supportive way. I've already been using The Worst Day of My Life Ever! to do some re-teaching around following teacher instructions. It's going to make a WORLD of difference when we come back after summer break too. Can't wait to kick off some role plays around following directions with the reinforcement of Julia Cook's latest genius.
Illustrator: Cassia Thomas Interest Level: Ages 4-7 From the Book Jacket: Lively Elizabeth lives up to her name - in fact, she's a little bit of a handful! She doesn't mean to hurt anyone, but one day at school she finds out that one little push can lead to BIG problems! Why It's On My Bookshelf: Let me set the scene for you: It's recess. Children are playing joyfully. The recess bell rings. The students run towards their line and all of a sudden the joy is GONE. There are some kids crying, some on the ground holding scraped knees, others arguing and pointing at each other, and then I get to come over and sort it all out.
Now granted this does not happen all of the time because we work really hard on having students line up safely - but these are kids - they are not perfect. My saving grace is always a social skills book. I've found a new one, Lively Elizabeth! What Happens When You Push, to help teach self-control and reinforce being safe in school. Little Miss Lively Elizabeth is not in the same scenario at recess but she does decide to push another boy in class. Which causes a whole domino effect of kids falling into one another. Great illustrations showing cause and effect.
She experiences the social consequences of kids being upset with her but is forgiven after making an apology for her behavior. Loved the making amends part. Although I've been reading it this Spring, I plan on re-reading it at the beginning of the school year next Fall. It's such a great addition to my library. I'm hoping it will help decrease my "Lord help me" moments at recess. A Link to This Book:
Scaredy never sleeps — sleep might mean bad dreams about dragons, ghosts, vampire bats and polka-dot monsters. Our wide-eyed hero has a plan: stay awake all night, every night. Between counting stars, playing cymbals and making scrapbooks, he does a good job of avoiding dreamland. With exhaustion taking its toll, Scaredy comes face-to-face with an alarming horoscope prediction: All his dreams are about to come true! He must prepare for the worst and his Bad Dream Action Plan includes a fire extinguisher to snuff out dragons and a fan to blast away ghosts. But when disaster strikes, will Scaredy survive this ordeal? Will he thank his lucky stars? Will he find sweet dreams?
Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend
Scaredy Squirrel sets out to make The Perfect Friend. And once he's spotted a perfectly safe candidate (with no teeth), Scaredy's ready. Armed with a name tag, mittens, a mirror and a lemon, he's prepared to make The Perfect First Impression. But just when every detail is under control, Scaredy's Action Plan takes a surprising — and "toothy" — turn. Will he survive this ordeal? Will he find his kindred spirit? Will he discover the true meaning of friendship? Read Scaredy's nutty story to find out ...
Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party In the fifth book, Scaredy Squirrel plans his own birthday and surprise!... things get very crowded. Scaredy Squirrel is planning his own birthday party for one – but despite his detailed plans, things get out of control when the party animals arrive. Scaredy never plans big birthday parties. He'd rather celebrate alone quietly in the safety of his nut tree and avoid those pesky party animals (ants, clownfish, ponies and Bigfoot). When all his excessive plans are thrown up in the air like confetti, will Scaredy play dead and cancel? Or will he face the music?Watch the trailer below!
Why They Are On My Bookshelf: After a first grade teacher introduced me to Scaredy Squirrel, there was just no way I could only own one - I had to have them all, including the puppet!
These are laugh out loud funny. Have you ever taken your fears too far? Panicked? Or tried to solve your fears in a ridiculous way? Welcome to the world of Scaredy Squirrel. I loved hearing a student say, "He is taking this way too far!!" When we let our fears control us - we miss out on life. Kids picked up on this right away. It's also getting to the end of the school year so I try and choose books that are REALLY engaging and have a bit of humor to them. I read a lot of "serious" bibliotherapy throughout the year so it's nice to take a break and use books that light the kids faces up with smiles and chuckles while we still hear a good message. We passed around the Scaredy Squirrel puppet in a circle for kids to talk about their fears and how they overcome them. As soon as I finish reading one of these the kids ALWAYS shout, "Read another one to us!!" I relish those words.
Author/Illustrator: Patrick McDonnell Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up Publisher: Little, Brown and Company From the Publisher: In his characteristic heartwarming style, Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of "a life living with and helping all animals," until one day she find that her dream has come true. One of the world's most inspiring women, Dr. Jane Goodall is a renowned humanitarian, conservationist, animal activist, environmentalist, and United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), a global nonprofit organization that empowers people to make a difference for all living things. With anecdotes taken directly from Jane Goodall's autobiography, McDonnell makes this very true story accessible for the very young -- and young at heart. Why It's On My Bookshelf: Just when I think I'm done gushing about a book....another one takes my breath away. I am so head over heels for Me...Jane as were the students. The illustrations are darling. This was my chosen read for Earth Day last week. Yep, I even read it to the 5th graders and they were so engaged as they listened to Jane's dream to one day go to Africa and live a life helping animals. Then on the last page comes a REAL photograph of Jane Goodall living out this dream. GASP went the kids. The kind of gasp I love. Yes, dream big!
In a time of state testing and constant assessments it's a breath of fresh air to read such an encouraging uplifting TRUE story. I want kids to remember there is nothing wrong with having a dream of doing something special with their lives. A Link to This Book:
Author: Frieda Wishinsky Illustrator: Kady MacDonald Denton Publisher: Albert Whitman Interest Level: Ages 4-8 From the Book Jacket: When Lily Jean moves in next door, sisters Carly and Sandy are happy to have a new friend join their game. But Lily Jean changes everything. She decides they'll play house and orders Carly to be the baby. When they play king and queen, King Lily Jean tells Carly to be the royal dog! Tired of being bossed around, Carly comes up with a way to teach Lily Jean a lesson. With Sandy's help, can she turn a bully into a friend? Why It's On My Bookshelf: Well, my 2011 favorites list just grew again! I am very passionate about the name of my blog because of books just like this one. I spend hours hunting for the ones with teachable moments that help children learn important social skills. Every K-3 class I read this to benefited in their friendships, sibling relationships, and helped curb bullying behavior. There is a whole lot of bossing around going on in the story. Lily Jean is on a power trip and her behavior got a ton of disapproval from students. Carly is picked on because she is the little sister and Lily Jean wants to have Sandy all to herself. But what blessed my heart was how sweet and caring big sister Sandy is to Carly. She sticks up for her. It was a great stopping point to talk about how we need to look out for our siblings and make sure they are being treated with kindness. Carly sticks up for herself too and lets Lily Jean know she can hang with her and Sandy if she is nice. That's their friendship rule for Lily Jean. Stop being bossy and start being nice or go play alone. Lots of kids need to hear this truth. It's okay to say NO to bad behavior. Looking forward to reading this one to my own kiddo. A Link to This Book:
