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 .
This children’s picture book is about a difficult subject; however, I think the author handles the subject very gracefully and in a way that doesn’t talk down to a child. Jenevieve Fisher is the author of I’m A Kid Living With Cancer. She introduces the main character who talks about what cancer is and how a person who has cancer gets tested and treated. The explanations are honest, direct and simple.
In explaining these issues, in this way, she takes some of the fear of such procedures out of them; making it easy for an adult reading this story to their child to explain what may happen to them (if they are a pediatric cancer patient). There isn’t an emotional script in the book about how a child should feel…this leaves the job of exploring the child’s emotional reactions to any given treatment or procedure open to discussion between the reader and the patient. That is as it should be because it is hard to write the reality of treatments in a meaningful way without trivializing it or overwhelming a child with a pre-conceived idea of how it will feel. Read the rest of this entry…
While most people learn about Clara Barton and her nursing work on the battlefield during the civil war; we don’t really learn about the extent of Clara’s influence on America. I found the book to be very interesting as it discussed Clara’s early childhood and the foundation she gained through her family and their work ethic.
Ms. Barton was a highly effective individual when it came to influencing people in positions of power…the very rich as well as those higher up in the government. Equally influential with the poor and those who were injured or displaced because of war or natural disasters, Ms. Barton knew how to prepare and dispense supplies that helped people to survive and overcome whatever hardships that they were facing. It was the very establishment of America’s first endeavor of organized humanitarian aid.
In a time when women were regulated to very defined roles in society either in the home or in very limited careers such as teachers; Clara Barton opened doors to women fulfilling their purpose in societies in ways that were previously closed to them.
Clara was either revered and respected or resented and resisted by most everyone she came into contact with. Those who supported her efforts stood by her side and tried to aid the areas of impact that she felt called to contribute to. Those who resented or resisted her goals often times were successful temporarily at standing in her way. Clara suffered physically because of her dedication to her calling. She had to restore her health for lengthy periods of time so that she could again, gain the strength to put her heart and soul into establishing guidelines for providing ethical and medical standards regarding those who fought in wars.
Compassion combined with a diligent effort to organizing and streamlining aid to those in need was what was needed. She also helped to find and organize information regarding the loss of lives due to war; which was a great comfort to those family members who lost loved ones in war and had no idea of their burial places.
Clara Barton is a woman who has earned her place in history and is one whom both men and women can admire and pattern their own behavior after. She was called the “Angel of the Battlefied” because of those who had gratitude in their hearts for her nursing skills.
This book was written by Susan E. Hamen and was published by ABDO Publishing Company in 2010. It was printed on recycled paper and was nicely put together with wonderful pictures that go a long way towards keeping the interest of the reader. If you are interested in the book or in more information about Clara Barton you can visit their website here: http://www.abdopublishing.com
Michigan- The Great Lakes State is a book written for children; however, I think many adults will find this short book about the state of Michigan to be fascinating. The short book, a mere 24 pages, is part of the Our Amazing States Series from PowerKids Press. It was written by Tika Downey; published in 2010, and covers a variety of subjects.
The book starts off talking about the fact that Michigan has two different peninsulas; often people only think of the upper portion of the state as a peninsula. The state of Michigan is surrounded by water, thus it is a state that is divided into two portions and both halfs are considered to be peninsulas. There is information on how Detroit got it’s nickname of Motown.
Michigan is rich in history and this book doesn’t cheat you from discovering some of that richness. There is information on explorers, Native American tribes, the Underground Railroad, sand dunes, rivers, lakes, mountains and wildlife.
An important thing to know about Michigan is what it contributes to the rest of the country by way of manufactering, farming, forestry and tourism. The book discusses those things and also gives you ideas of things to do for fun and learning in Michigan. For instance, did you know that Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state in America? There are over 120 of them according to this book. I find that information to be fascinating.
Many famous people were born or raised in Michigan including presidents of the United States Of America, athletes, writers, and inventors. There is much to learn between the covers of this book and you will enjoy the pictures as well. I highly recommend this book for children from ages 5-13 and adults as well.
This mid-sized children’s book, Help Your Parents Save The Planet, is just the right size for young readers to wrap their hands and their hearts around. The subject is all about its 50 simple ways to go green now. The book was written by Gregory Rutty and all of the photographs are by Shutterstock. It was copyrighted in 2009 by Play Bac Publishing USA, Inc. What I absolutely love about this book is that it is very hands on in it’s ideas for kids to make a difference in the world just by the choices that they make in their everyday life.
For instance, I like the fact that they cover what kinds of things can be done in the kitchen. Children are smart and they get to thinking about those ideas (they are contagious you know); once the ball gets rolling…they come up with some pretty smart ideas of their own. Here the book talks about making better choices when shopping for groceries or even the items that we use to serve our meals and snack. Household chores are discussed and really teach about making the most of conserving water while doing dishes. Opening up a dialog with children about using real dishes instead of toss away, like paper or styrofoam, products shows children that even simple choices can impact the world and save money. Read the rest of this entry…
This wonderful children’s picture book, ICE CREAM- How Did That Get To My Table, explains the process of manufacturing to curious readers who are beginning to understand the world around them. The pictures in this book are excellent. They are colorful and pleasing to the eye.
The text of the book explains in real language that doesn’t talk down to a child. The book was written by Pam Rosenberg and she does a wonderful job of answering the question of how the end product, ice cream, goes from raw product, to the wonderful delight on the desert wish list of most children.
Through both mouth watering pictures and words designed to lead from one thought concept to another about what has to happen to turn milk into ice cream…the reader is left with an understanding of how that happens.
I like that Pam Rosenberg inspires the reader to ask questions of those people in the everyday life of the reader who may play a part in a manufacturing process. Those people may include a farmers who produce raw products, to a trucker who delivers raw or finished products, to a factory worker who works on an assembly line or, maybe even a grocery worker who stocks the product, or a cashier who sells the ice cream.
I like the fact that this book also has a list of glossary terms to help young readers understand words that may not be in their vocabulary as well as a page of websites and other resources on the subject. There are 24 pages and the reading level is for children grades 2-4.
Those examples in manufacturing open the eyes of a child to the world around them…not only for ice cream products; but , also to open their eyes to other manufactured products, and jobs or potential careers that may be in their future.
This children’s picture book was published by: http://www.cherrylakepublishing.com in Ann Arbor, Michigan; copyrighted in 2010.
The Friendship Puzzle is a wonderful kids book written about and for those children who interact with other children who have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This story is about a young girl, Mackenzie, who goes to school with a young man that she tries to be friends with. She notices that he doesn’t seem to have any friends and so she attempts to engage him but doesn’t understand why he doesn’t respond to her attempts at friendship.
There are some behaviors that the young man, Dylan, does that confuse Mackenzie Mackabee. He sits and swings alone for long periods of time. He covers his eyes and his ears for no apparent reason. He doesn’t seem to smile or talk back when any other students talk to him. One day, the kids are playing soccer when out of the blue, the young man runs and takes the ball and continues running. The kids are upset thinking that he is trying to stop their game.
Mackenzie consults her teacher about her questions regarding young Dylan’s behavior. The teacher is thrilled to have an opportunity to explain that Dylan has Autism and how that affects him. She explains that she is sure that Dylan isn’t trying to stop their game or trying to be a bully.
You will have to read the wonderful story to see how the situation is resolved and how a little understanding can go a long way to helping others to include someone who is a bit different from themselves. This is a wonderfully written book and the colorful pictures on the pages help to show how students can learn about one another and appreciate their differences. The emotions of the characters are reflected in the artwork so that the reader can empathize with the characters in the story.
I think this is a wonderful story book for any classroom setting; but, especially any classroom that may include special needs students who may be struggling to feel acceptance from their peers. The author of the story is Julie Coe and the illustrator is Sondra Brassel; the story was inspired by the children of Jennifer Maloni. I like the fact that these women intend for this book to make a difference in how children see another child who is a bit different from themselves and appreciate and include them in their social lives! There are even some great activities to promote positive interaction between children who are living with Autism or any other challenge that sets them apart from their peers and others who are in their daily lives. After all, everyone deserves the opportunity to be accepted for who they are and to feel like they fit or belong with others in the peer group. Pick up this book and let it be an inspiration to teachers, students and families everywhere!
The book can be purchased at: http://www.amazon.com