Book Review: How to Grow a Friend

Author/Illustrator: Sara Gillingham

From the Book Jacket: Tend your friendships...and watch them grow! Making a friend takes patience, care, and space to bloom - just like growing a flower. With this lovely guide your little gardeners will soon have their very own green thumbs in this most important of life skills. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I am always getting requests from teachers to read more books and teach more lessons on friendship at all levels. This is a skill area all of our students need help and growth. I do a lot of lessons around kindness and bucketfilling but want to focus more on helping kids not just make friends but maintain those relationships. This is a cute book to start my lessons next year on friendship. 

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Book Review: Perfectly Norman

Author/Illustrator: Tom Percival

From the Book Jacket: Meet Norman. Norman is normal - perfectly normal. That's until he grows a pair of wings! Norman loves his new wings, but he's worried about what everyone will think. After all, they're definitely NOT normal. He decides to cover them with a coat, but hiding such a big part of his life makes him feel miserable. Can Norman find the courage to be himself? This is a bold and uplifting book about daring to be different and celebrating what makes you - YOU!

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is such a creative refreshing story about differences. I love the message that true happiness is being yourself and being proud of your unique qualities. You don't have to hide who you are to be accepted by others. And if you trying to keep things about yourself hidden - you end up feeling miserable. I love the play on the words "Perfectly Normal" in this story. We can teach our kids there is no such thing as PERFECT or NORMAL. What works is being yourself. It's the only way to happiness. 

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Book Review: I Walk With Vanessa - A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness

Author/Illustrator: Kerascoet

From the Book Jacket: Vanessa is the new girl in school. A boy is not very nice to her. But a girl helps Vanessa - and stands up for what's right. This is a simple but powerful picture book about how the actions of a single person can inspire an entire community. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: It only takes one person to change things. In this wordless picture book a child named Vanessa is on the receiving end of mean behavior. What she doesn't know is someone witnesses the unkindness and comes to her rescue later. By being an upstander she brings all the children together in a positive movement. I loved this uplifting book and it is at the top of my list to share with students as a reminder that we all have personal power to better each others lives.  

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Book Review: The Day Dad Joined My Soccer Team

By: Maureen Fergus and Mike Lowery

From the Book Jacket: When Coach asks for a parent volunteer to help with the team, Dad is excited. He runs to the bench, pulls on a jersey and...completely forgets his manners. Dad complains about having to play defense (BORING) and thinks playing soccer is all about WINNING. He kicks practice balls everywhere and throws a HAIRY FIT when things don't go his way. Dad is NOT a team player! 

In this hilarious role reversal, a young boy's patience is tested as he desperately tries to teach his dad how to behave on the field. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Once in awhile I have teachers ask me to come in and help teach and reinforce good sportsmanship when things seem to be escalating on the playground. I was so happy to see this new title. I don't have a lot of picture books on sportsmanship and this one is a winner! It's engaging and really helps show the difference between a poor sport and a team player. If you have a kiddo who is stomping off during a game or throwing a big fit over not winning - this one is sure to help you!

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Book Review: Buckets, Dippers, and Lids - Secrets to Your Happiness

Author: Carol McCloud
Illustrator: Glenn Zimmer

From the Book Jacket: This new book takes bucket filling and bucket dipping one step further by adding the idea that we also have an invisible lid. We "use our lid" to protect and keep the happiness in our bucket. Readers learn what gives happiness, what takes some away, and what protects it. This concrete concept helps readers of all ages grow in kindness, self-control, resilience, empathy, and forgiveness, all leading to a healthier self-concept, more positive relationships, and greater happiness. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: What a wonderful new bucket filling book! It exceeded my expectations. It is divided into three sections: Buckets, Dippers, and Lids. The "Buckets" section covers what bucket filling is and teaches the concept - a lot like her first book - Have You Filled a Bucket Today? But then the book goes into more detail in "The Dippers" section by really defining what bucket dipping is and how it's the opposite of bucket filling. My favorite part of the book is the "Lids" section. This teaches children that everyone has a lid to help protect the happiness in their bucket. So when something happens that makes you have an "ouch" feeling this is an important sign warning you to "Use your lid!" It goes on to explain the "ouch"feeling is a sign your bucket is getting dipped and it's time to use your lid. To keep your bucket full you need to stop, take a deep breath, and think. Don't dip back. I appreciated these steps and the reminder to not dip back.

If you loved her first book - Have You Filled a Bucket Today? then you will love this new version - it's more detailed and really reinforces the concept. I'm so happy to have another bucket filling resource to use with kids.

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Book Review: Sparkle Boy and Julian is a Mermaid

Author: Leslea Newman
Illustrator: Maria Mola

From the Book Jacket: Casey loves to play with his blocks, puzzles, and dump truck, but he also loves things that sparkle, shimmer, and glitter. When his older sister, Jessie, shows off her new shimmery skirt, Casey wants to wear a shimmery skirt too. When Jessie comes home from a party with glittery nails, Casey wants glittery nails too. And when Abuelita visits wearing an armful of sparkly bracelets, Casey gets one to wear, just like Jessie. The adults in Casey's life embrace his interests, but Jessie isn't so sure. Boys aren't supposed to wear sparkly, shimmery, glittery things. Then, when older boys at the library tease Casey for wearing "girl" things, Jessie realizes that Casey has the right to be himself and wear whatever he wants. Why can't both she and Casey love all things shimmery, glittery, and sparkly? Here is a sweet, heartwarming story about acceptance, respect, and the freedom to be yourself in a world where any gender expression should be celebrated. Sparkly things are for everyone to enjoy! 

Author/Illustrator: Jessica Love

From the Book Jacket: Every Saturday morning, Julian and his abuela go swimming. But the day Julian spies three women on the subway, everything changes. He is entranced by their beautiful hair, their swishy, shimmering mermaid gowns, ant their total confidence. When Julian gets home, all he can thing of is becoming a mermaid himself. But what will Abuela think? 





Why They Are On My Bookshelf: Be true to yourself. That is the message in both of these books. I love to read stories to kids that challenge gender stereotypes and let kids know it's perfectly okay to be whatever and whoever you want to be. PERIOD!

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Book Review: When the Anger Ogre Visits

Author: Andree Salom
Illustrator: Ivette Salom

From the Book Jacket: Use this playful, read-along story to teach that anger as a natural and manageable part of life.

"The Anger Ogre visits everybody's lives, just remember to be patient whenever it arrives."

When the Anger Ogre Visits gives children symbolic and concrete guidance about how to deal with anger as a natural part of their inner lives. Rather than squelching anger or pushing it away, the book invites children to sit with and observe anger, removing its overwhelming aspects. This playfully illustrated story, written in memorable rhyme, centers on discovering and using internal resources and portrays anger as manageable.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is a nice one to help kids work on some concrete skills around calming their bodies down when they are angry. I really struggle with helping kids learn to breathe when the Anger Ogre shows up. I like the language used in the book: breathe slow and very deeply; relax your tongue; relax your toes; relax your belly; relax your nose; relax your ears so you can hear the sound of your breath.....Lots of great directions like this. The book shows the Ogre changing form as different techniques are used to tame it. This is another great one to add to my shelf to help children. 

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Book Reviews: Manners Mash-Up and Time to Say "PLEASE"!

From the Book Jacket: Should you eat nachos at the opera? What about wearing your birthday suit to a birthday party? And just where DO you put that napkin? These etiquette questions have been puzzling kids for ages. Now, fourteen hilarious and well-loved illustrators show you all the answers and many, many more, right inside this book!

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This has been such a helpful resource to reteach some of our school expectations. When we get to the end of the year a lot of behavior escalates and not in the right direction. This has been a great fit for K-1 grades. Kids love the illustrations and we can keep the school rules conversation feeling positive and not punitive. Areas covered: Bus, Cafeteria, Playground, Classroom, Sportsmanship, Table Manners, Party Manners, House Guest, Doctor's Office, Theater, Grocery Store, and swimming. 

From the Book Jacket: As a companion book to the popular Time to Pee!, Mo Willems has created a book on manners in his own signature style. Groups of ebullient mice narrate this humorous text as young children try in vain to get what they want, learning along the way that it is helpful to say "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and "I'm sorry." Oh, and you have to mean it, too.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I love that Mo Willems is tackling manners. I'm going to use this one to reteach how kindness includes saying "Please," "Thank you," "Excuse me," and "I'm sorry.". Just using those simple phrases really goes a long way and makes our school community a more positive place to learn. A good read!

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Book Review: I Can Be Anything! Don't Tell Me I Can't

Author/Illustrator: Diane Dillon
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Like most girls and boys, Zoe enthusiastically embraces the wonders of our world and its infinite possibilities. "I can be anything I want to be!" she tells us, presenting herself in a range of careers. "But what if you fail?" asks a voice of doubt that attempts to undermine her confidence.

Bold and sassy, Zoe swats the voice away at every turn, declaring her certainty with a charisma that will encourage us all to silence the fears projected onto us by our world. Why can't a girl grow up to be President? Zoe can! When the voice of doubt continues, Zoe knows exactly what to say: "Go away, voice... I can be anything... but first, I have to learn to read. And don't tell me I can't!"

Award-winner Diane Dillon has created a winning character who defies anything to hold her back from achieving her goals. And the key to Zoe's future success begins when Zoe defiantly opens her book, making it clear that both confidence and reading are tools we all need to make our dreams come true.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I'm a little blown away by the awesomeness of this book. It's like career development wrapped up with growth mindset and telling those negative voices in our head to get lost!!! Because we can be anything! I just can't recommend this one enough. This is definitely my favorite "What do you want to be when you grow up?" book out there! A big message is packed into this story. LOVE. 

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Book Review: Horrible Bear!

Author: Ame Dyckman
Illustrator: Zachariah OHora

From the Book Jacket: Bear didn't mean to break the girl's kite. But she's upset anyway. Upset enough to shout: HORRIBLE BEAR? Is Bear really horrible? Even the occasionally Horrible Bear in your family will laugh at this hilarious tale of accidents, outbursts, manners...and learning to say "I'm sorry."

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is a great concrete book on what to do when we hurt someone's feelings. In Horrible Bear! when the little girl gets her feelings hurt she lashes out at bear. Later in a moment of empathy she realizes that hurting someone's feelings back is not the answer - so she apologizes. 



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