There's No Such Thing As A Dragon

Author: Jack Kent

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Addressing and facing problems

Year of Publication: 1975 (original), lots of reprints Sept 2009, most recent.

Publisher & Location: Dragonfly Books

ISBN-10: 0375851372

Target Age Level: Age 6 - adult.

# of Pages:

Quality of Illustrations: Good

Brief Summary: A little boy wakes up to find a dragon in his room. He tells his mom who informs him that there is no such thing as a dragon. The dragon continues to grow as it is ignored and eventually becomes as big as the house. Once acknowledged, the dragon shrinks to a manageable size.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: It is a kids book originally, but I use it with adolescents. I use it as an introduction to therapy a lot as a introduction for facing and dealing with problems.

The Leprechaun in the Basement

Author:Kathy Tucker

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Financial Heard times

Year of Publication: 1999

Publisher & Location: Albert Whitman and Co, Ill.

ISBN#:0-8075-4450-7

Target Age Level: lower elementary

# of Pages:32 pages

Quality of Illustrations: pretty good

Brief Summary: It's St. Patrick's Day, but Michael McKeever has run out of luck. His dad has lost his job, the hot water heater is broken, and now his baseball shoes are falling apart. He and his dad never go out and "throw a few" like they used to, and his mom says they have to learn to Make Do. So when he accidentally discovers a leprechaun in the basement, Michael is sure his luck has changed. Unfortunately, he didn't count on this leprechaun being quite so cantankerous. Any child who has felt the pinch of hard times will relate to Michael's anxiety.

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

This book shows that there are not always magic answers to our problems. but sometimes it help to know the right people. The leprechaun doesn't just give the family money he helps by making new shoes, so it's not the magical solution you might think.

Activity: have the child think of friends or other ways they know, like the leprichaun, that can help them through hard times without giving them money or magic

Esperanza Rising

Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Type or emotional/crisis issue addressed: Financial Problems
Year of Publication: 2002
Publisher and Location: Blue Sky Press:
ISBN# 043912042X
Target Age Level: Upper Elementary/Junior High
# of Pages: 288
Quality of Illustrations: None
Brief Summary: Esperanza is a girl who went from being the daughter of an wealthy aristocratic family in Mexico to a migrant worker in California after having to quickly flee their home. Through this change, she learns more about hard work, her people, and herself.
Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This book portrays the plight of Mexican migrant workers at a labor camp during the Great Depression.
Activity: This book can be read aloud in class or as a class assignment. Have the students make a journal for Esperanza and have them describe how she is feeling. Focus on the sections that describe the changes she is making, especially after her mother gets sick.

Finding a Job for Daddy

Author: Evelyn Hughes Maslac

Type or emotional/crisis issue addressed: financial difficulties

Year of Publication: 1996
Publisher and Location: Albert Whitman & Company
# ISBN-10: 0807524379
# ISBN-13: 978-0807524374
Target Age Level: 4-8
# of Pages: 24
Quality of Illustrations: very good
Brief Summary:
Ever since Laura's daddy lost his job, they can't go out to dinner and do other things they like to do. Sometimes Daddy's grumpy. Laura tries to help Daddy by circling the want ads he likes. She works hard to understand Daddy's explanations of resumes and interviews. But it isn't until she gets her own idea that she finds a way that only Laura can help Daddy. Evelyn Maslac's heartwarming story shows young readers (ages 4-8) how the loss of a job affects all members of the family.
Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: May help teenagers to understand the roots of their problems.
It is pro female- pro family- pro education- non religious- non fantasy- non political and appropriate for children and families.
Activity: Read out loud.

My mother lost her job today

Author: Judy Delton, Irene Trivas

Type or emotional/crisis issue addressed: financial difficulties

Year of Publication: 1980
Publisher and Location: Albert Whitman & Company
# ISBN-10: 080755359X
# ISBN-13: 978-0807553596
Target Age Level: Preeschool
# of Pages: 32
Quality of Illustrations: very good

Brief Summary:
When her mother loses her job, a six-year-old girl wonders whether anything will ever be the same again.

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

Activity: Read out loud.
Posted by Nalu de Araujo Nunes

The Skin I'm In

Author: Sharon Flake
Type or emotional/crisis issue addressed: Bullying or Sexual Abuse
Year of Publication: 1998
Publisher and Location:New York : Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN# 0786804440
Target Age Level: Junior High, High School
# of Pages: 171
Quality of Illustrations: None
Brief Summary: Maleeka is a 13yr old girl who gets teased a lot because she has very dark skin. In order to raise her status at school, she becomes friends with the school bully who is very mean to her, but also looks out for her. Her situation starts to change when a new teacher comes to school and challenges Maleeka to find out who she really is.
Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: All of the main characters in the book are African-American, so it may be effective in helping students who are a racial minority identify with the characters in this book.
Activity: (1) One of the ways Maleeka is able to cope is by creating a story about a slave named Akeelma. Maleeka is able to work out a lot of her feelings and struggles through her writing. Have the students create their own story or have them add another entry to Maleeka's story. (2) Many of the characters in the book are bullies, victims, and bully-victims. Have the students identify the different situations and how the characters respond.

Grape Thief

Author: Kristine L. Frankline
Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Family financial difficulties
Year of Publication: 2003
Publisher & Location: Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press
ISBN#: 0763613258 
Target Age Level: Junior high
# of Pages: 290
Quality of Illustrations: none
Brief Summary: In 1925, in a small Washington State community made up of families from different ethnic backgrounds, twelve-year-old Cuss tries to stay in school as he watches those around him struggle with various financial difficulties.
Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: The main character is nicknamed "Cuss" because he can swear in 14 languages--I don't think the book includes foul language, but still....

Activity: Have students discuss what they know about the Great Depression of the 1920s, including any stories from their own family history. Talk about what life was like for teens of that era and compare that to the current experience of teens and their families in the current economic recession.

Nory Ryan's Song

Title: Nory Ryan’s Song

Author: Patricia Reilly Giff

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Natural Disasters, Financial Difficulties

Year of Publication: 2000

Publisher & Location: Yearling; New York

ISBN#: 0-440-41829-1

Target Age Level: middle school, young adult

# of Pages: 148

Quality of Illustrations: None

Brief Summary: This novel tells the story of the Ryan family during the black potato famine of 1845-1852 in Ireland. Nory’s father is out at sea, her oldest sister leaves the family to go to America and be married. Ultimately Nory is responsible for finding food for her family. This story talks about the incredible destruction that slowly took place during this natural disaster and the means that some people resorted to just to keep their families alive.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book: none

Post Reading Activities: Compare the natural disaster and the effects of this disaster to modern-day natural disasters. Research other natural disasters and ways people were able to survive. Discuss the power of the human will and how we can overcome tragic natural disasters.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

Title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Author: Betty Smith

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Family Financial Difficulties, Alcoholism, Parent-child relations

Year of Publication: 1998 (reprint; originally 1943)

Publisher & Location: Perennial Classics, New York

ISBN#: 0-06-092988-x

Target Age Level: young adult

# of Pages: 483

Quality of Illustrations: none

Brief Summary: Francie and her family live in the slums of Brooklyn from 1902-1919. Francie tells the story of her families financial difficulties, her fathers alcoholism, her mothers undying love for her father, and her brothers premature coming of age to help their family survive. Ultimately this is a coming of age story.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book: none

Post Reading Activities: There are several passages in this book that explain how Francie feels about being poor and the sacrifices that she and her family had to make to eat daily. These passages could be shared with a child who is experiencing hardship to help them understand and express their feelings. Similar things could be done with the topic of Alcoholism.

Awake and Dreaming

Author: Kit Pearson

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

Year of Publication: 1996

Publisher & Location: Penguin Books, Ontario, Canada

ISBN#: 0670869546

Target Age Level: Upper Elementary

# of Pages: 228

Quality of Illustrations: No illustrations

Brief Summary: Nine-year-old Theo desperately wants to be out of her gray, loveless existence and into the middle of a large and happy family like the ones she reads about in her wonderful library books. Often neglected by her young and immature mother, she is still reluctant to leave their Vancouver apartment and go to live with her aunt in Victoria. On the ferry trip, Theo makes a wish on the new moon and is amazed when it comes true. She wakes up as part of the perfect family, with nurturing and always happy parents and four caring siblings. Now she doesn't have to dance for money on the street or worry that her mother doesn't want her. But of course, it is too good to be true, and the magic doesn't last. While her real life isn't perfect like when she was "awake and dreaming," things are changing for the better and Theo is learning to be happy.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Child

Other children who's families are experiencing poverty could relate to this book. There could be a discussion of dreams that the children also have. The dreams could be written down or the child could draw pictures of them

Eclipse

Author: Kristine L. Franklin

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Parent with Mental Illness, Family Financial Difficulties

Year of Publication: 1995

Publisher & Location: Candlewick Press, Massachusetts

ISBN#: 0763602418

Target Age Level: Upper Elementary, Jr. High, High School, Young Adult

# of Pages: 160

Quality of Illustrations: None

Brief Summary: Trina’s father broke his back and is no longer able to work. He begins to suffer from depression. Trina’s world begins to unravel. She is also dealing with her 48 year old mother’s pregnancy.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Trina is a little naive. Some things are little unrealistic, but there are good moments that could be beneficial for therapeutic moments.

Fly Away Home

Author/Authors: Eve Bunting

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: FAMILY FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES

Year of Publication: 1993

Publisher & Location: Sandpiper

ISBN #: 0395664152

Target Age Level: Upper elementary

# of Pages: 32

Quality of Illustrations: Full color watercolor illustrations. There is a lot of gray and blue to help denote a touch of sadness.

Brief Summary:This story is about a boy and his father who are homeless. They are living in an airport which is better than living in the street. It is told from the boy’s perspective. He talks about the things they have to do to go unnoticed so that they can keep living there. His father tries to go out and get a job and find a place for them to live but he returns unsuccessful. One day the boy finds a bird that he watches. One day the doors open and the bird files out which becomes a sign of hope for the boy that one day he will get to fly out as well. This is a serious story which does not have a resolution to the boy’s problem but does have hope. This book would be better for upper elementary as they learn about homelessness.

Post reading activity:

Talk about what it would be like to be homeless. What would the students do if they found themselves without a home? What would they be able to take? Lead a discussion about the fact that homelessness is not just the stereotypical “hobo” but can include children as well. Discuss some of the frustrations that a child in a homeless family may have. Discuss that a child that is homeless will still want friends and people who care about him or her. This may be a great activity if you know that you are going to have a child who is homeless come into a class.

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.

Amazing Gracie

Author: A.E. Cannon

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Mental illness of a parent, family financial problems, suicide

Year of Publication: 1991

Publisher & Location: Dell Publishing, New York, New York

ISBN#: 0440215706

Target Age Level: Jr High, High School

# of Pages: 214

Quality of Illustrations: None

Brief Summary: (Set in American Fork and Salt Lake City, UT )Gracie’s father died when she was four, so it’s been her and her mother ever since. Gracie looks a lot like her mother, but she’s afraid she’s like her in other ways. Cynthia, Gracie’s mom, struggles with depression. She had to go to the state hospital when Gracie was seven. Gracie has felt it her duty to keep her mother happy. Cynthia gets remarried to Pete who sometimes seems irresponsible. Gracie has to adjust to a new step-father and step-brother. Pete moves the family to Salt Lake City so he can pursue his multi-level marketing career. This should help Cynthia with her depression, but it doesn’t. She spirals down until she attempts suicide. Gracie finds her lying on her bed. Cynthia is taken to the hospital where she stays for a while. She eventually returns and there is hope that she will be able to control her depression.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: The characters are very real and believable. It could be very applicable to students in this area as it is set in American Fork and Salt Lake.

Activity: Have students identify what Gracie is experiencing with a mother who suffers from depression. Identify how she handles the responsibility and her feelings towards her mother when she attempts suicide.

Those Shoes

Type of emotional/crisis issues addressed: Family Financial Difficulties

Author/authors: Maribeth Boelts

Year of Publication: 2007

Book Title: Those Shoes

ISBN #: 0805070796

Age level: Lower Elementary

# of pages: 25

Quality of illustrations: Good

Brief summary: A young boy really wants a pair of cool shoes that everyone else in his school seems to have. His grandma tells him that they don't have enough money, and he really needs new snow boots. The school counselor gives him a pair of shoes with a stupid cartoon character that embarasses him. He finally decides to look at thrift stores for the popular shoes and ends up buying a pair that is too small for him with his own money. He wears them for a few days before they hurt his feet too much. When a friend comes over and sees them, he considers giving them to his him since his feet are smaller. It takes him awhile, but he finally decides to do it.

Personal opinion: It is somewhat simplistic, but it encourages a good attitude of giving. It also encourages kids to be satisfied with whatever situation they are in.

Activity: Create some sort of activity with monopoly money and a pretend economy where the child has to buy important things like food, a house, or a car before they can buy fun things like toys or candy. Talk with the child to help them understand that sometimes when we buy really important things, there isn't very much money left over for fun things. Talk about why parents can't buy them fun toys sometimes, then talk about what things we can't buy, but can have anyway (generosity, love, friendship, working hard in school)