Don't Feed the Monster on Tuesdays!

Author: Adolph Moser, Ed.D; Illustrated by David Melton

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: self-esteem, negative emotions ("bad feelings"), can be used for suicide prevention or explanation of suicide for young children

Year of Publication: 1991

Publisher & Location: Landmark Editions, Inc., Kansas City MO

ISBN#: 0-933849-38-9

Target Age Level: Pre-K, Lower and Upper Elementary

# of Pages: 55

Quality of Illustrations: colorful, non-threatening images.

Brief Summary: Not a parenting book so much as a book for parents to read with their children, “Don’t Feed the Monster” helps kids understand negative self-talk by picturing a nasty green monster who lives in your head and says mean things. With colorful cartoons and kid-friendly language, the book offers explanations for those bad feelings and ways to overcome them.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: good book for a variety of problems including self-esteem, image, emotions, positive and negative self-talk. Really, you can use it for any issue you would like. The "green monster" can be anything you want it to be (if you are a little creative).

Activity:
Have the child draw a picture of their "monster". Have them name the monster. Talk about the book and have the children choose one day not to feed their monster. Have them make a poster stating "Don't Feed the Monster on _____day" and hang it up in their room.