In this picture-book sequel, a little girl learns self-talk and other simple techniques for managing her anxiety and perfectionism.
Sophia, a brown-haired white girl with glasses, loves school and is a good student. But then Worry—a dark scribbly cloud with mean eyes—appears in her life. The girl’s mind goes blank when she’s asked questions; she doubts herself, fears making mistakes, and feels paralyzed by Worry. Then Maya, a blonde white girl, offers help based on her own experience. She shows her how to calm herself in four steps: Notice the Worry; greet the Worry; breathe Courage in and Worry out; and use positive self-talk, such as “I can do it if I give myself time to think.” Whenever she practices these steps, Sophia’s Courage and confidence grow. Haske’s (When Worry Takes Hold, 2017) clear explanations make her concepts and techniques easy to understand, with good self-talk examples and ways to reframe situations; for example, “Mistakes mean that I am learning,” not failing. Sophia’s focus on growth is shown to be valuable not just for her, but also for her parents and teachers. The last page handily summarizes the book’s tips. Nam’s (Pepper Miss Pepperoni Finds Someone to Love Her, 2018, etc.) attractive illustrations skillfully capture expressions and personalities and depict a diverse class.
A useful, sympathetic, and nicely illustrated guide for struggling kids.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-0-9994415-3-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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With a little help from his audience, a young storyteller gets over a solid case of writer’s block in this engaging debut.
Despite the (sometimes creatively spelled) examples produced by all his classmates and the teacher’s assertion that “Stories are everywhere!” Ralph can’t get past putting his name at the top of his paper. One day, lying under the desk in despair, he remembers finding an inchworm in the park. That’s all he has, though, until his classmates’ questions—“Did it feel squishy?” “Did your mom let you keep it?” “Did you name it?”—open the floodgates for a rousing yarn featuring an interloping toddler, a broad comic turn and a dramatic rescue. Hanlon illustrates the episode with childlike scenes done in transparent colors, featuring friendly-looking children with big smiles and widely spaced button eyes. The narrative text is printed in standard type, but the children’s dialogue is rendered in hand-lettered printing within speech balloons. The episode is enhanced with a page of elementary writing tips and the tantalizing titles of his many subsequent stories (“When I Ate Too Much Spaghetti,” “The Scariest Hamster,” “When the Librarian Yelled Really Loud at Me,” etc.) on the back endpapers.
An engaging mix of gentle behavior modeling and inventive story ideas that may well provide just the push needed to get some budding young writers off and running. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-0761461807
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 22, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This companion piece to the other fairy tales Marcia Brown has interpreted (see Puss In Boots, 1952, p. 548 and others) has the smoothness of a good translation and a unique charm to her feathery light pictures. The pictures have been done in sunset colors and the spreads on each page as they illustrate the story have the cumulative effect of soft cloud banks. Gentle.
Pub Date: June 15, 1954
ISBN: 0684126761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1954
Categories: CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S
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