Looking Like Me

Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers and illustrated by Christopher Myers is a great book which will promote self esteem and build respect for others. In this book, which is more poetry than prose, we learn about a young black boy, who is looking for his identity. The boy in this story finds that he is a son, a brother, a talker, a dancer, a city kid and more. Children will quickly catch on to the rhythm of the words which will help to grab their attention and keep them interested.

This book is especially appealing because it has something for 3 year olds and up. Younger children will learn about relationships and that they can have more than one identity, while older ones will begin to see than what is apparent at first impression. The story encourages children to find out more about themselves and others. Help each child create journal about themselves. Children can add to these as their identities and relationships change. You just may start a life long habit of appreciating themselves.

Sharing

Should you make another child share? As I write that sentence, I realize what a silly phase it is to say, "make a child share." You can seldom make a child share. You can take a toy from him or her which teaches that it is OK to take things from others or you can prod, coax, and distract them until they give in to the request. Neither of which promotes the concept we want to teach. So take a moment and define what sharing means to you. Should children be made to share? Would you like it, if you had just started to build an elaborate building and someone told you to share? Do you share your favorite pen?

As a child, I remember hiding some of my prized possessions when certain children would come to visit. Why? I knew they tended to break toys and if I wanted to have my things for another day, I couldn't let these individuals, see them. Was my mother wrong to allow this? I don't think so.

While I don't have the answer to the sharing question, Bernice and the Franklin County Library System has provided us with a great book to encourage sharing. Mine, All Mine! by Claire Hawcock and Chiara Pasqualotto is the story a little squirrel who doesn't want to share his snowflake. Children will love the raised snowflakes in the book. Anyone who has trouble sharing will relate to Little squirrel's dilemma of keeping the snowflake to himself or playing with others. Use this story to get children talking about sharing. Sometimes we spend so much time creating rules, settling problems, we forget to see what thoughts the children have on the topic.