I'm Not.

Did you ever admire the traits of a friend while, dismissing your own good qualities? "I'm Not." by Pam Smallcomb is the perfect reminder that we all have something to contribute to a relationship. I'm sure you can think of one friend who is almost perfect. You know the ones who always are doing the things we wish we could do or whose hair is always in place. The character in this story has just such a friend. Evelyn is so good at so many things. She is not ordinary, she is a little mysterious, and she is a snappy dresser. The one thing Evelyn needs is a best friend. Our character in the story soon realizes there are many things she can do that Evelyn cannot and most importantly she knows she can be Evelyn's best friend.

"I'm Not." is full of many endearing and humorous illustrations, but the thing I like best is that some of the characteristics that are envied may not always be positive. Evelyn gets in trouble at school by making a statue of the principal from bubble gum. Her friend ignores the negative and notes that Evelyn is a good artist. Friends do that sometimes, focusing on the positive in a friend rather than criticizing. I think this opens the way for some thoughtful discussions.

Both my 3 year old and 7 year old grandson enjoyed this story. I'm sure the youngest did not get all of the meaning, but he laughed at the pictures and asked for it to be read again. When I changed Evelyn's name to the name of his brother, he almost immediately asked if the other character was Noble, his brother's best friend. This told me that he understood the relationship of the characters. Because there is so much to see in the pictures, it is best shared one on one or in small groups.

A valuable follow up activity would be to pair children with others and have make their own book. It would be a great way for a new group of 1st graders to get to know each other. Take some time each day to make a page with a new friend. They would all learn positive things about classmates and themselves. For younger children you might want to concentrate on each child's positive attributes. You could also do it in relationship with a parent. "Mommy is a great reader. I'm not." You could talk about how things change and that they too will be a great reader one day. They may even discover some things they are great at, which grown-ups aren't. That is always fun for kids!

No One But You

Two new books, No One But You by Douglas Wood and illustrated by P.J. Lynch and What's Special About Me, Mama? by Kristina Evans and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe are beautiful books which help children understand their own uniqueness.

Just as the child in What's Special About Me, Mama? I remember wondering what people meant when they said someone was special. The mother in the story first replies to the child's question, that it is the child's eyes, but the child notes his eyes are just like her eyes. The story goes on this way until the mother tells the child that he is loved more than anybody in the whole wild world by her.

No One But You starts by encouraging children to experience life for themselves, stating that some of the best things cannot be taught, but must discovered. It is almost impossible to convey how the ocean feels and sounds without the experience of walking along the shore. As you continue to read, you begin see that the the book also celebrates and identifies each person's "specialness" in the distinctiveness of our experiences. Just as no one else is reading this blog, at this exact moment, in the same place with the same past experiences, no child experiences events in quite the same way. I will never forget the experience of standing beside the huge redwood trees in California and the sense of awe which overcame me. While many others may have experienced a similar feeling, our experiences are slightly different, because of who we are and where we have been. This is a main message that comes through in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

I truly think this is the best children's book I have ever read, that helps children understand what makes each person so unique and special. While many of the pictures are of younger children, this book is appropriate for children from older 3s through 12.

After reading this book, children might want to draw or talk about some of their memories. It would be a good introduction for encouraging self reflection or starting a diary. Children may want to focus, as the book does, on the discoveries made in nature, but they could also decide to write about the people they meet each day and reflect on those influences.

Younger children can make discovery journals simply by drawing a picture of something they discovered that day. This would be a great start to help them build a habit of appreciating the small everyday, wonders in the world. In our fast paced, technology world, even small children need reminders to stop and smell the roses.

Wearing Glasses

I still remember getting my first pair of glasses. Finding out your eyes don't work quite as well as others is sometimes the first time you realize you are just a little different. As a teacher, children often ask me why I wear glasses. When I explain that my eyes don't work as well as they could, the children automatically assume that I can't see at all without my glasses.

Floyd Stokes has written the book, My Glasses, to help children understand more about glasses. The simple text makes it an easy read aloud for younger children, but there are some facts scattered throughout that will help hold the attention of children through first grade.

Reading My Glasses will help children feel good about wearing glasses. Hopefully it will help others understand and accept differences in their friends, as they learn more about glasses. After a discussion of how a person with glasses is still the same as before getting glasses, children could each design and model a pair of paper or chenille stem glasses. Applause and appreciation for the "new looks" could be expressed, giving everyone get a self esteem boost. An alternative suggestion is to make a college of faces of people wearing glasses.

It is Just a Picture Book

I went to a library conference last weekend and was so excited to discover another adult who loves children's books as much as I do. When people ask me my favorite books, my mind automatically goes to picture books for children. So much can be said in the pictures and few words of these short books.

Yoko's Show and Tell by Rosemary Wells certainly fits that category. Children familiar with, and new to Yoko stories will be able to relate to the emotions in this story. Yoko receives a doll from her grandmother and then, ignoring her mother’s words takes it to school for Show and Tell. The antique Japanese doll is all but ruined. In this story Yoko goes through emotions of elation, fear, regret, sadness and more. It’s hard to imagine a child who will not emotionally related to this story in some way.

The follow ups to reading this book are numerous. Children can tell their own stories of a time when they experienced the emotions in the book. They could make emotion posters or create class books about how to help others who feel sad. Some teachers may want focus on problem solving with children as they discuss the bullies who mistreat Yoko’s prized possession.Others may have classes who need to learn to identify emotions in others. These teachers could take photos of children in their class expressing different emotions and use them in a matching game. Adults might also help children learn about others by spending some time discovering words others use for their grandparents. At the front of the book there is information on Japanese Boy’s Day and Girl’s Day celebrations. This would be a wonderful book to include in any discussion of celebrations. It can sometimes be challenging to teach children about other countries without doing falling into using stereotypes, but books such as the Yoko books place that learning in context. Last but not least, it is a great book to teach about the concept of a story, there is a problem and a solution, and a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Let's Try Something New!

While some children can’t wait to try new things, others shy away. In both cases learning about the situation beforehand makes children more confident. New experiences, even those to which we look forward can be a scary. For some children that fear keeps them from even trying, for others it sets in right in the middle of the experience.

Little Critter Sleeps Over by Mercer Mayer gives adults a good opportunity to casually introduce and discuss new experiences. It is a short fun book, but packed with lots of learning opportunities, even for those not going on a sleepover anytime soon. After reading the story, children could draw pictures of their own house and Kidwrite about what kinds of things they do for fun. Sharing these in small groups will give children a comfortable topic to share, while teaching others about the differences and similarities in homes. Teachers may want to extend this to a “sleepover” day when children wear their sleep clothes and bring a stuffed animal. Others teachers may find that inviting another class for a “play date” or “tea party” is the perfect learning activity for their group to practice manners and learning about others. Role playing situations move l earning from an auditory experience to a kinesthetic one.

Two Feel Good Stories

Bernice recently shared two stories which I call feel good books. The first is And I Love You by Ruth Krauss and Steven Kellogg. As the inside cover states, the book, "celebrates the loves between a parent and a child." The verse is simple and it would be fun to continue the pattern of the book and think of other examples of big things which love little things. This would be a great bedtime story, but would also be a wonderful story for caregivers to read before nap time.

The other book Bernice shared has a little suspense to it. In Anita Lobel's book Nina Lost and Found, a house cat slips out the door to explore the world. As she does, day becomes night and what seemed so pleasant is now frightening. When Nina hears her owners calling she overcomes her fears and runs as quickly as she can back to her home.

Most children like a little suspense in stories and enjoy the sense of relief when things turn out ok. I think it must help them build a sense of security and help them get through small insecure times in their life. The more examples we have of things turning out okay, the more positive our attitudes will be.

Over the holidays, my grandson told me there are yellow feelings and black feelings. He went on to explain, if you have those positive yellow feelings, things often turn out better for you. I asked how he knew this. He told me there were signs about it in his school. Sounds like they ware trying to build positive outlooks. For me, I just like knowing that Nina survived her adventure and made it back home safely.

What's That Sound?

If you are like me, you sometimes worry about all the things that might happen. Occasionally I even worried about things before I even know what I am really worrying about. If you take time to listen to children, you will find out that some of them do the same thing. A little boy once told me an elaborate plan about what he would do should he be left behind in the classroom. I know he was just trying to find a way to deal with his fear. I was glad he shared his worry with me. I explained all the safeguards teachers use to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Author Norbert Landa and illustrator Tim Warnes might say that this little guy was making a monster out of a mouse. In The Great Monster Hunt, Duck hears a noise coming from under his bed. He is so afraid; he can’t even look to see what is making the sound. His does tell his friend Pig about the problem, but instead of investigating Pig goes to get help from Bear. Unfortunately, as Pig tells bear about the problem, the sound coming from the bed is exaggerated. This sequence of events continues through a number of animals until the sound is not a tiny one, but a great bog one. The animals are sure there must be a monster under the bed. They come up with a plan to help Duck, but in the end they realize they made a monster out of a mouse.

I think teachers need to take more time to listen to children and discover the things that worry them. Small groups of children seem to work best for this kind of discussion. Some children won’t speak until they have heard others share their thoughts, but large groups are often too intimidating for quieter children. I think it also helps for adults to talk about things which worry them and to discuss how they handle their fears. Reading The Great Monster Hunt would be a good conclusion to such a discussion. It could help children to see that it is better to first find out if there really is something to worry about.