Dealing with Mom: how to understand your changing relationship

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS

Author/authors: Laurence Gillot and Véronique Sibiril ; illustrated by Anne-Sophie Tschiegg ; edited by Tucker Shaw.

Year of Publication: 2005

Book Title: Dealing with Mom: how to understand you changing relationship

ISBN #: 0810992019; 9780810992016

Age Level: Junior High – Young Adult

# of pages: 165

Quality of illustrations: Very Nice

Brief Summary: This a wonderful book for any teen who does not understand why their parents do the things that they do. The book explains typical teen & parental behavior and attempts to reconcile the two by having both sides see the other’s point of view. This book is cleverly written and provides a series of coping mechanisms for dealing with the teen’s changing world. It is wonderfully written account promoting mother-teen efforts of dealing with changes that may cause stress in family relationships.

Post reading activity: Gather the group or individual in need of assistance with these issues and have them write out a list of things that they think may be going through the mind of their parents when their parents “act mean” or “stifle” them, then, as the book does, try to get the group to practice viewing the situation in a new perspective possible in the parents’ perspective.

When Nothing Matters Anymore: A survival guide for depressed teens

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: SUICIDE

Author/authors: Bev Cobain edited by Elizabeth Verdick ; [foreword by Peter S. Jensen].

Year of Publication: 1998

Book Title: When Nothing Matters Anymore

ISBN #: 1575420368 (pbk.); 9781575420363

Age Level: Junior High – Young Adult

# of pages: 165

Quality of illustrations: Black and white, simple

Brief Summary: This book is written as a survival guide for depressed teens. It is written by the cousin of Kurt Cobain’s, a rock star who ended committed suicide after a long battle with depression and drugs. This book contains personal stories from teens, survival tips that can help teens who are struggling with suicidal ideation, resources where you can go if you are having these thoughts, and a section entitled, “The truth about depression” which is written to answer some of the basic questions of what depression is, why it happens and what can be done to help it. This is a great resource for any middle or high school student who might know the story of Kurt Cobain and who might benefit from a simply written survival guide for getting through depression & managing suicidal ideation.

Post reading activity: There is a relaxation chapter in this book that can be expanded into a full length relaxation session for teens that may need be in desperate need of it. For an activity, lead the class or group of students you are working with in a relaxation session as outlined in the book and teach the students how to do these techniques at home and help them create a no-suicide contract with you that outlines them using relaxation techniques to bring themselves down from elevated emotions. Follow up with each group member.

Jess and Sam's Earthquake: Child Survival

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: NATURAL DISASTERS

Author/authors: Colleen Politan

Year of Publication: 1997

Book Title: Jess and Sam’s Earthquake: Child Survival

ISBN #: 091993126X

Age Level: Upper Elementary

# of pages: 55

Quality of illustrations: Simple Black & White

Brief Summary: This is a story of a family living through a major earthquake. The book has a series of activities and experiments that are all aimed at teaching kids about earthquakes and about how they can survive one. This book does a great job at teaching kids what to do and empowering them with knowledge and skills that will help them feel in control during a natural disaster.

Post reading activity: Pick one of the many activities found in this book and have the children in your class or group carry out the activity. There are many fun activities and experiments to entertain various age ranges.

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: DEATH AND LOSS

Author/authors: Leo Buscaglia

Year of Publication: 1982

Book Title: The Fall of Freddie the Leaf

ISBN #: 0913590894

Age Level: Early Elementary

# of pages: 14

Quality of illustrations: Live picture book

Brief Summary: This story is a story about a leaf named Freddie. It is a simple story that takes you through the various seasons of life that Freddie and his companion leaf friends go through, ultimately falling to the ground in the winter time and changing homes or “dying.” Freddie proceeds to ask a lot of questions, most questions that you would expect a small child to ask and he gets his questions answered in a clear and direct way while still sensitive for young readers. Great book.

Post reading activity: Have the children talk about a time they had someone they knew that changed homes and died. Ask them to share how that made them feel and how Freddie would feel. Help the children process the answers to the difficult questions posed in this book.

Mr. and Mrs. Muddle

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Author/authors: Mary Ann Hoberman & Catherine O’Neill

Year of Publication: 1988

Book Title: Mr. & Mrs. Muddle

ISBN #: 0316367354; 0-316-36735-4

Age Level: Early Elementary

# of pages: 26

Quality of illustrations: great colorful ilustrations

Brief Summary: A married couple of horses have a lot of things in common. The one thing they cannot seem to agree on however is their choice method of transportation. Mr. Muddle likes walking, Mrs. Muddle likes cars, and they cannot seem to agree. One day they decide to solicit the advice of one of their close friends who suggests that there are both good things and bad things about both options. So, Mr. & Mrs. Muddle are finally able to come to an agreement to buy a canoe as this is a method they can both compromise on.

Post reading activity: Have the students get into groups of two and talk about the things they like and don’t like. Then have them make a list of “compromises” that they can use to get along better with their partner. Having the students practice problem solving skills is a good follow up to this story.

Our Aunt Gracie

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: NEGLECT

Author/authors: Jacqueline Woodson; Illustrated by Jon J Muth

Year of Publication: 2002

Book Title: Our Aunt Gracie

ISBN #: 0786806206; 9780786806201

Age Level: Lower Elementary

# of pages: 30

Quality of illustrations: Excellent watercolor illustrations
Brief Summary: Beebee and Johnson are two children who are left alone a lot by their mother until one day their mother is gone for too long and a social worker comes by to pick them up because their mother cannot take care of them anymore. These neglected children then get placed with their “Aunt Gracie” and she loves and cares for them in ways they have never experienced before. Gradually the children come to love their aunt Gracie and come to understand that, “just because a person goes away, doesn’t mean they don’t love you.”

Post reading activity: Explain to the children what the basic needs of children should be, and direct the discussion towards strengthening their understanding of what “neglect” is and why it is something that no child should have to experience. Encourage the children to talk to someone if they feel that they are missing one of the “basic needs” that are discussed in class. Make a list on the board of basic needs.

The Next Door Dogs

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: ANXIETY, FEAR & DEPRESSION

Author/authors: Colby Rodowsky; Illustrated by Amy June Bates

Year of Publication: 2005

Book Title: The Next-Door Dogs

ISBN #: 0374364109; 9780374364106

Age Level: upper elementary

# of pages: 103

Quality of illustrations: Black and white, nice illustrations

Brief Summary: Sarah Barker is a very brave 9 year old who has an embarrassing fear of dogs that she hides from everyone except her family. She manages to hide her secret well until a new neighbor with two big dogs moves in next-door and Sarah suddenly has to face her fears. The story goes into all of the physical and emotional symptoms of fear and the scary looking black and white illustrations help to convey the emotions in text. Sarah slowly starts to get exposed more and more to her fears in slow but meaningful ways until one day her neighbor falls, breaking her leg and Sarah has to over there and face her fear in order to help her fallen neighbor. This is a great story for kids needing to get encouragement to face a fear.

Post reading activity: Have the children draw black and white pictures of things they are most afraid of, irrational or not. Then have them write down three ways that they can face their fears or three instances where they would have to face their fears if placed in a situation like Sarah’s.

Those Shoes

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: FAMILY FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES

Author/authors: Maribeth Boelts; Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones

Year of Publication: 2007

Book Title: Those Shoes

ISBN #: 0763624993

Age Level: Upper Elementary

# of pages: 32

Quality of illustrations: Colorful and appealing illustrations in watercolor

Brief Summary: Jeremy is a young boy whose one wish is to get a pair of “those shoes” the shoes that everyone at school has. “Those shoes” are black high-tops with two white stripes signifying the rite of passage of a young boy wishing to be inducted into the “cool” group. Jeremy asks his grandma if he can have them but she says “there’s no room for ‘want’ around here—just ‘need,’” and what he needs are boots for the winter time. Jeremy manages to find a pair at a thrift store that are too small for his feet but he squeezes into them anyway and limps around. Pretty soon it becomes obvious that he cannot wear these anymore and he decides to give them to a less fortunate kid in his class. Great story, with a great moral.

Post reading activity: Have the children share a time when they wanted something they could not have and have them write a “journal entry” of how they felt about that. Have some share their stories if they wish and attempt to spark a conversation about the things that “really matter” in life like what Jeremy did for his friend.

Enrico Starts School

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: MAKING FRIENDS

Author/authors: Charlotte Middleton

Year of Publication: 2004

Book Title: Enrico Starts School

ISBN #: 0803730179; 9780803730175

Age Level: PreK; Lower Elementary

# of pages: 28

Quality of illustrations: Original, vibrant illustrations with funny captions placed aside to elaborate on the pictures.

Brief Summary: Enrico can do many things, he can ride his bike with no training wheels, he could make sandwiches, so now Enrico was ready to start his first day of school. Enrico goes to school without any idea of how to make friends. He tries to join in on games, share his lunch, make his own roller skates, but nothing works, until he decides to just “be himself.” Then he meets Pepe and they become best friends. All of this because he stops trying so hard and just tries to be himself.

Post reading activity: Give the kids free time in class to practice “being themselves,” have them choose to do anything that they want to do for 10 minutes and then bring them together again and discuss how they felt when they did what they wanted to do instead of what other people wanted to do. Teach the kids that part of making friends is having fun doing what you like to do and finding people that like to do those things too!

Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Author/authors: Lindsay Barrett George

Year of Publication: 2004

Book Title: Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse

ISBN #: 0060004665; 9780060004668

Age Level: PreK; Lower Elementary

# of pages: 32

Quality of illustrations: Clear and colorful, much visual interest

Brief Summary: Two mice, one house mouse, one field mouse travel corresponding routes until they meet each other through a window. The book shows the parallel lives that two mice live. Even though they look different and they live in different places their day to day activities are still very similar and are cause for curious mirror imaging. I loved the story for the stimulating discussion that could be drawn from reading this book to a group of preK or Kindergarten students.

Post reading activity: The book ends with the mice finding each other in an open-ended kind of way. Have the children finish the story by answering the question, “What did the mice do then?” use their answers as an opportunity to demonstrate how two mice, from two different worlds, who look very different, can still be lead similar lives, and be good friends with a lot in common.

The Face at the Window

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: MENTAL ILLNESS

Author/authors: Regina Hanson; Illustrated by Linda Saport

Year of Publication: 1997

Book Title: The Face at the Window

ISBN #: 0395786258

Age Level: Lower Elementary

# of pages: 32

Quality of illustrations: Wonderfully ethnic, warm chalk illustrations

Brief Summary: The book is set in Jamaica where a young girl named Dora is scared by the stories her friends tell of the woman, Miss Nella, that lives in their neighborhood. One day, Dora and her friends go over to Miss Nella’s and try to get some mangoes by hitting them down with stones. One of Dora’s stones misses, hitting Miss Nella’s door and she appears at the window as they run away. Dora is convinced that Miss Nella saw her and that she is coming to get her revenge. Dora begins blaming herself for a myriad of bad luck until her father finally convinces her that Miss Nella’s mental illness is what causes her odd behavior and that Dora is not being punished with bad luck. Her parents eventually help Dora develop compassionate rather than fearful feelings towards Miss Nella.

Post reading activity: Have the children draw pictures of people they have known with mental illnesses. Explain what mental illnesses are, what it means to have a mental illness and then have the children talk about the people they drew and have them name one nice thing they would feel comfortable doing for that person.

Just Kidding

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: BULLYING

Author/authors: Trudy Ludwig; Illustrations by Adam Gustavson
Year of Publication: 2006

Book Title: Just Kidding

ISBN #: 1582461635

Age Level: Lower Elementary

# of pages: 26

Quality of illustrations: “Retro” style illustrations, very clear and colorful.

Brief Summary: D.J is a young boy who continues to get teased by a boy named Vince who attempts to brush off the bullying by saying, “Just Kidding,” making D.J feel like he is foolish for getting upset over the bullying. D.J’s father then teaches D.J how to keep Vince from humiliating, hurting, or demeaning him and this helps D.J and another kid who also gets teased. The moral of the story is that joking or teasing is not fun when it is intended to demean, hurt or embarrass the other person. Great story for teaching kids that simply saying, “ just kidding” doesn’t get you off the hook.

Post reading activity: At the end of the book, there is a section on “Discussing the story” with a series of follow up questions. Choose 3 questions and have the children answer the questions to get a deeper understanding of the moral of the story, Follow up these questions with examples of the Do’s and Don’ts of teasing found on the very last page of the book.

Mama and Daddy Bear's Divorce

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: DIVORCE
Author/authors: Cornelia Maude Spelman; Illustrated by Kathy Parkinson

Year of Publication: 1998

Book Title: Mama and Daddy Bear’s Divorce

ISBN #: 0807552216 & 9780807552216

Age Level: PreK; Lower Elementary

# of pages: 20

Quality of illustrations: Very nice illustrations, clear with matted colors and creative brushstrokes.

Brief Summary: A little bear named Dinah has a set number of things that she enjoys in her life and then one of those things gets taken away, her dad. She gets to keep all of the things that make her happy, however, they are not in the same place at the same time as they once were. She feels sad about this and cries, but her mother and father constantly reassure her that even though things are different, one thing that will never be different is how much they love her.

Post reading activity: Have the children discuss what they felt when their parent(s) moved away and tie these emotions with Dinah’s emotions. Explain and reiterate how Dinah’s parents still loved her the same and explain how divorce doesn’t have to be something where you “loose” anything

The Forever Dog

Author: Bill Cochran

Illustrator: Dan Andreasen

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Death (of a pet)

Year of Publication: 2007

Publisher & Location: New York: HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN#: 9780060539399

Target Age Level: Lower Elementary

# of Pages: 32

Quality of Illustrations: Excellent

Brief Summary: Mike and his dog Corky plan to be best friends forever, so when Corky becomes sick and dies, Mike is angry about the broken promise.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Excellent for dealing with the death of a pet. Realistically shows how Mike is sad and angry about Corky's death. His mom helps him remember the good things about Corky and the fun they had together.

Activity: Have the child talk about, write about, or draw pictures of the positive things they remember about their pet, just like Mike did.

Fred Stays with Me!

Author: Nancy Coffelt

Illustrator: Tricia Tusa

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Divorce

Year of Publication: 2007

Publisher & Location: New York: Little, Brown, & Co.

ISBN#: 9780316882699

Target Age Level:

# of Pages: 32

Quality of Illustrations: Good, except not much color

Brief Summary: A child describes how she lives sometimes with her mother and sometimes with her father, but her dog is her constant companion.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: A simple story, good for young children. Good lesson about maintaining some constants for children in shared custody situations.

Activity: Discuss with children what is different about living with mom and living with dad, such as what's different in the bedrooms, activities they enjoy with each parent, etc. Talk about what is the same.

I Love My New Toy!

Author: Mo Willems

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Anger, conflict resolution

Year of Publication: 2008

Publisher & Location: New York: Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Book Group

ISBN#: 9781423109617

Target Age Level: Preschool, lower elementary

# of Pages: 57

Quality of Illustrations: cute, but very simplified

Brief Summary: When Elephant accidentally breaks Piggie's new toy, they both experience intense feelings before coming to realize how important their friendship is.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Pretty simple, so probably only useful for the youngest age groups. Demonstrates that it is okay to be angry/sad when something upsetting happens, but not to let it ruin a relationship.

Activity: Make a list (&/or pictures) of situations where the child felt angry, sad, happy, etc. Talk about what those emotions look and feel like.

Daisy

Author: E. Sandy Powell

Illustrator: Peter J. Thornton

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Abuse (physical, verbal)

Year of Publication: 1991

Publisher & Location: Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books

ISBN#: 0876145438

Target Age Level: Lower Elementary

# of Pages: 38

Quality of Illustrations: Black & white, but detailed

Brief Summary: A young girl deals with the emotional and physical problems of being a victim of child abuse.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: A good example of how a child feels about physical/emotional abuse from parents. Daisy blames herself & tries to make excuses for her father. Also shows how reaching out to someone else for help can be difficult but worth it. Daisy uses drawing as an outlet about her feelings, which many children could probably relate to. My only problem is that the tutor at school suspects abuse but doesn't take action immediately (doesn't until she's aware of a second incident, involving Daisy getting a black eye). The book ends with Daisy going to live with a foster mother.

Activity: Like Daisy, have the child draw how he/she feels about the abusive situation. Talk about what the pictures represent.

Just One Flick of a Finger

Author: Marybeth Lorbiecki

Illustrator: David Diaz

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Guns, bullying, violence

Year of Publication: 1996

Publisher & Location: Dial Books, New York

ISBN#: 0803719485

Target Age Level: Late elementary (?)

# of Pages: 32

Quality of Illustrations: unique, colorful

Brief Summary: A young boy takes a gun to school to scare off the bully who has been tormenting him, and the gun is accidentally fired during a scuffle.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Probably only useful for schools where gun violence is a realistic issue. Upper elementary or later. Violent ending (the main character accidentally shoots his best friend).

Activity: Read the book, then have the children come up with alternative ending(s). How could the boy have resolved the bullying problem without bringing a gun to school? Children can write the alternatives in a journal and/or add pictures to illustrate.

What are You Afraid of?

Author: Donald R. Gallo

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Phobias, Fear, Adolescence, Anxiety, Loneliness

Year of Publication: 2006

Publisher & Location: Candlewick Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts

ISBN#: 076362654-6

Target Age Level: High School

# of Pages: 178

Quality of Illustrations: No illustrations

Brief Summary: 10 short stories about different high school students who suffer from phobias, including a fear of gaining weight, clowns, cats, string, knives, crossing the street, etc.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: In most of these stories, the main character does not overcome the phobia. The focus is on their thoughts and feelings (about hiding the phobia, about the control the phobia has over them) and how it affects their relationships. Those stories usually end with the character recognizing he/she has a problem or asking for help.

Activities:

1. Have the students brainstorm about or write an epilogue to one of the stories, so the student can take control of what will happen.
   
2. Have the students write a short story/journal entry about their own phobia.

First Day Jitters

Author: Julie Danneberg

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: First day of school; anxiety

Year of Publication: 2000

Publisher & Location: Charlesbridge Publishing; Watertown, MA

ISBN#: 1-58089-061-X

Target Age Level: Lower Elementary

# of Pages: 30

Quality of Illustrations: Humorous, colorful illustrations.

Brief Summary: Sarah Jane Hartwell is nervous about her first day at her new school. As her dad tries to get her out of bed and off to school, Sarah worries about what the other students will be like. Her head hurts, her hands are cold and clammy, and she feels like she can't breathe, but Sarah makes it to school where the principal takes her to her new class.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This book has a surprise ending, because Sarah Jane Hartwell turns out to be a teacher, not a student. Students I've read this to have loved the ending and it opens up a great discussion about how feeling anxious is something many people feel, including adults.

Activity: Make copies of an outline of a body. Discuss as a class situations that cause students to experience anxiety and how they feel when they are anxious (e.g., heart beating, palms sweating, out of breath, etc.). Then have students label their own picture about what happens to them when they are nervous. Around the body have them list things that help them calm down.

Hunting Grandma's Treasures

Author: Gina Willner-Pardo

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Death, Grandparent, Family Relationship

Year of Publication: 1996

Publisher & Location: Clarion Books: New York

ISBN#: 0-395-68190-1

Target Age Level: Upper Elementary

# of Pages: 35

Quality of Illustrations: Colorful, but do not show a lot of detail.

Brief Summary: Kevin's grandmother is dying, but before she dies, she leaves a secret with him. After her death, Kevin reveals that the secret is a treasure hunt that all the grandchildren will go on during the summer at Wrigley Lake. During their time at the lake, Kevin and his family talk about what things are different and are the same after Grandma's death.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This is a short chapter book that does a good job at describing how the different family members respond to their grandmother's death in different ways.

Activities:

1. Have the students write down things they remember doing with person that passed away, or things they learned from that person. Discuss how although some things may be different because of their death, other things stay the same.
   
2. If your loved one sent you on a treasure hunt, what would your treasure be? Have the students create their own treasure hunt.

Being Bindy

Author: Alyssa Brugman

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Friendship, Divorce, Bullying

Year of Publication: 2006

Publisher & Location: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

ISBN#: 0385732945

Target Age Level: Jr. High, High School

# of Pages: 208

Quality of Illustrations: None

Brief Summary: Set in Australia. Bindy is in 8th grade. Janey, her best friend growing up, has decided that Bindy isn’t cool enough anymore. Janey ditches her for a new “cooler friend”. Janey’s new friends dress provocatively, smoke pot, and are very mean. Janey humiliates Bindy a few times, and it very mean and hurtful.
Bindy’s parents are divorced. Bindy struggles with her relationship with her mother. Bindy’s father starts to date Janey’s mother which puts further strain on Bindy and Janey’s relationship. Bindy does have a support system of her father, brother, and two new friends.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: There is some vocabulary and references that may not be understood due to it being written by an Australian author.

Activity: Discuss the struggles Bindy has when her "best friend" changes. (It's a very typical experience for teen age girls.) The student could identify the feelings that Bindy is experiencing and relate it to their own experiences.

At Daddy's on Saturdays

Author: Linda Walvoord Girard

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Divorce

Year of Publication: 1987

Publisher & Location: Albert Whitman & Company: Niles, Illinois

ISBN#: 0-8075-0475-0

Target Age Level: Lower Elementary

# of Pages: 32

Quality of Illustrations: Each set of pages has an illustration that depicts the words on the page. Not very colorful, and a little dated, but the illustrations portray the emotions of the characters well.
Brief Summary: Although her parents' divorce causes her to feel anger, concern, and sadness, Katie discovers that she can keep a loving relationship with her father even though he lives apart from her.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This book portrays the father/daughter relationship nicely. The girl lives with her mother but spends her weekends with her dad. The parents in the book did a good job explaining why they were getting divorced but that it did not change how they felt about her. May be difficult reading to children of divorced parents whose fathers are not an active part of their lives.

Activities:

1. Using a poster or paper that portrays a variety of emotions, have the students identify which emotions Katie is feeling after each day, and compare it to how they felt.
   
2. All together, make lists of what things changed for Katie and what things stayed the same. Have the kids make their own lists.

Two Old Potatoes and Me

Author: John Coy

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Divorce

Year of Publication: 2009

Publisher & Location: Alfred A. Knopf, New York

ISBN#: 978-0040417903

Target Age Level: Lower Elementary

# of Pages: 31

Quality of Illustrations: Unique, colorful illustrations, but the text is integrated with the illustrations and gets too busy and confusing at times.

Brief Summary: A girl finds two old potatoes in a cupboard at her father's house. They plant the potatoes in the spring, care for them, and reap a full harvest in September. The girl's parents are divorced, and while this is mentioned, the focus of the book is on the girl and her father's relationship and the creation of a new tradition.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This book portrays the father/daughter relationship nicely. The girl lives with her mother but spends her weekends with her dad. I liked the metaphor of good things coming from something that at first seems bad.

Activities:

1. Have children share a tradition they share with their mother or father. They can bring an object from home that represents the tradition and can share with the class.
   
2. Print off pictures of a potato. Have students cut out the pictures. On one side of the potato have children write the hard things about their parents getting divorced. On the other side write the things that may turn out okay or for the better. Share as a group.

A Mama for Owen

Author: Marion Dane Bauer

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Natural Disaster, Adoption

Year of Publication: 2007

Publisher & Location: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, NY

ISBN#: 0-689-85787

Target Age Level: Pre-K, Lower Elementary

# of Pages: 15

Quality of Illustrations: Excellent!

Brief Summary: Based on a true story, a young hippo loses his mother during a tsunami. A young turtle who reminds the hippo of his own mother, becomes his adopted mother. The hippo sees similarities a differences between his hippo mother that was killed and his new ‘mother’ and briefly dealing with changes as an after math of the tsunami.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: The illustrations are excellent and the storyline simple.

Activities: Discuss how hippo must have felt when the tsunami hit. If students have more then one parent they can talk about the good similarities and differences of each one.

My Name is Bilal

Author: Asma Mobin-Uddin

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Bullying, Ethnic diversity

Year of Publication: 2005

Publisher & Location: Boyds Mill Press, Honesdale PA

ISBN#: 1-59078-175-9

Target Age Level: Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary

# of Pages: 28

Quality of Illustrations: Very good

Brief Summary: Bilal and his sister moved from a community where there were many Muslims. Bilal’s sister is bullied because of the way she dresses. At first Bilal doesn’t want anyone to know that he is Muslim but with the guidance of a teacher, realizes how important his religion and diversity is important to him. He helps his sister the next time she is teased and begins to make new friends.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Religious content

Activities: Have students find something about their culture that is unique and special and share it with everyone else.

When I Feel Sad

Author: Cornelia Maude Spelman

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Sadness, Basic Emotions

Year of Publication: 2002

Publisher & Location: Albert Whitman & Company, Morton Grove, IL

ISBN#: 0-8075-8899-7

Target Age Level: Pre-K

# of Pages: 22

Quality of Illustrations: Good

Brief Summary: A young guinea pig explains situations that make her sad, how it feels to be sad and what can make her feel better

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Describes sadness in a way that young children can understand it.

Activities: Talk about what makes us sad, whom we can go to when we are sad and what we can do to be happy again. Go do one of those things.

When I Feel Scared

Author: Cornelia Maude Spelman

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Anxiety, Basic Emotions

Year of Publication: 2002

Publisher & Location: Albert Whitman & Company, Morton Grove, IL

ISBN#: 0-8075-8900-4

Target Age Level: Pre-K

# of Pages: 22

Quality of Illustrations: Good

Brief Summary: A little bear explains situations that bring about fear, how it feels to be scared and what can make things better.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Describes fear in a way that young children can understand it.

Activities: Talk about what we are afraid of, what ideas the book suggests that we could do and which one we would do for each scenario.

When I Feel Good About Myself

Author: Cornelia Maude Spelman

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Self-Esteem, Anxiety

Year of Publication: 2007

Publisher & Location: Albert Whitman & Company, Morton Grove, IL

ISBN#: 0-8075-8901-2

Target Age Level: Pre-K

# of Pages: 22

Quality of Illustrations: Good

Brief Summary: A young guinea pig explains that self-confidence comes from learning new things, without being afraid of making mistakes and to remember that everyone has different qualities that makes them loveable.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Briefly touches on topics that may cause anxiety.

Activities: Talk about what we do that are the same and what we do different. Each child chooses something they are good at and why they are good at it.

When I Feel Angry

Author: Cornelia Maude Spelman

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Anger

Year of Publication: 2000

Publisher & Location: Albert Whitman & Company, Morton Grove, IL

ISBN#: 0-8075-8897-0

Target Age Level: Pre-K

# of Pages: 22

Quality of Illustrations: Good

Brief Summary: A little rabbit learns what anger is and how to control it.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Describes anger in a way that young children can understand it.

Activities: Talk about scenarios that make us angry and then role-play how we feel and what we can do.

Goodnight, Mr. Tom

Author: Michelle Magorian

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Abuse, War, Loss, Adoption

Year of Publication: 1981

Publisher & Location: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. New York

ISBN#:0-06-440174-X

Target Age Level: Junior High, High School

# of Pages: 318

Quality of Illustrations: NA

Brief Summary: William comes from an abusive home during world war II and is placed as an evacuee with a man whom he calls Mr.Tom. Mr. Tom is struggling with the loss of his wife and later on both experience another loss of a loved one.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: One scene in the book becomes very descriptive which may be too much for a student who still is or recently has been in an abusive home.

Activities: Discuss some challenges that may come from being in an abusive home/a loss and how over time the pain gets softer (sea glass analogy).