An adequate storyline combines with colorful cartoon characters in a tidy five-step program for anxious pre-adolescents.
This illustrated kids’ book will help young ones handle their panic.
Young Jack wishes he were brave enough to experience all life has to offer, especially now that the extended family has gathered at the beach for summer fun. While he waits in line to ride the giant roller coaster Big Red, panic overtakes him. Then, cool surfer cousin Clay admits that he, too, used to have multiple fears, until an “old surf pro” taught him the “Magic Finger Countdown.” Acknowledging that “everyone—even surf pros and cousins and your parents—get (sic) scared sometimes” and that “it’s totally OK not to feel OK sometimes,” Clay teaches Jack the MFC and assures him it can be applied to scary rides, killer waves and more. MFC fails to provide relief for Jack the first time around, but Clay assures him that practice makes perfect, and the next day, Jack returns to Big Red to banish his “scaredies.” Fiorile (a school psychologist) and McDonagh (who has a diploma in psychology) note in the foreword: “We have been conditioned to reassure children that their fears are not real…[b]ut those fears are very real to children.” If youngsters are taught to “develop a healthy internal strength,” their confidence will increase and they’ll be reassured “that they can handle each new, anxious situation they encounter”; from there, the authors say, “anxiety can be transformed into a sense of personal power.” The MFC technique, “rooted in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy,” is explained in greater detail after the story (mostly for adults), and suggestions are offered to adapt the five steps for specific situations. Though no substitute for professional support and therapy, the book considers the familiar, dread-inspiring topics—taking tests, monsters in the closet, shadows on the wall, etc.—with an upbeat, reassuring tone. The simple steps for identifying, acknowledging and releasing fear offer a useful method for helping younger children move past panic into a place of confidence. Throughout, Alonso’s high-quality, vibrant illustrations provide an appealing mix of wide-eyed energy and bobble-headed attitude.
An adequate storyline combines with colorful cartoon characters in a tidy five-step program for anxious pre-adolescents.Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1496020406
Page Count: 40
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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