PPBF: Remarkably YOU

Today I'm excited because our PPBF pick celebrates YOU.

The you that needs to hear that you are special.

The you that needs to hear that you are beautiful.

The you that needs to hear that you are enough.

2

PPBF: The Day You Begin

Happy Friday; this week was a somber one, 
with the seventeen-year mark of 9/11 globally
and the ten-year anniversary of hurricane Ike locally,

a time for reflection and gratitude, for sure.

And we've had some bumps in the road on the home front,

but nothing that we can't hurdle together

with a little bit of grace and a whole lot of love.

Today I'm grateful for this incredible PPBF find.

Title: The Day You Begin

Author: Jacqueline Woodson

9

PPBF: If I Were A Moose

Today I'm excited because I just spent 24 glorious hours with my daughter, in her town, in her apartment. Lots of mommy/daughter time. And a sleepover. We walked to lunch and sat outside on the front porch of this adorable little sandwich shop before doing some shopping to pick her up some groceries. Then we went back to her place and relaxed for a bit before cooking up some meals for her for the upcoming week. What a joy to walk her through three of her favorite recipes and work together as she learned how to make them for herself. Then we watched a comedy and laughed together. A lot. And as I was drifting off last night, I smiled at what a special young lady she is and I prayed a prayer of thanks for the gift of a daughter like Kaitlyn. Here she is, recently featured in a magazine advertisement for the camp she so loves:

So today's PPBF is a book I bought right after she was born

and read to her religiously during her formative years.

Title:  If I Were A Moose

Written by: Patrick Kleinen

Illustrated by: Jeannie Winston

Published by: Discovery Toys

Publication Date: 1995

Suitable for: ages 3-7

Fiction

Themes: Unconditional love, imagination, self-esteem

Brief synopsis: Young Coopie asks his Momma how she would feel and what she would do if he were something else, like a moose. Much to his delight, each answer is a kind affirmation for Coopie.

Opening pages: Coopie and Momma went walking to the market. It was cold outside and it took a lot of imagination to keep warm. Coopie had plenty of imagination.

Resources:

*Compare and contrast with a book called Agate, reviewed {here}.
*Watch the Be Yourself  Sesame Street clip {here}.

*Watch the What I Am Sesame Street clip {here}.

*Practice Affirmations with your children; 

click this graphic to read about how I use this worksheet

and to print a copy.

*Put affirmations on napkins or notes in your child's lunchbox so that they know you're thinking about them and that you love them.

Why I like this book:  This brilliantly colored gem takes me back to the days when I could jump in bed with my babies and a book and read to them before they'd fall asleep. Now that two of the three of them are away at college, those days are so very far and few between ... and I'm feeling nostalgic about that time so many years ago. This was one of our favorites because we'd talk about affirmations and compliments. Coopie fires questions at his Momma and she's got an answer for each and every one. We would take turns being Momma and Coopie and asking each other what would happen if we were ......

Here's the text from my favorite page:  

Coopie thought for awhile, then asked Momma, "If I were an angry dog and growled and barked all day ... then what would you say?" 

"I'd say 'My goodness aren't you grouchy! But you just bark away! Even when you are a grouch, I love you more each day.'"

How sweet is that? And the rich nugget about how feelings are all okay and what we need to learn is how to process and manage them in a healthy way? Priceless.

Check out this book; I think you'll be happy that you did!

No PPBF for the next two weeks, so check back in April for more fun book reviews to add to our ever-growing list at Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.

7

PPBF: Are You Confident Today?

Today I'm delighted to introduce the first book in the

 Becoming A Better You! series as my PPBF pick.

Title: Are You Confident Today?
{click the title for purchasing information}

Authors: Kris Yankee and Marian Nelson

Illustrator: Jeff Covieo

Publisher: Ferne Press

Date: March 2014

Themes: confidence, self-esteem, attitude 

Non-fiction

Suitable for: ages 4-8 (and beyond!)
Brief synopsis: This kid-friendly guide offers practical, every-day tips, healthy self-talk and positive reframes that'll help your children gain the confidence they'll need in an increasingly high-stakes, competitive world.

Opening page: Every day is a new day. Today is about being confident.

Resources: Raising Confident Kids from Kids Health {here}.
30 Ways To Raise Confident Kids from That's So Cuegly {here}.
The Key to Raising Confident Kids from Psychology Today {here}.
Dr. Sears' 12 Ways To Help Your Child Build Self Confidence {here}.
Evan Lysacek helps us understand the word confidence {here}.

Why I like this book and how I would use it:  
I'd start my lesson with a pre-assessment asking students to rate their level of confidence on a scale of 1 to 10 with one being not confident at all and 10 being the most confident that they could be. See what they think tomorrow's leaders know about confidence before reading this guide to helping build confidence that fluently speaks their language. 

I could totally feel an underlying current that says to young people that it's okay if they can't do something ... yet ... and encourages them to try things on their own, to gain independence bit by bit, and to persevere even when things are scary, difficult, or challenging. It also tells them that it's okay, important even, to bounce back from failures by giving it another shot. 
Because resiliency builds confidence. 
So does helping others, 
standing up for what's right, 
and learning a new skill, like playing a musical instrument.

The book's text takes its reader through things that they can 
easily manage by themselves with a little confidence - 
from helping with breakfast to packing your own backpack, 
from experimenting in science to shaking on a stage, 
from striking out at the ball diamond to snuggling in for a story - 
to share real-life scenarios that s/he can relate to and use to make meaningful text-to-self connections. With a can-do attitude, our youngest superheroes can soar with confidence.

At the end of the book, not only are there prompts for reflection
 but also parenting tips for raising confident children.

After reading and discussing the book, have them rate their confidence level again to see if they've changed their minds, even just a little, about where they find themselves on that 1-10 scale. Then let them complete a graphic organizer like this with examples of ways that they show that they're confident.

On their official online SAT test question of the day page, 
the College Board uses the expression: 
Practice makes perfect, so perfect your practice. 
Follow up your read-aloud by asking students what they think this means. 
Find out if they think there's any such thing as perfect.
Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right." Explore with your students if they agree with that statement or not, and see how they might connect that quote to confidence.

 Finally, have students write about a time that they were ... or weren't ... very confident. What was that experience like and how did they learn and grow from it?

17

PPBF: Oddrey

In our gratitude challenge, the word for the first day was sufficiency.
I love that word.
What are you grateful for that's sufficient in your life?

Today I'm grateful because PPBF is back ... and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I forgot that we weren't doing it last week and posted a PPBF review anyway ... so, in case you missed it, here's the link to Stand In My Shoes by Bob Sornson. 
It's got empathy written all over it and is such a worthwhile read!

And now, get ready to walk in Oddrey's shoes for a spell.

Title: Oddrey

Author & Illustrator: Dave Whamond

Publisher: Owlkids Books

Date:  October 16, 2012

Suitable for ages: 4 - 7
Themes: self-esteem, differences, acceptance
Fiction
Brief synopsis: Oddrey doesn't mind marching to the beat of a different drummer even though not everyone appreciates her differences. What will happen when she has to be a tree in her school play and ends up branching out to "save the show"?
Opening page:  Oddrey had always known she wasn't like everybody else.

Resources:

*Read a Quill & Quire review of Oddrey {here}.
*Download Oddrey activity pages from the publisher {here}.
*Find out more about Oddrey from CanLit {here}.
*Shining Willow award page and activity suggestions {here}.
*Compare and contrast it with Odd Velvet by Mary Whitcomb. 
*Ask students if Oddrey is a good name for this child
and let them support their answer in writing.

Why I like this book:  What's not to like. There's an adorable little odd-bird child with a smile that takes up her whole face who doesn't mind standing out in a crowd. In fact, she embraces it and actually revels in it a bit, even when it isn't necessarily applauded, appreciated or accepted. And though sometimes it left her feeling lonely and left out, Oddrey's ability to think for herself and "make the best of any situation" comes in handy. A lot. And then there's the play - The Wizard of Odd! Isn't that clever? When there's a problem at showtime, it's a resourceful, brave Oddrey (dressed as a tree) who not only roots for her friends but branches out to help them when they're struggling on stage. That's what friends are for, right? Here are my Wizard of Oz friends after our presentation at the 
2009 CEP Forum, just before we accepted our NSOC award. 
What, if anything, connects Dorothy and Oddrey?

Oddly enough, we just did our Self-Esteem Shields last week in small group feelings class. There aren't many parameters; basically students draw about what makes them unique. Here are a few of my faves:

This second grader drew a vase that tipped over and, even though the water spilled out, the flowers continue to thrive. Love this one,

 especially since she lost her father recently.

 This third-grade girl decided to draw a C for character and her flowers growing out of character soil. She explained that all of the fruit she drew represents to good stuff in her life because of her character choices. Yay! 

This one tugs at me because she included me in her family (MG)!
Is my heart swelling or what?

Have I mentioned there's a new Oddrey book - Oddrey and The New Kid - on the market now? But that's another review for another time.

Let's hear it for those cool, courageous kids 
who have healthy self-esteem and who celebrate standing out.

To see today's other PPBF picks, 
head to Susanna Leonard Hill's blog next.

25

From The Inside Out

Happy Birth-day, little Prince;
welcome to the world.
What a special time for the Royal family.
{How happy Diana would have been.}

Today I'm wondering what it's like to be royalty ...
and I'm thinking about self-worth and self-esteem.
Have you seen this book yet?

 What exactly makes someone beautiful anyway?
And who gets to decide that?

In Does This Make Me Beautiful? by Harriet Morse, 
a young Harriet gets invited to Caitlyn's house and 
she's understandably on top of the world because 
Caitlyn is a popular girl with whom 
Harriet has always wanted to play.

During their time together, the conversation turns to beauty, the outward kind, beautiful like the models on the posters that Caitlyn has all over her walls. After they decide that Caitlyn even looks like one of them with their "shiny hair" and their perfect clothes, Harriet asks if she looks like any of them, to which Caitlyn responds, "No, you have red hair and a ton of freckles ... But it's okay, Harriet, you're nice." Ouch, right? Well, okay, maybe not, 'cause I'd choose nice over pretty, but Harriet did not take that comment as a compliment. In fact, it kind of upsets her nice world.

As Harriet struggles to find something, anything at home to wear that will make her prettier, like the girl on the poster that Caitlyn gave her, her mom comes in and, with the help of Grandma Ruby's mystical mirror, helps Harriet see that her true beauty comes from her heart. 

I couldn't help but notice that in this book, the mom doesn't solve Harriet's problem, but, after helping her process her thoughts, instead gives her a tool and helps her arrive at her own conclusion.

Read this treasure aloud with your young princes and princesses, 

then share this Britt Nicole gem - Gold.

Of course there's a fine line between building up kids with superficial, empty praise and authentically empowering them with your
 unconditional affirmation and love. 

If you ever need help in this area, you can visit my 

go-to parenting experts Michele Borba or Bill Corbett.

When we love our children, really love them, for who they are and not for how they look or what they can accomplish, then their self-worth is nurtured in such a way that inner beauty will trump outward riches. Every time. 

And when they can accept that they're 

worth more than gold

 and when they value themselves, 

then healthy self-esteem will follow and

 they'll be more likely to serve others. 

Mental health can be built, 
and that's done most successfully when it's from 

from the inside out.

4

Tax Day Giveaway & Self-Esteem

Today I'm excited because I've partnered with author Julia V. Taylor 
for a Tax Day Giveaway as we celebrate self-esteem!

Perfectly You is a small-group counseling class must because its message that beauty and character come from within will really resonates with your character kids. It encourages us to embrace oir differences and celebrate our uniqueness. It also weaves in a healthy body and lifestyle piece that I think is so critical to a healthy self-esteem. 
It's kind of a 
mind-body-spirit book
for young and old alike, 
and that makes it ... perfect!

  I'm planning to read it this Friday and then let my little learners 
dance with Grover. Wanna join us?

Oh, and here's some tax-day relief: Julia has generously donated a signed copy of her book {Perfectly You} to one lucky reader! 
To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us
one thing that makes you special
between now and April 20th. Then check back on 
Saturday (after 9 am central) 
to see if the Gruener Generator randomly selected your entry.

Yay - thank you Julia. 
You've made my day week extra special!

This giveaway is now closed - congrats Kristina!

I also have a few other titles that would 
perfectly complement this clip;
click the book cover graphic for more information.

What is your secret weapon for helping students
embrace and celebrate being unique?

14

Princess Power

Do you know this Disney Princess campaign?

I saw it for the first time on Saturday while I was lying on the couch with the heating pad on my neck. In the middle of it, Jacob said to me, "I bet you love this, don't you mom?" Well, yes, as a matter of fact, it was grabbing me. And though I'm not the sort of mom who would ever do the toddlers and tiaras thing, I thought that this Princess Power clip was tasteful and did an excellent job weaving in virtues like loyalty, trust, kindness, compassion, promise keeping, and strength. I especially love the part about standing together!

It nicely complements the Dove Campaign about beauty, confidence and self-esteem. Click the graphic to the right to learn more about that one and to download their Self-Esteem Toolkit with discussion questions and an activity guide today.

1

Agate: What Good Is A Moose?

Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom. - Bahá'í Writings

Title: Agate: What Good Is A Moose?

Author: Joy Morgan Dey  
Illustrator: Nikki Johnson

Publisher & Date: Lake Superior Port Cities, Inc. – April 15, 2007

Fiction

Suitable For:  Ages 4 and up

Opening Page:

What good is a moose?

Agate thinks to himself.

As he mopes at the edge of a lake. 

He looks like a Tinker Toy project gone wrong.

He fells like a big brown mistake.

He thinks of his friends as sparkling gems.

Beautiful, talented, bright.

Oh, how he’d love to shine like them.

Agate sighs. It just isn’t right.

Brief Synopsis:  Agate the Moose isn’t feeling very valuable when he compares himself to his friends (like Opal, Amethyst, and Garnet) who just happen to be the twelve birthstones. In fact, Agate feels “clumsy, disjointed, and loose.” But, like the jewels that are their namesake, his friends work to shed some light on Agate’s inner beauty and encourage him to let his strengths shine.

Themes:  Self esteem/worth, acceptance, respect for differences

Links To Resources:

Visit the book’s page here for Agate Activities. 

Check out the What’s Your Birthstone? page {here}.

Author interview and a sneak peek at the book on You Tube.

Read my review in the Character Educator.

Why I Like This Book: First and foremost, I love this book because my father found an author-autographed copy in a little repair shop in Green Bay; it’s so dear to me because Dad knew it had the kind of message that a counselor (and mom!) like me look for in a book. When Agate the Moose is filled with self-doubt, his beautiful friends help him shift his focus from his drab exterior to his "fabulous, knobbly, glorious, lumpity, terrific, bumpity, incredible, gangly, remarkable, splendid, magnificent, jewel" interior. Like Agate, the verse is sometimes a little awkward, but I think the message that "beauty is only skin deep" far outweighs an occasional rocky rhyme.

Since an agate is an actual rock, the author includes a page in the back entitled Agate, the Secret Jewel.  Let Agate serve as the perfect springboard for a geology lesson about rocks and gemstones. And, since everybody has a birthday, your students will love to refer to it all year long; whenever you celebrate their important day, talk about their corresponding birthstone and let them bring one for show and tell.


As a fun bonus for you, why not dust off those vintage Tinker Toys and let the kids build something unique . . . or Agate?  If you're too young to remember Tinker Toys, do yourself a favor and head out to a resale shop or garage sale NOW!

For more Picture Perfect Book Friday recommendations, visit Susanna Leonard Hill's blog {here} and don't forget to check back on September 7th for another school year filled with amazing PPBF reviews. Thanks, Susanna, for this incredible resource.

11

Zero The Hero

Have you seen this new release?  Zero The Hero by Joan Holub, the clever newcomer that caught my eye at Barnes & Noble today, will likely be my book of choice for Math Night next year. Here's the animated trailer I found on You Tube:

Illustrated by Wisconsin artist Tom Lichtenheld, this treasure finds Zero's friends questioning his worth. In fact, he's unable to convince his friends that he has any value at all, so he leaves them behind to go and figure things out. And when they get into trouble with the Roman Numerals, Zero comes back to save the day.

Check out this book; it'd be a great launch into a hero study. Ask students questions like these: What is a hero? Who is your hero?  What makes that person hero-worthy? Whose hero are you? Why? 

At Westwood, our second graders research a hero, write a paper, then become that hero for the annual Wax Museum, usually around Open House time. They dress like that hero and come alive from their statuesque stance when a Museum-goer pushes their button.  Our son Jacob got to study and play the role of Chuck Yeager; Joshua was a short but very cute honest Abe. (I'll never forget that one because I actually knit a black beard for him to wear!)  This book has a innumerable extension possibilities and will be a value-able addition to your library.  I especially love it when Zero doubles as a letter to help spell out the word:  jOy!  (Kim, this one's got your name on it!!)

4

SUM Fun!

The Westwood-Bales families hit the jackpot with SUM togetherness and fun when faculty and staff hosted our fourth annual Math Night and Health Fair! Community organizations sponsored the fifteen booths at the Health Fair and gave away coupons, pencils and toothbrushes to advertise their service and celebrate their partnership with us. Families enjoyed a healthy alternative to the Cake Walk - the Fruit Loop - and moved to music to encourage preventative maintenance for our health and wellness.

Such a great graphic created by our AmAzInG webmaster Jane Ann!

Inspired by resources from Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks, our math stations included things like measurement activities and movement challenges, mancala and memory games, shuffling numbers and two-digit scramble, the guesstimate game and geometric shape-ups. The Credit Union even joined us to chat with our students about fiscal responsibility and money matters. 

We gave Golden Rulers to last year's Math Night participants.

Families at the rotation I hosted stopped by to listen to readings of the 
Kathryn Otoshi books entitled Zero and One. 

Here's One of the books I shared.

During the stories, I stopped a few times to asked how the numbers felt. When I inquired what that's called when you care about and can understand how someone else is feeling, each time a student was able to answer empathy - yay!


After reading the stories aloud, I posed the question: 
How do you know that you count at our school?

A first-grade cutie shows that she counts at our school.

I showed this zero cut into a paper and we pondered about what it is that gives us value and makes us count. Note to self - with more time, students could write down or draw pictures of their thoughts so that we could post them in a prominent place.


Here's the bibliography I made available at my station of twelve books with a character theme that have a numbers-or-shapes-related connection, 
making them easy to integrate into a math lesson. 

Zoe the Misfit by Ellen Dee Davidson (triangles/fitting in)

One Thousand Tracings by Lita Judge (measuring/caring)

Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban (sphere/feelings)

The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns (triangles/belonging)

One Grain of Rice by Demi (the power of one/fairness)

One by Kathryn Otoshi (numbers/upstanding)
Zero by Kathryn Otoshi (place value/self-esteem)

Square Cat by Elizabeth Schoonmaker (squares/fitting in)

Being Wendy by Fran Drescher (cubes/accepting differences)

The Hundred Penny Box by  Sharon Bell Mathis (money/caring)

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes (numbers/fitting in)
Billy Bully: A school-yard counting tale by Alvaro and Ana Galan (counting/respect)

If you've got a favorite Math Strategy, link it up with Rainbows Within Reach by clicking on the link below:

2

Everything's Coming Up Roses

From time to time, books cross my desk that publishers hope I will like and subsequently review. That happened last week, when my friend Amanda sent me this book called The Little Rose by Sheri Fink. The idea of a Rose book intrigued me because roses are difficult flowers to grow but oh, so worth it when they flourish. This book endeared itself to me and its powerful message resonated with me, so I emailed the author, who graciously agreed to an interview. Today I'm grateful to this budding author for taking time out of her busy schedule to introduce herself, answer a few questions and talk about her newest book. Isn't her smile contagious?

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I grew up in a small town in Virginia and moved to California following grad school. After 12 years in the online marketing world, I decided to pursue my dream of inspiring children and adults to live their best lives. I started writing when I was 7 years old. I loved creating my own worlds and enjoyed doing the artwork for my little homemade books. I reconnected with that joy a few years ago when I started writing inspirational children's books. I love it! Today, I write books that inspire and delight children ages 5-10 while planting seeds of self-esteem that can have lifelong benefit. My books help kids with their self-esteem while they have fun reading the stories and enjoying the beautiful illustrations.

My first book, The Little Rose, is about a little rose who grows up in a weedbed and believes that she’s the weed. The story empowers kids to overcome bullying and to embrace their differences as gifts. The Little Rose has been a #1 best-seller on Amazon for over 35 weeks and is being adapted into a play. My second book will be released on March 22. It's called The Little Gnome and it's about a garden gnome and his first year in the garden. The story helps kids look for the good in change while learning about the four seasons.   

What gave you the idea for The Little Rose story?

The story idea for The Little Rose came during a time when I was bullied. It was extremely difficult for me. I learned that everyone should just be themselves instead of trying to be like everyone else. From that experience, I got the idea for a story about a rose that everyone else thinks is the weed. She learns to accept and appreciate herself for the beautiful rose she is. I'm delighted to be able to use my negative experience to bring positivity to the lives of others, especially children.

Why was it so important to you that children hear the message beneath the words?

I want children to know how precious they are and to love themselves no matter what is going on in their lives and no matter what anyone else says. There's so much pressure to fit in. My hope is that we'll plant seeds of self-esteem that will make kids stronger, more self-confident, and more authentically themselves as they're growing up.

What did it take to get it published?

I did a lot of research and interviewed authors on traditional publishing and self-publishing. I'm an entrepreneur at heart and I really wanted to get the message of The Little Rose into the world quickly. I decided to independently publish The Little Rose as my first children's book. In order to do so, I had a huge learning curve. My passion for my book and its message really helped me focus and ultimately create and publish my book.

  

What's next for you?

I'm really focused on building my brand, 'The Whimsical World of Sheri Fink,' which includes books, toys, and experiences that inspire and delight children while planting seeds of self-esteem. My second children's book, The Little Gnome, debuts later this month. I'm really excited about it! I'm already writing my next book in the series, The Little Firefly, for Spring 2013. The play based on The Little Rose will be released this year. And, I'm speaking to kids throughout the world spreading the message of The Little Rose and encouraging them to believe in themselves. I'm so grateful for these wonderful opportunities!

1

My Self-Esteem Shield

I always find it interesting when parents tell me that their child needs some self-esteem; I have to stop myself from facetiously asking if they’d like the small bag or the large.  Let me be clear – I can NOT give a child his or her self-esteem.  And while self-esteem can’t come from me, per se, there certainly are strategies that I can use to help a child excavate the things that make him or her shine. Her spark. His passion. The things that make him or her special and unique.

I discovered the book I Believe In You by Marianne Richmond last fall and received it as a gift from my Mother-in-Law this past Christmas. I can’t count how many times I’ve used it already and I’ll tell you that there’s power in letting students talk about what they’re afraid of, what they’re proud of, what they’re worried about, what they’re good at, and who believes in them. Use this gem as a springboard for a healthy discussion with your students about who they are. I start with the front cover:  What do you notice about the child and his caregiver? What’s she teaching? What’s he learning? How do they feel? Trust me on this one; you’ll come back to it on the last page and they’ll be excited to make an observation and a connection. How are the pictures different? Why?

This book makes my job so much easier 'cause it addresses a little bit of everything - attitude and actions, feelings and friendships, choices and character.  I love the page where the girl makes a mistake and is hiding behind the couch. Did she know what she did was wrong?  How can you tell? Such delicious food for thought!  

We like this one, too, by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. It's called Incredible You!  10 ways to let your GREATNESS shine through. Since it has more words, you might find it more suitable for your older elementary-aged students.

When you've finished reading either one (or both) of these books aloud and discussing the different pages, let your students create a shield that shows what makes them special.

Here's my Special Shield

What are some of the books and activities you use to help promote healthy self-esteem?

6