Why Am I by Colleen McCarthy-Evans

Why Am I

Colleen McCarthy-Evans, Author

Sarah Dietz, Illustrator

Seven Seas Press, Fiction, Aug. 31, 2020

Suitable for ages: 3 -103

Themes: Love, Respect, Humans, Animals, Nature, Life, Inspirational

Opening: “Why Am I / Said the Boy to the Sky / You bring us great joy / Said the Sky to the Boy”

Amazon Synopsis:

Come along on a journey through a dreamy day in our amazing world, starting in the dewy dawn and ending with a dance by the light of the full moon. We’ll meet charming characters and learn about their purpose and preciousness, through fun and playful rhythm and rhyme. This joyful book is a meditation that reminds us that every person, animal and thing in the world has special qualities we can appreciate, value and love about them. And we are all so much more than we believe we are. For ages 3 to 103.

Why I like this book:

Colleen McCarthy-Evans’s Why Am I, is a captivating ode to the wonder and mystery of our world. “Why Am I” is a universal question that children and adults like to ask and ponder. The lyrical narrative reminds readers that nature, animals and human beings have qualities that we all love, appreciate and respect — from the joy of a child to a kiss from a mother; from the sweetness of a honeybee to cheerful chirp of a bird; and from the motion of the ocean to our trust in the galaxy. The language is easy for little ones to understand and yet appropriate for older children and adults. Readers will learn to love and respect themselves and the wonderful world they live in. This is a very timely picture book.

Why Am I is a perfect quiet time story that will encourage soul-searching conversations between children and parents. The book is a perfect blend of gentle words and Sarah Dietz’s inspiring and beautiful illustrations, which will capture readers imaginations.

The Spanish edition of the book, Por Que Soy / Why Am I, was published on November 9.

Resources: Make sure you read the Author’s Note at the end. The author has also created two pages of Discussion/Activities for parents and teachers to use to spark discussions. For example: Take a walk around your school or neighborhood and name a quality for each person, animal, tree, garden, and park that you see. There are so many ways to use this beautiful book.

Colleen McCarthy-Evans is an award-winning creator of books and board games for children and families. She is the author of The Little Blue Dragon. She’s a co-founder and former Director of Operations of the Santa Barbara Charter School (est. 1993), whose mission is to teach Conflict Resolution along with Academics and the Arts. She lives in Santa Barbara, California with her husband and dogs, loves to practice and teach yoga, and enjoys being in and out of the garden with her two grown sons, extended family and friends.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

*Review copy provided by the author in exchange for a review.

Feminist, Social Justice-Themed Board Books for Children

I Want to Be…, Nibi is Water and I am Violet, are part of Second Story Press’s first season releasing feminist, social justice-themed board books for babies and toddlers, ages 0-3 years. The three books explore some amazing and unusual jobs people do; talk about how we use our precious water; and celebrate the color of our skin. Such a wonderful and diverse series of books for little ones! There is simplicity in all three books and they are beautifully illustrated in bright colors that will please toddlers.

I Want to Be…A Gutsy Girls’ ABC

Farida Zarman, Author and Illustrator

Apr. 14, 2020

Synopsis: Filled with diversity and empowerment, little girls will see that they can be anything they want. There are an alphabet of possibilities for when you grow up. Some jobs sound fun — ice sculptor, toymaker, dog handler, kite designer, party planner, and wind farmer. And some jobs sound exciting and important — jockey, aerialist, novelist, sportscaster, oceanographer, and mountain climber. Each fun letter is complimented by an illustration of a girl filled with delight and wonder as she shows us how we can be anything we want to be.

Nibi is Water (Nibi Aawon Nbiish)

Joanne Robertson, Author and Illustrator

Apr. 14, 2020

Synopsis: A first conversation about the importance of nibi (water) told from an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) perspective. Toddlers will learn about the many forms of water in rain, snow and ice. They use water to drink, bathe, brush their teeth and flush the toilet. They build snowmen in the winter, swim in the pool or canoe on a lake. Nature depends upon water to grow plants, food, and trees. Animals need water to drink and fish swim in water. Our role is to thank, respect, love and protect nibi in our daily activities.

I Am Violet

Tania Duprey Stehlik, Author

Vanja Vuleta Jovanovic, Illustrator

Synopsis: This book celebrates and explores how people come in a rainbow of beautiful colors. A little girl looks around her and sees that some people are blue, some are green, some are red. People in the world come in a rainbow of colours and Violet herself is a wonderful mixture of her mom and dad. Her mom is red, her dad is blue, and, as the little girl declares: “I am proud to be both. I am proud to be me! I am Violet!” Her message of pride and acceptance has been simplified for the youngest among us so it can be shared even earlier.

Resources: All three books are great first discussion books. Parents can help toddlers identify letters associated with amazing gender-neutral jobs; they can talk with them about protecting water and learn dual language words (glossary at the end); and they can help their little ones explore their own skin color and the skin color of others. Encourage children to draw pictures of fun jobs, how they use water, and self/family portraits showing their skin colors in bright colors. Children have big imaginations.

*Review copies provided by the publisher.

Line and Dot by Veronique Cauchy

Line and Dot

Véronique Cauchy, Author

Laurent Simon, Illustrator

Magination Press, Fiction, Mar. 12, 2018

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes: Creativity, Imagination, Diversity, Cooperation, Respect

Opening: One day, Line met Dot…and they decided to play together!

Synopsis:

The story begins with a white Line and a black Dot. They begin to make bold and brand new things. It is so much fun that Line and Dot decide to invite their friends — big and small, young and old — the more the merrier. They bring with them more ideas. With so many new friends they realize that together they sky is the limit and they are empowered to create so much more. Soon they have built a large city. But something is missing. Line and Dot have another big idea. They invite their friends who live in distant lands. They arrive from all of the corners of the world to their city. The lines and dots are a festival of color — blue, yellow and pink, black and white — and they create something very wonderful.

Why I like this book:

Line and Dot is a joyful and engaging book for young children and one that belongs in classrooms. It encourages creativity and imagination. It cleverly shows the importance of accepting differences, learning something new from others, and living peacefully while maintaining individuality, differences and diversity. With simple text and whimsical illustrations, this story demonstrates the importance of mutual respect and cooperation.

Resources: This is a great classroom resource with endless possibilities for use. Teachers can simply focus on creativity and imagination by encouraging children to draw a picture using line and dots. Put kids on teams and encourage them to work together to come up with an idea and paint or draw it with lines and dots. There are no right or wrong answers, just the fun of creating something together.

Véronique Cauchy was born in Normandy in 1969. She had a penchant for writing at a very early age…but instead she studied business, going from Paris to Berlin via Reims and Sacramento! An expert in international trade, she directed a human resources company in her native Normandy, but her life changed when she had children. She discovered children’s literature and threw herself into the crazy adventure of writing for young readers.

*Copy provided by the publisher.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

I Am Enough by Grace Byers

I Am Enough

Grace Byers, Author

Keturah A. Bobo, Illustrator

Balzer + Bray, Fiction, Mar. 6, 2018

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes: Individuality, Love, Respect, Kindness, Diversity

Opening: “Like the sun, I’m here to shine.”

Book Synopsis: I Am Enough is an essential book for everyone — an inspiring lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another.

Why I like this book: Grace Byers’ soulful book is a magnificent poem to girls encouraging self-esteem, individuality, respect and kindness. It empowers girls to be themselves and encourages them to realize their endless potential. Readers will learn how each day is filled with possibilities to dream, soar, love, use their voices, fail, succeed, disagree, and love. The poetic tone of the text is celebratory, inviting the reader on an adventure of self-discovery and self-acceptance. Keturah Bobo’s expressive and vibrant illustrations showcase racial and cultural diversity and shows a girl playing jump rope in a wheelchair. They compliment the uplifting and positive affirmation that “I am enough!” And that cover just draws you into the story. This is a perfect gift book.

Resources: This is an ideal discussion book. Ask girls what it means to be enough. Let this conversation evolve into what is uniquely beautiful about her and every other girl. Although written for girls, I believe boys will enjoy this book.

Grace Byers is an actor and activist who stars in Fox’s hit series Empire. As a multiracial young girl and a child of deaf adults, Grace was bullied throughout her childhood. This book was born out of her desire to empower young girls against the effects of bullying. In her spare time, she volunteers with the nonprofit anti-bullying organization Saving Our Daughters. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Trai Byers.

This is the Earth

Earth Day, April 22, 2016!

This is the Earth

Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander, Authors

Wendell Minor, Illustrator

Harper Collins, Nonfiction, Feb. 23, 2016

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Pages: 40

Themes: Caring for the planet, Living in harmony with the environment, Pollution, Conservation, Respect, Healing

Opening: “This is the land, / fertile, alive, / crawling with creatures / that help it to thrive.”

Book Jacket Synopsis: This Is the Earth takes readers on a journey through hundreds of years as it explores how humans have affected the environment and shows the ways in which we can all care for the planet. Every action we take has an impact on our surroundings — and everyone can help save the world.

This is the Earth

that we treat with respect,

where people and animals

interconnect,

where we learn to find balance

between give and take

and help heal the planet

with choices we make.

Why I like this book:

Diane Shore and Jessica Alexander have written a very sensitive and uplifting story for children about the condition of the land, air and water of our planet. The text is beautifully written in rhyming verse and makes it easy for young children to digest. Their goal is to help children realize the importance of living in harmony with our planet in a positive way.

This is a good introductory book for children. Each double-page spread gently focuses on how our planet has changed from its beginning pristine state. It shows how the arrival of the busy industrial age and the modernization of the planet have affected the earth. The book helps children understand and respect the interconnection between humans and all life.

This Is the Earth is about choices. It shows how every little action we take impacts the ecosystems and environment. Everyone can help heal the planet. The story encourages children to take action and live a greener life by riding bicycles, using less water in the shower, turning off lights in unused rooms, recycling trash, planting trees and gardens, and treating wildlife with respect. This is a hopeful book about taking care of our precious home.

Wendell Minor’s illustrations are breathtaking and support the books very positive message. His rich and colorful watercolors convey a power that will captivate and appeal to children.

Resources: This is a great classroom book. Involve students in cleaning up the school yard, planting trees on the property, and separating recyclable items. For more ideas about how you can make a difference, visit the Earth Day website.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.

Sharing Our Homeland

Sharing Our Homeland: Palestinian and Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp

Trish Marx, Author

Cindy Karp, Photographer

Lee & Low Books Inc., Nonfiction, Jun. 1, 2010

Pages: 42

Suitable for Ages: 8 and up

Themes: Peace Camp, Friendships between Jewish and Arab children, Tolerance, Respect, Multicultural

Opening: “Summer is here, and Alya and Yuval are off to camp. They will swim and play games, sing and make crafts, go on field trips and spend a night sleeping in tents. They will have fun with their friends and make new ones.”

Book Jacket Synopsis: Summer is here, and Alya, an Israeli Palestinian girl, and Yuval, and Israeli Jewish boy, are off to Peace Camp. They are excited, but their excitement is mixed with apprehension. The area in which they live has been fought over by Palestinians and Jews for a hundred years. What will campers from the “other side” be like? the children wonder.

At camp, Alya, Yuval, and the other campers enjoy two weeks of fun in close contact with one another. They participate in sports, create arts and crafts projects, and go on field trips. The children begin to understand what their homeland means to both sides. They learn not to be afraid and to respect one another.

What I like about this book:

Trish Marx has written a compelling and thought-provoking book for youth about a Peace Camp for children in one of the most complex parts of the world. It is heartwarming to know that there are both Jews and Muslims living in Israel who would like a peaceful coexistence.
The book focuses on a Muslim girl, Alya, and a Jewish boy,Yuval, who happen to live in neighboring settlements and probably would never meet, except through camp. Readers are introduced to their families, learn a little about their daily lives, occupations, culture and traditions.
The author gives a brief history about the Middle East and the context for the conflict in the region. As she does so, she explains how Alya and Yuval live in the midst of this ongoing conflict and the impact on their lives.
The goal of Givat Haviva’s Menashe Summer Peace Camp is to build “bridges and understanding among the campers.” It reaches out to children with the hopes of creating a foundation for peace, tolerance and respect for each other.
Cindy Karp’s vivid and colorful photographs are filled with laughter and chronicle the activity of the campers. The campers’ days are filled with swimming, water slides, a day at the beach, arts and crafts projects, climbing, and games. There are field trips to a kibbutz (Jewish settlement) and an Arab village where they learn to bake challah bread and taboon, a round flatbread. There is a sleepover the last night.
Readers will gain insight into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and feel hope that solutions may come with younger generations. I highly recommend this book and hope that it has a home in every school library.

Resources: The author provides further reading, websites of interest, and a glossary at the end. You may visit Trish Marx at her Lee & Low website.

Bucketfilling — Family and Classroom Books Encourage Positive Behavior

I stumbled upon two very similar books based on a concept I admit I was not familiar with, bucketfilling, designed to help parents and teachers focus on building character in pre-school and elementary school children. I did further research and discovered that there is a programs for teachers to use the concept in their classrooms — and there are examples of how it is being used in schools. Since I just wrote a post July 5 on The Family Virtue Guide, I thought this would be a nice companion. It essentially works with many virtues/values we hope to instill in children. This is a great school project!

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids, is written by Carol McCloud and illustrated by David Messing for pre-schoolers to age 8 years. Actually the author says that filling the bucket begins at birth when parents love, hold, touch, care, play, and read to their children. You are filling an invisible bucket for your child as well as your own. As children grow, it is important that they are also taught to love, be kind, helpful, unselfish and respectful of others. McCloud wrote this book and designed a program to teach the daily practice of bucketfilling. David Messing’s illustrations are colorful, bold and captivating and support the message. The characters are multi-cultural and have disabilities. There also is a companion guide for young children, Fill a Bucket.

This book visually conveys a very simple but profound message children will understand — and it’s fun because the illustrations speak to you! Everyday people from all over the world, walk around carrying an invisible bucket. You can’t see it, but it’s there. That means children, parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, neighbors, classmates and people you don’t even know, all have an invisible bucket. There is only one purpose for the bucket — to hold your good thoughts and feelings about yourself. You fill your bucket when you are kind to someone, smile, give someone a hug, listen when they are sad, run an errand or say hello to a stranger. You fill someone else’s bucket, but you also fill your own bucket. When you feel sad, upset and lonely your bucket is empty. It also can be empty when you are mean or hurtful to someone. That’s called “bucket dipping.” Then everyone’s bucket is empty. But, when you are a bucket filler, you make your home, school, community and world a better place to be.

How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids, is written by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer, Ph.D. and illustrated by Maurie J. Manning. Rath co-wrote the book with the late Dr. Donald O. Clifton, who has shared his “bucket” story since the 1960s. The original book was an adult non-fiction, which became the basis for this children’s story book. Reckmeyer is Executive Director of the Donald O. Clifton Child Development Center for 25 years, and has helped thousands of kids build lives around their strengths. The authors have written this book in story form.

Felix is building a block tower and his persistent little sister wants to help. He repeatedly tells her NO! Fed up, feisty Anna grabs her doll and takes a big whack at the tower and it tumbles. Felix yells for Grandpa, who begins to tell Felix about the invisible buckets that everyone has over their heads. He tells Felix he just emptied his sister’s bucket with his actions. The next morning Felix wakes up and sees a small bucket floating above his head. The bucket is full and as he goes through his day, he begins to see how his interactions with other kids, empty and fill his bucket, drop by drop. He wonders what it feels like when you have an empty bucket. Once he learns how easy it is to be helpful to his classmates and his sister, he is excited and happy. As Felix realizes that every drop he helped put into someone else’s bucket, he felt a drop in his own bucket.

The Family Virtues Guide

Since I’ve written a few blogs recently on pushing, mean girls and bullying, I thought I would introduce a book I used in the late 1990s when my daughter was young. I wanted to find a way to work with her on caring, kindness and respect. I learned about The Family Virtues Guide, by Linda Kavelin Popov, Ph.D., from teacher friends who used the program in their classrooms in Minnesota. Dr. Popov founded the The Virtues Project, in Canada in 1991. Today the program has ignited a global revolution in 95 countries. Its mission is to offer multicultural programs and materials which empower people to remember who they are and to live by their highest values. The project was honored during the International Year of the Family by the United National Secretariat as a model global program for families of all cultures.

The book is about virtues, which are universally valued by all faiths and cultures in the world. The Guide is based on sacred traditions of the world’s religions, yet it does not promote the practices or beliefs of any specific faith. There are 52 virtues listed in the book including: caring, compassion, consideration, forgiveness, generosity, helpfulness, kindness, love, respect, responsibility, service, trust, and truthfulness.

I was thrilled with this guide, because it allowed the entire family to take part. Every day our daughter selected a card from the deck and read it out loud. If an incident would arise, we might select a card for her. Her father or I would read the chapter on the virtue from the book and we would discuss it as a family. And, of course she had her own ideas about what a specific virtue meant to her. For instance, if the consideration card was selected for the day, we talked about having respect for other people and their feelings, and thinking about how our actions affect someone else. We discussed how to practice compassion starting with paying attention to herself and to others. It meant that she needed to be aware that day at school when someone looked lonely or sad. Then practice what she learned by doing something nice for the other chid. For example, befriend a new student, listen to a friend that has been teased, or let someone go first. At the end of the day during dinner, we’d discuss if we had the opportunity to show compassion. And, as parents we shared about how we each used the virtue at work. Some days were more fruitful than others. It became a game and we had fun with it.

The book and deck of cards were retired and sat on my book shelf for a few years, until my husband’s daughter was looking for a way to help her very competitive boys get along. So I passed along my book and cards and she began to use the program with her sons. It too became a family project.

This also is an outstanding classroom project. There are instructions at the end of the book about making a Virtues Tree Felt Board. It has many applications in the classroom and can be used to acknowledge student efforts. With bullying on the rise, it would be a helpful project to use with young children.

Little Girls Can Be Mean

You’re Mean, Lily Jean, written by Frieda Wishinsky and illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton for children 4-8 yrs. Carly always plays with her big sister, Sandy. They are both imaginative and play great games of pretend. One day a new girl, Lily Jean, moves in next door. The sisters are taken with Lily Jean, until she begins to boss everyone around. Since Carly is the youngest, Lily Jean, orders her around making her crawl like a baby, moo like a cow and play the royal dog. Tired of being bossed around, Carly comes up with a plan to teach mean Lily Jean a lesson. Will Carly change the dynamics? After all, kids just want to fit in.

Wishinsky wrote an important book for parents to read to their daughters about how little girls can be mean. A good book for the classroom. Denton’s soft watercolors capture the mood of each character, and children will find the illustrations engaging.

Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-Proof Girls in the Early Grades, written by Michelle Anthony, M.A., Ph.D., and Reyna Lindert, Ph.D. , 2010.

Book Jacket: In today’s world, girls are facing myriad friendship issues, including bullying and cliques. This is the first book to tackle the unique social struggles of elementary-aged girls, giving parents the tools to help their child become stronger, happier and better able to enjoy friendships and handle social cruelty. Michelle Anthony and Reyna Lindert’s simple four-step plan will help you become a problem-solving partner with your daughter. They also offer tips for educators and insights that girls can use to face social difficulties in an empowered way.

After reviewing Lilly Jean is Mean, I discovered this important resource book for parents, teachers, and counselors for girls K- 6. I would have gladly welcomed a book like this to help me with creative approaches and strategies to strengthen my daughter during those vulnerable years. We know all kids will be mean at some point. At the same time, you also don’t want your child participating in bullying and cliques. Kids want to feel accepted. If they are in a situation where teasing is happening, you hope your child will stand up for the kid being targeted. It is important to begin teaching girls at a very early age, that being mean is not okay!

With the increase of societal bullying, the Ohio legislature recently passed legislation requiring schools to develop a curriculum for students on bullying. The message is clear — bullying in school is not acceptable. I hope this is a trend that is occurring across the country.

I also recommend you visit a friend’s website, Elizabethannewrites, as she has written an excellent three-part series about bullies, “Beyond Neener, Neener, Neener” posted April 23, 25 and 26.

Lively Elizabeth!

Lively Elizabeth!: What Happens When You Push, written by Mara Bergman and illustrations by Cassia Thomas, for children 3-6 yrs. Bergman uses rhyme in a very vibrant way to capture her characters and story line. Cassie, a first-time children’s book illustrator, impressively uses vivid color and detail to beautifully support this story. A winning combination for both author and illustrator.

Elizabeth is a tad too high-spirited for her own good. She is energetic, fun-loving, and mischievous. While standing in line at school, she decides to push Joe Fitzhugh, who knocks down Ethan Snell, who falls on Annabelle, who bumps Norine… thus creating huge chain reaction of crashes, flailing arms and legs, knocked down sporting equipment, books and musical instruments. Joe Fitzhugh explodes in anger at Elizabeth and yells “You pushed me and hurt everyone!” Elizabeth faces her peers, which may even more challenging than the teacher.

Lively Elizabeth is fun story that provides an excellent teaching moment for parents and teachers to start talking with young children about pushing, accountability, apologizing and forgiveness. In fact, it’s a book to be read and reread often to remind children to respect one another.