Tacky, the Penguin

Author: Helen Lester

Type or emotional/crisis issue addressed: insensitivity for individual and group differences.

Year of Publication: 2006
Publisher and Location: Houghton Miffin/Walter Lorraine Books - Boston, MA
ISBN-10: 0618737545
Target Age Level: 4-8 Kindergarden
# of Pages: 32
Quality of Illustrations: Excellent

Brief Summary:
Tacky doesn’t behave like the other penguins and his friends finds him annoying. But his unique personality and out-of-the-box thinking saves the penguin community.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children:
It’s a lesson of tolerance on differences and an inspiration to enjoy the uniqueness on every human being.

Activity:
Have children measure items in the room with different penguin feet, then write/illustrate in journals about what they did.
Posted by Nalu de Araujo Nunes

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.

Touchtender

Title: Touchtender

Author: Niid La'i; Illustrated by Tyler Thompson

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: self-esteem, depression, anxiety, fear, therapy, love, twisted thinking

Year of Publication: not yet published, copy right 2001

Publisher & Location: none (I can order copies if you are interested)

ISBN#: none

Target Age Level: Lower and Upper Elementary. I also use with Junior High and High School

# of Pages: 34

Quality of Illustrations: black and white, non-threatening, excellent use of drawings

Brief Summary: A child talks about different feelings, including feeling left out and depressed, angry, hurt, having poor self-esteem. Child also talks about being in therapy and getting mad at therapist sometimes.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: I like this book a lot. It covers a range of topics and can be used for a variety of situations. non-threatening and easy to read to a child or with a child. And, again, I use it with adolescents who have been hurt as children.

Activity:
Discuss what makes the child feel "touch tender" and compare it with person in book. Have the child write their own book of what makes them feel "touchtender".

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.