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In her inimitable voice, Little Nursery teacher Renee Sandler reviews
these books, suitable for 2 to 4 year olds:
The
Chocolate-Covered-Cookie Tantrum,
Deborah Blumenthal & Harvey Stevenson
This is a story about Sophie, who goes to the park with her mother
and sees another child eating a cookie. Sophie wants one too but
her mother didn't bring one for her. Sophie gets very upset and
angry about not getting a cookie and her mother waits while she
has her feelings before going home. This is a well-written book
with bright, colorful pictures. I particularly like the message
of the book which is that adults don't have to give children whatever
they want or try and reason with them. They simply need to let children
have their feelings about not getting what they want.
Who's In A Family?,
Robert Skutch & Laura Nienhaus
This is a beautiful book showing a wide variety of different kinds
of families--nuclear family with siblings, family with one child,
single parent family, gay and lesbian families, family with a mother
and grandmother, divorced family, biracial family, even a family
with no children, but two pets. I like this book because it helps
young children identify their own particular family and develop
a tolerance and appreciation for different family structures. It
is also a good anti-bias book, since the pictures represent a wide
range of races and cultures.
Owl
Babies,
Martin Waddell & Patrick Benson
A wonderful book about separation. Three baby owls wake up one night
and find that their mother is gone. They decide to wait for her.
The two older ones know she'll come back and figure she just went
to get food for them, but all the youngest one can say is "I want
my mommy." The pictures and words in this book so clearly and simply
express the feelings inherent in the separation process. I've found
that young children love this book ask for it again and again.
Proud
Of Our Feelings,
Lindsay Leghorn
Corny title but great book. In this story, Priscilla introduces
her friends, each of whom is feeling and expressing a different
emotion. The book is designed to encourage discussion about feelings
between children and their caregivers with the goal being that children
can know and trust their own feelings. There are questions on each
page of the story, allowing children to relate times when they have
felt these different feelings. I like the examples given for the
friends' different feelings because they are ones that most children
can identify with, such as feeling shy when meeting new people,
feeling sad when friends don't listen, feeling happy about getting
a puppy, etc. Great multi-cultural pictures too!
Your
Body Belongs To You,
Cornelia Spelman & Teri Wiedner
This book, in very simple, straight-forward language, teaches children
that being touched is their own choice, not another's. With clear
illustrations, the book seeks to empower children by teaching them
that their own response to touch counts, and by giving examples
of how to let someone know if you don't want to be touched. An excellent
and well-written book with an important message.
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Play Mountain's Bookshelf for Kids