Book Review: Crafty Chloe

Author: Kelly DiPucchio
Illustrator: Heather Ross
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up
Book Website: Crafty Chloe

From the Book Jacket: Chloe has a crafty solution to every problem. But when she needs the perfect birthday present for her best friend, Emma, she starts to feel a little insecure. How can a handmade gift ever make the cut? Even if it is very purple?

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Chloe is everything we want our kids to be. I'm so incredibly happy I discovered this book so I can share her example of kindness, the reminder to be yourself, and be proud of your strengths.

Chloe is put down by a girl, London, for making something homemade for Emma's birthday gift. London has bought a Flower Girl doll from the store which is something Emma really wanted. On the way to the birthday party London accidentally drops the doll and her dog tears up it's clothes. That's when Chloe's kindness shines. Her gift was a dress she had sewn for the doll. You might think she would let London learn her lesson for being so mean but she doesn't.

More than all the googly eyes in the world, Chloe wanted to say, Well, good luck with that! But instead she lifted the lid on her box and she pulled out a perfectly purple dress. "She can wear this."

It's very hard in life to sometimes show respect and kindness to someone who has been disrespectful and hurtful towards your feelings. Chloe is an awesome example of GOODNESS. I absolutely loved this story and it's been a MEGA HIT with kids. We are ordering it for our school library and of course I'm going to have to get a copy for my daughter. THIS BOOK IS A MUST MUST READ.

Kelly DiPucchio is also the author of one of my favorite books The Sandwich Swap.

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Book Review: Too Tall Houses

Author/Illustrator: Gianna Marino
Interest Level: Ages 3 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Owl and Rabbit are good friends and neighbors and live happily in two small houses next to each other...UNTIL Rabbit's garden grows a little too tall and blocks Owl's view. Now Owl isn't so happy. Maybe building a bigger house will solve the problem. But now Rabbit isn't happy. Maybe building his house taller will be the solution. And before long, there are two very tall houses and two very unhappy neighbors. What will it take to make them friends again?

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This book could not have come at a better time. I am doing some reteaching with grades K-2 on solving problems. Owl and Rabbit are a great example of what happens when you argue and fight. They are also very stubborn and won't give in because each wants their way and wants to be right. They try and one up each other by building their houses taller and taller....which was a great metaphor for how big they are making the problem.

It has a very cute ending showing a fixed friendship and a solution at work. The morale of the story is it's a huge waste of time to involve yourself in negative behavior when faced with a problem - it only makes things worse and results in the loss of a friend. This generation needs LOTS of conflict resolution encouragement. Great book.

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Book Review: Rabbityness

Author/Illustrator: Jo Empson
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket: This is a story of a very special rabbit. He enjoys doing rabbity things, but he also loves - well, un-rabbity things. His boundless creative talent is a source of joy and inspiration to the other rabbits. 

When Rabbit suddenly disappears, no one knows where he has gone. His friends are desolate. But, as it turns out, Rabbit has left behind some very special gifts for them, to help them discover their own unrabbity talents. Rabbityness positively introduces children to dealing with a loss of any kind. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Sometimes I get requests from parents or teachers for books dealing with very specific grief situations. If I can't find the perfect fit from my bookshelf I definitely feel frustrated. Rabbityness is a really special story I can use to cover a lot of different grief or tragedy situations. Rabbit disappears in the story - but no one knows why or what happened to him. I like that there's no answer as to what happened because I can help the child relate their own story to Rabbit.

"One day. Rabbit disappeared. The other rabbits were very sad. They couldn't find him anywhere. The woods were quiet and gray. All that Rabbit had left was a hole...a DEEP dark hole."

Wow. The deep dark hole can represent a lot of different feelings for children. The second part of the story shows the other rabbits learning how to cope with their loss. What I see as a healing step for kids is to talk about how to fill the void they might be feeling. What coping skills could they use to fill that deep dark hole.......

Absolutely love this one and see it HELPING me as a counselor and the grieving children I work with throughout the year.

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I Have a Dream

I Have a Dream

written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

paintings by Kadir Nelson

From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King: “My father’s dream continues to live on from generation to generation, and this beautiful and powerful illustrated edition of his world-changing "I Have a Dream" speech brings his inspiring message of freedom, equality, and peace to the youngest among us—those who will one day carry his dream forward for everyone.”

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I felt like a made a difference this week because of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. My classroom lessons were focused on his "I Have a Dream" speech. This new book is so richly illustrated and I felt like I was carrying a work of art as I walked to each classroom. Although I did not read the speech, we used the illustrations from the book to discuss the legacy Dr. King wanted for us all. We listened to the speech via YouTube as we did artwork later in the lesson. Kadir Nelson is an amazing artist. I had a lot of teachers ask if they could borrow this book after we looked through it during my lesson. It's a must for our school library.

 Some of My Favorites by illustrator Kadir Nelson:  

Book Review: Big Mean Mike

Author: Michelle Knudsen
Illustrator: Scott Magoon
Interest Level: 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: Big Mean Mike is the biggest, toughest dog in the whole neighborhood. He's even got a big, mean car that he drives around the big, mean streets. Everyone knows how big and tough he is - which is just the way Mike likes it. 

Then one day a tiny, fuzzy bunny shows up in his car. Mike puts it on the sidewalk and drives away before anyone can see. But the bunny keeps coming back - with friends! - no matter how many times Mike tells them to scram. Big, mean dogs do not hang around with tiny, fuzzy bunnies! But gosh, those bunnies sure are cute...

This is a laugh-out-loud funny story about not worrying what other people think - even if you are big and tough and your friends are tiny and adorable. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Hilarious! We giggled our way through this one. Because I read so many books that address social and emotional issues - it's nice to lighten up the mood with something funny and not so serious - but still has a message in it.

Mike wants to keep up an image - a tough one. But he has difficulty keeping up being a tough guy because he's actually nice and sweet. It takes some cute little bunnies to help him see his warm fuzzy side. He also gets teased for hanging around the bunnies but he doesn't let it bruise his ego one bit. He stands up to the mean behavior and defends the bunnies. There are a lot of take aways in this story. I tried to gear the message towards those kids who put up a tough front. Sometimes it's really difficult for them to open up. Big Mean Mike shows kids the benefits you reap when you let people into your life - the right people.

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Book Review: Flood

Author/Illustrator: Alvaro F Villa
Interest Level: All Ages

For a Google Preview of this book please go HERE

About the Book: When a flood threatens to destroy a family’s home, they must leave. What will they return to once the waters recede? This intense, beautiful wordless picture book looks at a flood’s effect on a family  and carries a simple message of hope and recovery.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I've never seen a book like this. It's exceptional. The children who have recently experienced Hurricane Sandy came immediately to my mind. The pictures unfold so beautifully telling a story of a family who is trying to save their house from a flood. Their home is destroyed but it's the rebuilding that will help children understand  when an awful tragedy happens - life can go on and you can be happy again.

What makes Flood so powerful is it is wordless. This is a really smart and non-threatening approach to help children open up about their feelings and fears after a traumatic event. Most importantly it delivers the message that starting over is possible and can be positive. If you are working with children who have been impacted by hurricanes, floods, or any type of house tragedy (fire) please get this book. It's a very therapeutic and healing resource. 

Note: I also plan on using this book to teach empathy.

Find This Book At:
Amazon
Capstone Publishing

Book Review: Thank You, World

Thank You, World
Author: Alice B. McGinty
Illustrator: Wendy Anderson Halperin
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

From the Book Jacket: The joys of childhood are the same the whole world over. In this compelling book of celebratory rhyme and glowing pictures, eight very different kids, from eight different countries, all go about their day and experience the same moments of happiness: greeting the sun in the morning, swinging, on a swing, flying a kite, being tucked in by Mommy at bedtime. Uplifting and visually rich, this book reminds us that the world isn't as large as it seems, and that life's greatest pleasure are the simple ones.

A Library Find.......
Was at the library yesterday with my daughter and as we were leaving I spotted this beautiful book called Thank You, World......of course I had to stop and take a peek. I about teared up as I read! This is just the kind of book I'd like to start reading before bed with my girl. It's about being thankful and at the end of our day - that's what really counts. Falling asleep with gratitude in your heart - yep!
 
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