Book Review: Being Frank

Author: Donna Earnhardt
Illustrator: Andrea Castellani
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket: "Honesty is the best policy." That's Frank's motto. He tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But Frank's overly frank comments tend to annoy his friends, his teachers, and even his mother - and now Frank is honestly unhappy. 

He decides to visit his confidant and pal, Grandpa Ernest, who has a history of frankness himself. A few outrageous hats, a spicy jar of relish, and some grandfatherly wisdom help Frank realize that the truth is best served with more sugar and less pepper.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: "I really love the book you just read." This was a comment I received from a teacher after reading Being Frank to her second grade class. When I get good teacher feedback, I know I've got a great one on my shelf. This is a social skills WINNER. Being Frank teaches kids the importance of THINKING before they speak. Your words can either build people up or break them down. Frank had a big impact on our students. I used the metaphor from the book about how our words are either like sugar or pepper. They can leave a person with either a sweet or bitter feeling. This book has breathed new life into some of my social skills lessons. It is a MUST.

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Book Review: The Call of the Cowboy

Author: David Bruins
Illustrator: Hilary Leung
Interest Level: Ages 4 and Up

A Note From the Publisher: When the bear wants to spend the afternoon photographing birds, the exuberant cowboy inadvertently makes a nuisance of himself as he loudly chews bubble gum, hops on a pogo stick and slurps a pop. When the ninja just wants to read quietly, the cowboy is wildly distracting as he drums on rocks, bats a paddleball and gabs on his cell phone. The cowboy's boisterous mood prompts the ninja and the bear to drop their respective activities, leaving their pal alone to wonder why no one wants to be with him. Can he find the peace and quiet he needs to figure it out?

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Ever been focused on an activity and there is a constant interruption? Kinda annoying. Walk into a classroom and you will see all kinds of concentration going on. Take a closer look and you might see some kids off task interrupting that focus. This book is for those little darlings - the invaders of learning. I also love how the story starts out describing cowboy as a good friend, kind, caring, and fun. It's important for the interrupters to know we think they are awesome. But they can be more awesome if they show respect to the other learners around them. This is a short sweet story and it will be making the rounds with me this fall as kids get back into their school groove.

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Book Review: The LOUD Book

Author: Deborah Underwood
Illustrated by Renata Liwska 
Interest Level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 
Companion to the The Quiet Book 


From the Book Jacket: BANG! CRACKLE! BOO! Just as there are different kinds of quiet, there are also different kinds of loud: Good louds (HOORAY!). And bad louds (CRASH!). And accidental louds that make you the center of attention (BURP!). The Loud Book presents all of these kid-friendly noises in a way that is sure to make readers CHEER!  

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Don't you love it when you are a fan of an awesome book and then the author decides to do a cool companion to it!? I started to use The Quiet Book this year with my K-1 students to help support that concept in the classroom. A cute adorable read is always a nice way to help introduce the need for shhhhhh sometimes. But we aren't always required to be hush hush in school so I was so excited to see The Loud Book at my local bookstore. Another creative resource to add to my classroom management lessons! It can be pretty darn boring to hear your teacher instruct you on different voice levels - but not when you have two delightful books to help bring the message home.
 
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Book Review: Manners on the School Bus (Way to Be! Manners Series)

Author: Amanda Doering Tourville
Interest Level: PreK - Grade 2

What should you say to the bus driver? Find out how good manners make bus rides pleasant for everyone.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Okay, listen up...the honeymoon is over...I repeat...the honeymoon is over. Those of you who work in education know exactly what I'm talking about. Yep, the dreaded bus referrals are here. So I've decided to get proactive this school year. And of course, I can't do that without a trusty book!

Manners on the School Bus has been making its rounds with me to the K-2 grades. Here's what's really cool - the students LOVED learning and reading about good manners and behavior on the bus! The skills modeled in the book are concrete which I love. It shows behaviors like kids sitting safely in their seats, keeping their hands to themselves, and showing respect to each other. Each page ends with a repetitive phrase about good manners. The kids started saying the phrases with me as we read. It's so much more interesting for students (and myself) to talk about bus rules and safety in a way that doesn't come across like some professional lecture. I also jazz up the skills being taught with fun role plays. So next time a referral comes rolling in....if it's a K-2 student they will be re-reading this story with me. I've already had a student on their way off the bus say, "I am having good manners, Mrs. D." A good social skills book strikes again!


Find the rest of the Way to Be! Manners Series at Capstone Publishing's Website

Book Review: Personal Space Camp With Activity and Idea Book

Author: Julia Cook

Illustrated by Carrie Hartman
Interest Level: Ages 4-8

About This Book: Louis is back! And this time, he's learning all about personal space. Louis, a self-taught space expert is delighted to learn that his teacher has sent him to the principal's office to attend personal space camp. Eager to learn more about lunar landings, space suits, and other cosmic concepts, Louis soon discovers that he has much to learn about personal space right here on earth. Written with style, wit, and rhythm, Personal Space Camp addresses the complex issue of respect for another person's physical boundaries. Told from Louis' perspective, this story is a must-have resource for parents, teachers, and counselors who want to communicate the idea of personal space in a manner that connects with kids.

About The Supplementary Guide: This is the perfect companion to Personal Space Camp. This teacher's guide will further help you teach your students how to recognize and respect the personal space zones of others. Through interactive discussion questions and exercises, you'll be able to teach children the concept of personal space and help them realize the value of respecting other's feelings by giving them the "room" they need.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Julia Cook's books are an absolute hit with our students. I was ecstatic when I found Personal Space Camp. I'd already been using My Mouth Is A Volcano to reinforce school skills like raising your hand and waiting your turn to talk. But what about when kids are in each others space during "carpet time" or pushing and shoving in the cafeteria line? These behaviors can make instruction difficult and cause a lot of teacher angst. I don't know how many times I've had to say, "Please, keep your hands to yourself." Personal Space Camp is a life saver book. Angst will be decreased!

Okay, so in defense of the kids - developmentally it's really difficult to sometimes be in control of yourself. Kids need to move and wiggle around. However, they need extra guidance building awareness of themselves and those around them before the wiggling offends another student. When there are 20 some bodies in a classroom - we have to learn to work and live together. And newsflash - negative reinforcement doesn't build awareness - it just makes kiddos feel bad. I use Personal Space Camp as a social awareness teaching tool because it makes kids feel GOOD about themselves. They love learning about the concept of personal space and how it can affect others positively and negatively. Most importantly, the story is engaging and Louis is a VERY likeable character. We also copy Louis and use the same strategies in the book. The kids love being jammed into a hula hoop and reflection gets those light bulbs flashing about personal space. And here is the best part, author Julia Cook wrote a supplementary activity and idea book!! Activities galore! I got my hands on it this spring and started integrating the lessons in small groups. The main reason the guide rocks is because the activities provide cool visuals for the students. Yep, your lessons on personal space just got even MORE engaging! Educators, get this one on your shelf. When teaching classroom routines, make this part of your curriculum. 


Check out author Julia Cook's website for more great reads.

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Book Review: Mine! Mine! Mine!

Author: Shelly Becker
Illustrated by Hideko Takahashi
Interest Level: Ages 3-6

About This Book: “My name is Gail, and here’s a tale that I would like to share…” Gail may happily share her tale…but never her toys, books, or other possessions. And that’s the problem in this entertaining story, narrated in rhyme by the resistant little girl herself.

Gail’s favorite words are “Mine! Mine! Mine!” and she uses them all the time. Even when she tries to follow her Mom’s good examples of generosity, Gail doesn’t get it quite right. “An ugly hat, a broken bat, a smelly, chewed-up shoe…” are all she’ll hand over during her Cousin Claire’s visit. Will Gail EVER become a “sharing superstar”?

With its adorable art and humorous perspective, this picture book makes its point in the most delightful way.

Why It's On My Book Shelf: I'm guessing 99.9% of kids go through the stage of 'Mine Mine Mine!' Oh yes, just the other day I saw kids burying coveted sand toys in the playground sandbox. Apparently, some were still learning that hoarding the toys is not cool. So it seemed like the appropriate time for a dose of Mine Mine Mine. As I read the story to kindergarteners, a wave of guilt seemed to sweep across the room. Students related to Gail's possessive behavior. At one point, a little girl blurted out, "Oh, she is really rude!" I let the outraged blurting continue throughout the first few pages, "She doesn't have any manners!" "That's really selfish!" As the story progressed the students quieted down and an overwhelming sense of empathy seemed to be developing towards Cousin Claire (Gail's victim). Author Shelly Becker does a marvelous job of making sure the reader sees how refusing to share can cause hurt feelings and you might even lose a play date. Gail's mom steps in to not just save the day but also models the importance of sharing and kindness. Liking that a lot! This is definitely my favorite book about sharing.

Book Review: Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners

Author: Laurie Keller
Interest Level: Ages 6-9

About The Book: Mr. Rabbit is worried that he might not get along with his new neighbors. A wise owl gives him the advice, "Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you" and proceeds to explain what this means. Thus follows a listing of traits and qualities such as friendliness, politeness, honesty, consideration, cooperation, and sharing. Each one contains humorous examples of Mr. Rabbit and the Otters following those rules. Also included are samples of how to say certain phrases such as "Excuse me" and "Please" in Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Pig Latin. Each page bursts with colorful illustrations and is scattered with words of different sizes and fonts.

 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I was so excited when I found this!!! I love bibliotherapy that uses humor. I've read the very beautiful children's book The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper many times to students. So it was neat to discover such a humorous complimentary companion to teach this beautiful universal rule of life. I get many giggles and smiles when I read Do Unto Otters. I love the author's cute website. Oh, and I even discovered you can buy a little video of the book. Here is the adorable trailer. This is an enjoyable read for your shelf.


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