Book Review: I Am Love - A Book of Compassion

Author: Susan Verde
Illustrator: Peter H Reynolds

From the Book Jacket: I put my hands on my heart and listen. And that is where I find the answer: I have compassion. I act with tenderness. I am love. Love means showing kindness, living with gratitude, and taking care of our minds and bodies. Letting our hearts lead the way can help move us closer to a better world. 

Grounded in mindfulness and wellness, I Am Love asks readers to look inward when they feel afraid, angry, hurt, or sad. When a storm is brewing inside us and the skies grow dark, the transformative power of love lets the light back in. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I love this book! We talk a lot about kindness so it was nice to have a dialogue about compassion. I think if we want to have a culture of people really caring about each other in schools we need deeper conversations. This is a really comforting book on how to be there for someone and really feel their feelings. Seems like an awesome community builder. 

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Book Review: Breathing Makes it Better

Author: Christopher Willard
Illustrator: Wendy O'Leary

From the Book Jacket: We all have hard days sometimes - filled with icky feelings like anger, fear, loneliness, or a bad case of the blues. Breathe along with this interactive story to discover the one easy thing you're already doing that has the power to turn those days around. Peace is closer than you think!

Why It's On My Bookshelf: If you are trying to teach your kids when to "stop and take a breath" this is a great resource. It is a line that is repeated over and over in the book. It also teaches kids WHEN they should take a breath. I've been using this in a small group setting and it has been so helpful to help kids to take pause and breathe when emotions feel like they are too much to handle. Highly recommend!

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Book Review: Ruby Finds a Worry

Author/Illustrator: Tom Percival

From the Book Jacket: Meet Ruby - A happy, curious, imaginative girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not a very big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger...And a little bigger...Until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and is all she can think about. 

But when Ruby befriends a young boy, she discovers that everyone has Worries, and not only that, there's a great way to get rid of them too...This perceptive, poignant story is the perfect springboard for talking to children about sharing their hidden concerns. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Such a great resource to help kids confront their worries. I really like how they describe a worry and how it is hard to carry on as if everything is normal. Ruby's worry is always there and it begins to stop her from doing the things she loved. It becomes even bigger when she worries about her worry. It makes her incredibly unhappy. She notices another little boy who appears to be suffering from the same thing and it comforts her knowing she is not alone in this feeling. The little boy tells her about his worry and it begins to shrink. Ruby also talks about her worry and begins to feel like her happy self again. So happy to have this one!

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