This book review of, Where Did My Good Mood Go is about an educational children’s picture book on emotion written by Ava Parnass and illustrated by Kate Kaminski. The illustrations are colorful and uplifting. This helpful as the subject matter is all about a child trying to find a positive mood.
Ava writes for young children who are struggling with their emotions and their behaviors. She has created a character in this story called Mushy. Mushy is a magical book online who helps kids understand their feelings. The illustration of Mushy is open and friendly. The idea behind Mushy is to have a trusted friend who helps a child understand their emotions and behaviors and to adjust them accordingly by opening the door to processing why they are feeling the way they do. Many times children feel alone…as if they are the only ones to ever feel the way that they do. After reading this book, I think that they will come to see that emotions can come and go without getting stuck in a destructive mode.
I think this works well in this book, Where Did My Good Mood Go. I believe the book will empower young children (and the adults who care for them) to see that they are the only ones in charge of how they handle challenges, as they come along. Mushy explains that everyone has bad days now and then. Mushy also encourages communication between adult and child to help foster supportive words and actions. I think young families will find this book helpful and enjoyable at the same time.
Ava has been a family psychotherapist for over 15 years. She believes strongly in helping to develop healthy relationships through communication between parents and children. Her books and her music are all about building up the healthy foundation of a child. If you are interested in learning more about Ava and her books & products you should visit her website: www.ListenToMePlease.com Make sure to tell her that you learned about her through Book In Review. I do need to tell you that I received a review copy; but that in no way guaranteed a positive review of her books or products. I hope you enjoy getting to know more about Ava and her company…and that the children in your life are the recipients of her efforts to bring healthy and happy into their everyday experiences.
It is a total pleasure to do a book review of this children’s book, Listen To Me Please, because it is a book that you can read with your child and reap the benefits of a deeper personal relationship with your child. Ava Parnass co-wrote the book with Dr. Ron Taffel. Kate Kaminski was in charge of the illustrations and the book production process. The end result is a book filled with colorful graphics, heartwarming visuals and parenting tips that will help the reader to navigate many of the pitfalls that parents and children fall into when challenges arise.
Open ended conversation starters allow valuable communication to help both parent and child to understand each other’s words and actions better, which can only help to improve the relationship on both ends. Starting out by focusing on the positive aspects of any given situation helps keeps the conversation proactive when it comes to problem solving.
I like the fact that the book gives the child permission to have a voice. Too often children are told to be quiet, sit down, and keep out of the way by the adults in their life. It is easy for a child to become overwhelmed when they do not feel valued or heard when they are upset, angry, or anxious about the things affecting them daily. A child that feels heard and validated emotionally is a child that is more open to instruction and guidance. That alone should help to eliminate many of the negative behaviors that parents often feel powerless to stop or control.
Listen To Me Please would be great as a baby shower gift, a birthday gift, or just as a way to encourage parents and children to grow and learn together. You can learn more about Listen To Me Please and the authors and discover where to purchase the book by going to their website here: www.ListenToMePlease.com .
Cheryl Burke the famous and talented young lady from Dancing With The Stars has written an interesting behind the scenes book not only about her experiences with her celebrity dancing partners but she also gives us a little insight into who Cheryl Burke is as a person. We learn a lot about Cheryl’s growing up years and about the people who have supported her as she found her way into her chosen profession and into America’s hearts.
Cheryl writes openly and honestly about her goals, her family life, her struggles and her successes. In Dancing Lessons -How I Found Passion And Potential On The Dance Floor And In Life, we discover a young woman who loved dancing but wasn’t overly confident about her career choices but she was wise enough to follow her dreams and take advantage of opportunities that provided her with a way to build a professional life beyond the typical short lived career of a professional dancer. She has learned a lot about business from her mother who understands what it takes to set up a system to continue teaching and encouraging others to live out there dreams…she has helped Cheryl to purchase and expand her dance studios…evolving into potential franchise studios around the country.
This book shows us the process of a young woman discovering her untold strengths and the importance of investing in goals that most people are afraid to pursue. There are some wonderful words of tribute and explanation of her relationships with the people Cheryl has worked with over the years…and I think that her character shines throughout the book. I really enjoyed reading Dancing Lessons. It was published by John Wiley & sons, Inc and copyrighted in 2011.
Dana Jennings has written a book on life lessons regarding love and healing with the help of a small family dog in the home. The Jenning’s dog named Bijou helped both Dana and his son, physically and emotionally, as they each battled health challenges. This book was copywritten in 2010 by Thorndike Press. You can find them here: http://gale.cengage.com/thorndike.
Anyone who has ever battled a long term or chronic illness understands the layers of healing that need to take place. Patients often go through stages of anger, depression, sadness, fear and loneliness not to mention the occasional setbacks caused by treatments or medication. Fellow human beings often don’t know what to say or do to help; in fact, many just prefer not to come around until the healing is done. Canines on the other hand, if they are part of the family and are connected to the patient can often have a huge impact on the healing process.
Bijou has lots of love to give and a sensitivity to the changes “his” family went through as they dealt with their health challenges. Bijou also has needs, quirks and routines to attend to. Those very things allow Dana and his son to get up, get out, and get moving and connecting with the world at large as they heal. Bijou was theraputic in this regard for the family.
I found Bijou’s antics and interactions with the human beings and other animals in the book to be entertaining, uplifting and inspiring. At the same time, when Bijou is talked about towards the end of the book…I am attached and sad…you see Bijou is battling aging and health issues of her own.
If you know of someone who is on a journey towards a physical, spiritual or emotional healing; give this book as a gift and watch it touch a life or two. I love that animals have the impact that they do on our lives and I think as the reader reads this book, What A Difference A Dog Makes, you will be reminded how special it is that they weave so much love, hope and laughter in day to day living.
Solomon’s Oak was written by Jo-ann Mapson. Having never read any of her books, I can tell you that I will be searching out some of her other works very soon. I loved this book of hers because she writes about things and people that matter. Her characters are people who are real and who struggle with real life issues. This book combines some really interesting people with some of my own life experiences so I had a quick connection to the storyline.
Solomon’s Oak dives into death, marriage, weddings, dogs and foster care not to mention teaching and police work. It is a combination of subjects and personalities that is hard to put down. A woman recently widowed redesigns her life and her life’s work and is successful in carving out a new mission in life. A foster daughter who has been suffered loss and indifference and exhibits behavior that causes her to pile on more angst and social trials that threaten to derail the rest of her life…is she worth the high maintenance or should the girl be passed along to avoid the added stress during an already stressful time in the life of Glory Solomon?
Woven into the fabric of the story of a woman who is grieving the loss of her life before widowhood, mixed with the chaos of a young girl’s life interrupted by loss of family and emotional trauma due to a missing sister in her early childhood. You begin to be a believer in the idea of the hand of God who is the master artisan of all of our lives; choosing the colors and the fibers that go into his masterpiece tapestry that tells the story of how we really connect to one another. Fill in the design with a man who is healing from wounds associated with his former career as a police officer and you see life experiences come together to build up and encourage one another when individuals feel lost in their own struggles. Historical places and natural places of beauty that seem almost a witness to the lives that are lead, one generation to another, add a bit of intrigue to the back-story in Soloman’s Oak.
There is something spiritually healing in meeting individuals who instinctively draw people and animals who are discarded, hurt, abandoned and broken in some intrinsic way; watching them strive to understand and support those individuals by helping them achieve a successful purpose in life. It is inspiring and joyous to see them discovering that they are worth the time, effort and emotion that is required to unlock their worth. Often they themselves do not understand their own value; able to only see their own areas of hurt and destruction. As each of these individuals finds the strength and bravery to reach out and trust someone you see them start to heal the wounds that life has scarred them with. These characters of Solomon’s Oak are everyday over-comers that teach us the importance of looking past a person’s rough exterior to find a person worth coming to know and appreciate.
Koi And The Kola Nuts is a children’s picture book that tells the African folklore story of a young son of a village Chief. The Chief passes away and all of his possessions are divided up amongst the Chief’s songs. Koi is the youngest of the sons and he is not present when the possessions are divided up. All of them are given to his brothers leaving him with nothing but the Kola Nut tree.
As you can imagine that does not sit well with young Koi as he feels that the “wise man” of the village cheated him of his equal share. He tells the village that they do not kn0w how to properly treat the son of a Chief. He takes as many of the Kola nuts as he can carry and he leaves on a journey to find his place in the world.
Those Kola nuts are used to help people and in the end they save young Koi’s life. I do have to warn you that the story refers often to Koi being cooked and eaten by his enemies. If you have a young sensitive reader or listener…then this book may not be for you. If however you can reassure the young listeners that Koi will be fine then the book teaches a great lesson about sharing your blessings with people in your life.
This book was published by Rabbit Ears Books in 1995. The book was illustrated by Reynold Ruffins. The book was written by Brian Gleeson.