Monday, October 5, 2009
Fall 2009 Mental Health Books 7:00 Class
Choose your favorite children's book from the Mental Health category. Write the title of the book, the author and a brief description of the book. Add to your description why you like the book. After everyone in class adds their favorite book, we'll have a wonderful book list!
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This is a test.
"Goldie is Mad" by Margie Palatini – This is the story of young Goldie and her doll Veronica and little brother Nicholas. Nicholas has Veronica in her mouth and it makes Goldie mad. In fact Goldie is so mad she thinks she hates Nicholas. She hates baby spit and especially on Veronica. She decides she would like Nicholas to disappear. But after spending some time thinking about Nicholas being gone she decides there are some things she likes about Nicholas. She likes how funny he is and how nice he smells after a bath. At the end of the book Goldie thinks she is sorry and that she likes Nicholas.
I like this book because it shows children how feelings can change and how fluid they are. Just because your angry at someone now doesn't mean you will always be. It's also a reminder to think about all the good things about a person even if they've done something your not happy about.
Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell.This book is about a little girl named, Molly Lou Melon. Her grandmother has taught her to be proud of herself and how she looks. When Molly's family moves she has to attend a new school. At the new school A bully named Ronald Durkin begins to tease Molly Lou. She responds by doing all the things that her grandmother taught her. This wins over the bully. All she did was be herself. I really liked this book becaise Molly Lou Melon had someone, her grandmother, to teach her that she is beautiful just the way that she is. and when someone tested that she recalled on what she was taight. This is so important because so many kids get picked on because of their appearance.
"The Grouchy Ladybug" by Eric Carle
This book starts off with a hungry, grouchy ladybug who flies to a leaf to eat some aphids, when she meets a friendly ladybug on the same leaf. The grouchy ladybug tries to pick a fight with the other ladybug but decides not to because she’s not big enough. She goes on to ask many different animals if they would like to fight but decides all of them are not big enough. She finally gets slapped back to the same leaf by a whale’s tail and the friendly ladybug is still there. This time the once grouchy ladybug decides that sharing the aphids would work for her after all. This book showcases different times of the day and clocks are drawn at the top of each page so kids can have a visual reminder of what each time looks like on an analog clock.
I really liked this book because it can be used in a math lesson for telling time or in a reading lesson. I really liked the determination of the main character and how, by the end of the book, she was ready to compromise and not be so grouchy anymore. I think students would be able to relate to having a bad day like this ladybug does.
"The empty pot" by Demi- In this story the emperor of China gave a flower seed to each child in the kingdom. He told them that the child who produced the best flower in a year could be next to take the throne. Ping planted his seed and tended to it every day. Month after month passed and nothing was growing . Ping must go to the emperor with nothing but an empty pot. In this story Ping’s embarrassing failure is turned triumphant. The emperor admired Ping’s great courage to appear before him with the empty truth and rewarded his honesty with the entire kingdom and made him emperor of all the land. I really enjoyed this story because it is not everyday that a child gets rewarded for doing the right thing; too many times we point out what children do wrong and then follow up with some kind of consequence. I look forward to reading this in my classroom someday in order to encourage children to do the right thing all the time!
"Officer Buckle and Gloria" by Peggy Rathman- This book was my favorite because it was about an Officer who was going into the classrooms and trying to teach students about safety. He gave the students many tips, but was noticing that they were not paying attention to the way the information was being presented. So the next time that the Officer came to the school he brought Gloria, the new police dog. Gloria got the students so interested that they wrote the Officer letters saying that he and Gloria made a great time and that one little girl always wore her safety helmet.
This book is helpful to students as well as parents and teachers in saying that if the students or children are not understanding the material to switch things up until they do.
"A Teaspoon of Courage for Kids" by Bradley Trevor Greive
This book has brief short descriptions of different types of predicaments and difficultes that almost all people face at one time or another. The captivating pictures of animals coordinate exceptionally well with the statements at the bottom of each page. In addition, there are small cartoon like images on the corner of each page reiterating the general message portrayed. The combination is likely to be a success with various ages of children and almost anyone. Stressful everyday situations are brought to light like visiting a dentist, getting a new sibling, dealing with bullies, and being a little different. In the final pages, the author brings in his inspirational message for us all that everyone has courage and if you face your fears, you will probably realize you can overcome almost anything.
I really liked this book because the pictures of animals in various predicaments were very entertaining. Also I think most children will really be able to relate to the cartoon type images like a cat eating out of a tin can which says "courage." The message is not preachy and very relevant in this day and age where there is so much pressure for all students to fit in and not be different.
Pam Wootton
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch - Grace is a vibrant little girl who is full of ideas. More than anything, she loves to pretend and act out stories. Grace is more than excited to hear that her class is putting on a play. Grace decides she wants to try out to be Peter Pan. For one reason or another, her classmates tell her there’s no way she can do it. With a little encouragement from her grandmother and a lot of practice, Grace manages to prove her doubtful classmates wrong.
I love this book because I feel as though it empowers little girls. It sends a positive message to kids, especially little girls, that anything is possible. I have seen this book used in a classroom and after I read it out loud, little girls would sit and look at it over and over again.
Stand tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell- This book is about
Molly Lou Melon who is tiny, buck-toothed, and with voice like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor, but she does not mind. Her grandmother has utmost confidence in her and tells her at every turn to believe in herself. But Molly Lou self-assurance is out to the test when she moves to a new town away from her friend and beloved grandmother. During her first week of school she it taunted and is called names.
I choose this book because it can teach child to be self confidence and to not listen to hurtful things that other children say.
"Hands Are Not For Hitting" by Martine Agassi was one of my favorites from the list. This book not only talks about the negative ways to use your hands (hitting, fighting, etc.), it reinforces positive ways (such as waving, learning and playing). It also gives ways for kids to control their anger by means of other hands-on activities other than fighting.
Lauren Tegarden
"Alexander and The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day;" by: R. Cruze; This book tells about how bad Alexander’s day was from the beginning, when he woke up with gum in his hair. He finds that nothing that day ever goes right until the end when he realizes the day was not all too bad at all. I love reading this book to students they always love to listen to what is going to happen next and at the end we talk about their “worst day ever.”
I really like this book because the kids can really relate to what is happening in the story and they love to tell about their worst day ever. It also, shows kids that everyone can have a bad but you can teach that it can have a turning point at anytime.
"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very bad Day." by R. Cruz. This book starts out and the main character Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair. It is all downhill from there. This book shares how awful his day is and all the things that go wrong with it. His day just keeps getting worse and worse. I really like this book because it shows that everyone can have a bad day. No one has perfect days. This is a great book to have an activity with for the kids. I believe that they would get into explaining their worst day ever. It would be a great discussion.
We'll Paint the Octopus Red by: Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen. This is a charming story about a girl who is an only child, that has a new baby sibling on the way. At first she is not happy about having to share her time with her parents with someone else. Her father however, helps her see that there will be all kinds of activities and fun things that she will be able to do with her new sibling and she grows excited. When the new baby comes the family learns that the child has Down Syndrome and the little girl is sad because she thinks she won't be able to do any of the fun things with her new brother that she and her dad came up with. Well, with a discussion from dad the little girl sees that her new brother will be able to do all of the things she wants to do with him, he might just need some help to do them. This book is great and shows that even though some people may have a disability or may be different it is ok and they can do the same things we can do. Also the last couple of pages have facts, and a q&a page about down syndrome. I thought this book was great!
"The Day Leo Said I Hate You" by Robie H. Harris. This is the story about a young boy named Leo who does things that his mother does not like, so she tells him "No" but Leo hates no. Eventually after Leo's mother says NO enough he is fed up. Leo storms to his room where she won't be allowed to say no to him. But when he goes into his room he begins drawing an angry picture of his mother on the wall. Leo's mother tells him NO which just infuriates Leo to no end. He says "I hate no! and I HATE YOU! and at that, he feels so guilty and apologizes to his mother. He then draws a nice picture of his mother, this time on paper and they hug at the end.
I like this story because it is very real and could very easily happen to kids. Kids soon learn that saying "I hate you" is something that is very hurtful and that it is something that we should not say. This book touches on hurting somebodys feelings and why we should not say mean and hurtful things.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day By: Judith Viorst
From the moment Alexander wakes up in the morning, nothing seems to go his way. In a sequence of unfortunate circumstances, Alexander suffers from getting gum into his hair, getting in trouble at school, and having a cavity found in his tooth at the dentist. Alexander is convinced that he should move to Australia, where he feels is a place where bad things do not happen. Alexander’s bad luck continues until he gets into bed that night and finds that even the family cat won’t sleep with him. The book concludes with Alexander’s mother telling him that even people in Australia have bad days.
I always liked this book as a child because I sometimes felt like I was Alexander and was having the worst day possible! Even at 21, I can still relate--one day last week I told my roommate that I was having a "terrible, horrible, no good very bad day." :-) This book shows adults and children that though we sometimes feel alone in our trials and "bad days" that other people are also going through the same things (and possibly worse). It is a wonderful, humorous book with a good message, and I hope to read it to my own children and in my classroom as a teacher.
"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"
This is my favorite book out of the mental health books because I feel everyone can relate. Whether you are in first grade or a senior in college, everybody has those days where they just think that things couldn't get any worse. I think this book really helps to show kids that bad days do happen and they aren't aren't as bad as they think!
I remember reading this book when I was little and thinking it was just the most hillarious thing ever!
Buron, K. When My Worries Get Too Big! A Relaxation Book for Children Who Live with Anxiety.
This book is based on “cognitive behavioral management, which is an approach to behavior management that focuses on teaching children to recognize their own feelings of anxiety and then teaching them strategies to help them control those feelings.” It presents 5 levels; a 1 you are feeling good, like what you are doing and know what is going to happen, and a 5 your worries are getting way too big and it might make you scream or even hit someone.
Teachers and parents can use this to help identify behaviors at the 5 different levels and what the child can do at the higher levels to help themselves get back down to a 1 or 2. For example, taking breaths, sitting down, rubbing your legs and closing your eyes. It lets children know that worries are normal, and every child has something that worries them, but every child has something that also makes them feel good.
This book can also be personalized. The child can fill in certain pages answering how they feel at each level, what is something that makes them very worried, what is something that makes them very happy that they can think about if they get too worried, etc.
I really like that the book introduces anxiety to children in a very easy to understand way. It also allows children to better understand why they feel worried in certain situations and understand why some of their friends may be having a hard time dealing with their anxiety. With the option to fill in questions you are really able to personlize this book for a child with anxiety and it then become a source for them to reference back to.
"A Terrible Thing Happened" by Margaret M. Holmes
In this book Sherman witnessed a terrible thing. But he tries to just avoid it and forget about it and this makes him start to feel bad and have bad dreams. Sherman eventually meets someone who helps in him talk about what happened to help him get the feelings out.
I like this book because a lot of our young children today are starting to see worse and worse things in their lives but they aren't really prepared on how to deal with them so this book really helps to teach our children how to talk out their feelings to make them feel better.
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Michael Rosen’s Sad Book
Author: Michael Rosen
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Description:
This book is about a man named Michael Rosen. Rosen does an incredible job of describing sadness. He talks about reasons he is sad, like the death of his son and his mother, life changing, and sometimes nothing at all. He describes reactions he has when he’s sad, such as yelling in the shower, banging a spoon on the counter, and sometimes not reacting well to his sadness at all. He also delves into the times he wants to talk about his sadness and the times he just wants to be alone. Most importantly, he explains things that he does that will sometimes make him feel better and get through the sadness. For example, he writes, he does something that he enjoys, or he does something that will make him proud of himself.
I really like this book because it is so honest about sadness. It explains sadness in a real way to children that allows children to be open to the topic. I think it is important to let children know that sometimes things happen that make us sad. It also goes beyond just explaining that sadness is real. I like it because it gives children options of coping with their sadness. I highly recommend this book!
"The Empty Pot" by Demi
This story is illustrated wonderfully in circles that seem to be like “ancient Chinese” drawings. Ping is the main character who loves flowers and shares a love for flowers with the Emperor. The Emperor decided to find his successor by giving all the children flower seeds and then choose his successor by whose flower was the most beautiful. Ping’s seeds did not bloom but he took it to the Emperor anyway. The Emperor chose Ping because it was revealed none of the seeds should have grown because they were cooked and Ping was the only one to show honesty.
I feel that this story shows an example of how honesty, even though difficult is the right thing to do! Many times our children are faced with situations where it seems "easier" to lie. However, in the end, the truth is what should be shared and encouraged.
"When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry..." by Molly Bang - This book is about a little girl named Sophie, who gets mad when it is time to take turns sharing the gorilla with her sister. It tells how and what Sophie does when she gets angry. In the end Sophie climbs her favorite tree and calms down to finally head back home. This book is to show that different people handle anger in different ways.
I like this book because it descibes and gives good advice on what to do when you get angry. Also everyone gets angry and this book shows that you don't have to do drastic things to release your anger and that if you just take a minute to calm down and walk away you will feel better and won't regret anything.
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