Book Review: My Mother's House, My Father's House

Author: C.B. Christiansen

illustrated by Irene Trivas

Interest Level: K-3

About The Book: A little girl tells how she lives with her mother during the week and her father on the weekends. . . . The girl feels comfortable and at home in both places, but has definite ideas about how she will live when she grows up.

Why It's On The Bookshelf: This is a common situation for many children who go back and forth between parents. Or as one student said to me, "They share me." In my school, this book is very popular with children of divorce. They relate to the little girl in the story and are able to share what their 'back and forth' looks like and feels like. If it gets kids to open up about their lives, I feel like it's a winner. My Mother's House, My Father's House offers validation and hope. I say hope because of the last page in this book. The little girl has a vision of growing up and having her own home one day and not having to go back and forth anymore. It's an older book.....but a good one. I'm not always impressed with divorce bibliotherapy, but this one will never leave my shelf.


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Book Review: Not My Fault

Author: Leif Kristiansson
IIlustrated by Dick Stenberg
Interest Level: Grades 2-6


From the Book Jacket: The collective memories of childhood will always include the scene of a classmate being bullied and victimized. In such a situation, do we choose to stand up and protect him or her? Do we watch silently from the sidelines? Or do we join the ranks of the bullies? This book is written from the perspective of schoolyard interactions, intended to stimulate thought on the matter of "responsibility." the simply worded narration ends with a question, leaving the reader room for reflection.


Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is a powerful, impactful, little book. It has really empowered kids to report bullying, especially physical bullying.  One of the things I notice when I read Not My Fault is how silent the students become. Each page shows the same child, who is being picked on, with an audience of kids standing by doing nothing. My students were very bothered that a child is being targeted. I feel unity in the room when we finish reading this one. A lot of discussion and feelings come up followed by solutions on how to stop cruel behavior. Don't pass up on this book, your kids will thank you for educating them on how to break the silence. 

PS. Don't freak out about the last few pages with the realistic pictures of what can happen when bullying reaches a larger scale. I don't show those pages to the kids. If you are a parent, go for it. In a classroom setting it's a little trickier.


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Book Review: Winners Never Quit

Author: Mia Hamm
Illustrated by Carol Thompson

Interest Level: K-3


About This Book: Mia's favorite sport is soccer but she hates losing. In fact, she dislikes it so much that she quits in the middle of a game. Upset about her attitude, her siblings do not let her participate the next day. Mia learns quickly that there will be times when she will score a goal and those when she will not, but playing the game is the most fun of all. Can Mia learn that being a team player is more important than whether you win or lose? The text represents the mixed feelings of all athletes learning the game. Parents or coaches wanting a story about the joy of playing soccer without emphasizing winning or losing will find an appropriate read-aloud here. Review from School Library Journal

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I'm amazed at the number of kids who don't even know what the word 'sportsmanship' means. Just another reason to add this one to your shelf. Whatever happened to - 'It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.' Sportsmanship can be a HUGE troublesome issue at my school. I have often seen competitiveness get the best of students.....yelling at each other, stomping away from a game, just generally becoming super disrespectful and caring more about winning than one another's feelings. We've taken this issue on at our school by posting the rules, modeling respect, and even drafting a Sports Constitution that all classes sign. Is this an issue at your school? Is your child struggling with sportsmanship? Winners Never Quit is a great example of poor vs. good sportsmanship. Children are highly engaged as I am reading and it opens up the conversation of how they can alter their behavior.  

PS. Way to go Mia Hamm! Thank you for using your celebratory in the right way. There are also pictures of Mia as a little girl playing soccer in the back of the book. Way cool.


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Book Review: Is A Worry Worrying You?

Author: Ferida Wolff

Illustrated by Marie le Tourneau

Interest Level: K-5

About The Book: This book addresses children's worries with humor and imagination, as hilarious scenarios teach kids the use of perspective and the art of creative problem-solving. Addresses common childhood worries—a bully, a first day at school, and a monster residing under the bed—with the not-so-common worries—an eagle making a nest in your hair, a rhino walking down the street, and a herd of elephants waiting for their tea.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I love using books that take a funny angle when dealing with a universal issues. The author does a great job of balancing humor while defining 'worry' for children. Is A Worry Worrying You gets kids to open up. More than ever before, children are WAY overstressed.  As I read the story, I will hear from my audience: 

I'm worried my parents are getting divorced.
I'm worried my brother is going to beat me up.
I'm worried about my new stepsister.

The book offers strategies but it also hints at not letting your worries through the door in the first place. Love that. 

Book Review: When They Fight

Author: Kathryn White
Illustrated by Cliff Wright 
Interest Level: K-3

About This Book: In a stressful family situation, children can find it difficult to express their feelings. This book provides a wonderful opportunity for children and parents to talk about their feelings together....It confirms for children many of the feelings they experience during parental fights - the fear, isolation and sadness - and yet ends with an uplifting resolution. Not only families but also mental health professionals can use this impressive book as a jumping-off point for healing discussion. Dr. Barbara Kezur, Ph.D, Psychology

When they fight,

the world shakes.

The house quakes.

When they are friends,

the sun comes out.

I float on the clouds.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I purchased this book for a 8 year old boy who was going through an extremely rough time when his parents split up. There was a lot of fighting going on in front of him.  Kids often don't have the words to articulate the pain they are feeling when they witness a fight (argument, verbal abuse) between parents. When parents bad-mouth each other it goes straight to the core of the child and destroys their self-esteem. Who knew that a story about a badger could be so healing for kids.......get this one on your shelf.


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Book Review: Simon's Hook: A Story About Teases and Put-downs

Author: Karen Gedig Burnett
Illustrated by Laurie Barrows
Interest Level: Grades 2-5


About This Book: Simon is having a bad day; a bad hair day. First his sister gives him a strange hair cut, then his friends tease him. Simon doesn't know what to do. Lucky for him he runs into Grandma Rose. After listening to his sorrowful story she helps him learn an important life lesson; how to handle teases and put-downs. By comparing teases to fishing hooks she tells him a tale of how fish learned not to bite. With fanciful characters such as Harmony Hippy Fish, Freddie Fang, Max the Mouse Fish and more, Simon learns that he, too, can swim free from the teasing hooks that people toss his way.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Hands down one of the best books to teach REAL strategies on how to stick up for yourself without putting the other person down. Kids Love Love Love Simon's Hook. Even better, the author (who just happened to be an elementary school counselor for over 20 years) has a really neat website where you can see all of the books she has published. I have visited the Simon's Hook page and purchased the poster to use as a teaching tool with my lessons. This resource is full of strategies for kids. I've also purchased Katie's Rose and If The World Were Blind from her website.

Book Review: Mom and Dad Glue

Author: Kes Gray
Illustrated by Lee Wildish
Interest Level: K-3


About the Book: Divorce is an unhappy fact that affects many children's lives, and the story told in this picture book was written for just such little boys and girls. Its message can help soothe their feelings and make them aware that their parents' separation is in no way their fault. A little boy tells his story in simple verse as he discovers that . . .

"My mom and dad are broken,
I don't know what to do.
My mom and dad have come undone,
I need to find some glue."

He goes into a store that sells many different kinds of glue, but of course, there is no glue that will repair a broken marriage. With some gentle words from the store's proprietress, he learns that he can pull his life together and smile again. Parents who are divorcing will value this book as a story they can read to their child and help him understand that although their marriage has not worked out, they still love him as they always have and always will.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: The first time I read this book, I got really emotional. Not many bibliotherapy books do that to me. This is a good one. When I grew up, no one ever talked about divorce. Kids just kept all of their feelings bottled up. Mom and Dad Glue opens the door to healing and helping kids realize it's not their fault and also not their job to fix the parents.  This is one of the best children's books about divorce I have ever read. Visit the Kids In The Middle website, it's a helpful resource for parents and children who are struggling with divorce.