A terrific way for kids to engage with themselves and their folks.
A fun-to-use workbook that encourages children to express themselves in healthy, creative ways.
Most people who have kept diaries or journals can attest to the importance of having a safe place to scribble down thoughts, feelings, observations and plain silliness. Children are no different—they, too, need a nonjudgmental and easily accessible outlet for their thoughts and emotions. Lee, a child psychologist, offers young audiences a chance to explore their emotions and have fun with her workbook. After the success of her first Daily Doodle for children ages 4 to 7, the author responded to requests for a similar title for older kids. This volume includes more sophisticated writing and drawing prompts, such as “When I feel worried, I do this to help myself feel more comfortable...” Sprinkled throughout are “Doodle Breaks” for free drawing time. Another recurring page is the emotional check-in that prompts, “I feel ____ today,” accompanied by a thermometer so children can record the extent of their feeling. Lee knows what kids want—structure with the occasional chance for freedom, questions about themselves and the opportunity for honesty. They will love the chance to describe their lives in a bound book (just like Greg in Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and parents will love seeing their kids engaged in thought-provoking activities with a device that requires no batteries. Parents will also love discovering how their children see the world. In her introduction, the author encourages parents to be an integral part of their children’s journal experience by using three C’s—collaborate, create and connect. By following Lee’s suggestions, parents and kids can look forward to many happy hours. Maybe she’ll consider a Daily Doodle for adults someday.
A terrific way for kids to engage with themselves and their folks.Pub Date: March 5, 2011
ISBN: 978-1460907542
Page Count: 57
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
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
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
