Angry Reads!

As promised, here's a new Read Your Way Through post. My bookish attempt to counteract:

• Tantrums


• Anger


• and Frustration, oh my!

Although my smart little J is sensitive, perceptive, loving, and a well-spoken 2 year-old, he's struggling with how to express his feelings of frustration.

"No" has been present in his vocabulary for over a year now, but the volume at which it is said is really cranked up these days. If what we want to hear is "Yeah, I want to", instead the response we get is "But, I don't want to".

Shoes and socks are now dangerous projectiles. Warnings are ignored; and, time-outs are less effective now--they almost seem to rev up his anger, causing further outbursts and stress.

Turning to books for advice, tactics, and insight into this behavior has reminded me to:
~take extra note of his good behavior
~focus on being compassionate and calm even as the shoes are flying into the front seat of the car on our way home from a playdate
~spend less time and energy enforcing time-outs, instead focusing on modeling "cool-down" tactics and teaching words to express frustration

Here's a handful of books I've found helpful without being preachy. J enjoys them too, just as any other "regular" story about trucks or trains or animals.


Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban
This one's great because it isn't corny, it gets J to laugh at Mouse's situation, it shows how NOT to deal with anger, and then it models a fantastic cool-down technique--taking deep breaths.

So simple! Now, when I see J revving up, I go straight to "Remember Mouse? When he was mad, he took some deep breaths and then felt much better. Why don't you try?" I do it with him and then when he's calmed a bit, I jokingly remind him of how Mouse got so hopping mad that he fell into a "mucky mud puddle". He thinks that phrase is hilarious.



Feet Are Not for Kicking by Elizabeth Verdick


While I'm happy to say that kicking isn't an issue in our house, I know it can be an outlet for frustration and anger. This book is cute because it's a simple board book that reminds you of all the fun stuff you can do with your feet: running, jumping, kicking a pile of leaves. If you have a younger toddler struggling with hitting and kicking, I think this would be helpful.



When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang

When Sophie gets really angry, you can see it in her eyes! The illustrations make sure of that--there's a two-page spread of just Sophie's angry face!

Instead of lashing out, Sophie takes off running to vent her frustration and clear her head. Obviously an older child, Sophie and her particular situation and solution don't resonate all that well with J. But, I like this Caldecott Honor book because of the color and vibrancy with which it depicts anger, frustration, and eventually: THE CALM.

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Lastly, I'll leave you with some lyrics from the great Jim Gill. (Give him a guitar and a room full of kids and he'll have them laughing, singing, dancing and doing whatever he tells them to in no time!) He has a cute song called Hands Are for Clapping, which J likes to dance along to. Besides being fun, this song gives me ammunition when I need to remind J that hands are not for hitting!

Hands are for clapping
Clapping to this song
Hands are for clapping
Let's all clap along

Toes are for tapping...

Knees are for slapping...

Fingers are for snapping...

Teeth are for brushing....

And, books are for reading! Enjoy these reads.

Read Your Way Through...Picky Eating

Boo Boo by Oliver Dunrea

A small curious gosling loves to eat...almost anything. Boo Boo sets a good example to youngsters as he's willing to try new things.

Crunch Munch by Jonathan London; illustrated by Michael Rex

With crunches and munches, slops and slurps, kids will love participating in this story that rhythmically shows how various animals eat. Parents will appreciate that it ends with the question, "How do you eat?", giving an opportunity to sneak in a reminder or a little discussion about food and nutrition!

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal; illustrated by Jen Corace

Are meals and eating habits stressing you out? This delightful book brings some much-needed humor to the topic. Poor Little Pea must finish a plateful of candy before his favorite dessert -- fresh veggies!

To Market, to Market by Anne Miranda; illustrated by Janet Stevens

This book is useful for introducing new vocabulary to young kids: a "Spring lamb", a "live trout", okra, etc. It's got a catchy rhyme that takes off from the nursery rhyme "to market, to market, to buy a fat pig; home again, home again, jiggity-jig". The humor and outlandish illustrations of this one make for a very fun read.

"Eat!" Cried Little Pig by Jonathan London; illustrated by Delphine Durand

"Eat" is the first word Little Pig learns, and appropriately so, because he loves nothing more than eating! From the mishing and mashing, the slopping and slurping, to the huge mess he makes of himself, kids and parents will enjoy the rhyming and raucous example of mealtime in this book.

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So, there it is. Happy Reading and Happy Eating! Please feel free to share some of your favorites on this favorite topic of mine! ;)

Take Another Looky

Remember Lookybook? I've posted about it before because it's such a cool concept. Although it doesn't appear that they've added any new titles in awhile, it's still worth the occasional look.

During some down time at work last week, I showed the site to one of my young little customers who was hanging around the desk chatting with me. She pulled up a stool and spent a good 15 or 20 minutes clicking through the books, reading to me. It was a great experience. She got some reading practice; she was able to read a book, like the one below, that the library does not currently own; and, it revealed a new dimension in which she could explore books and authors!

Take a peek at I Get Around by Deborah Miner. Cute and active two-page spreads chronicle Rover's day doing his favorite things. It's an enjoyable read for toddlers and preschoolers and boosts early literacy skills such as Print Awareness and Phonological Awareness.

Read Your Way Through...Winter!

OK, here's the first installment of the new blog series, appropriately about winter since we've been facing one heck of a snowstorm here in Columbus the last few days. These are books that I adore for their illustrations and each of their individual readability.

First up: Oh! (words by Kevin Henkes pictures by Laura Dronzek)

The snow has fallen all night long and now we're invited out to play with all the animals! "The rabbit wants to play. Hop, hop, hop, shy little rabbit." The illustrations so vibrantly capture the brightness and whiteness of the snow. The text is simple, almost poetic, and conveys the wonder and delight that a big snowfall brings. Read this one on a cold winter evening while drinking hot cocoa.


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Next: Polar Bear Night (by Lauren Thompson pictures by Stephen Savage)

Little polar bear goes out on a late night adventure in the snow. The stillness of these illustrations remind me of how quiet and calm the world is after a snowfall. Everything is covered in a glistening white and ordinary things look extra special and beautiful. I also love how the book ends, with polar bear returning "home", which is snuggled up with Mama.

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Don't Wake Up the Bear! (by Marjorie Dennis Murray illustrated by Patricia Wittmann)

When I first flipped through this book, I thought it looked way long and too wordy for our youngster. But, my husband has a way of really making it work and J patiently enjoys it. It's a fun cumulative tale of all the animals who creep into bear's den to snuggle up against his warmth. Everyone is resting peacefully until a tiny mouse attempts to ward off a giant ACHOO!

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Continuing on the bear/hibernation theme is one of our favorites, both for the stoy and the illustrations: Old Bear (by Kevin Henkes)

Take a peek at the colorful and wonderful dreams of bear as he sleeps through the winter. Read this one on a day when you've really just had enough of the winter blahs. J's favorite dream is the one in which it's summer: the sky opens up and it rains blueberries!

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And finally, an older book I just discovered: Millions of Snowflakes (by Mary McKenna Siddals illustrated by Elizabeth Sayles)

It's a copyright of 1998 but the illustrations' washed-out colors and blurred edges remind me of books of my childhood. In this sweet story, a young girl and her dog delight in each little snowflake that falls. It's a simple counting book as well, and the text has a nice rhythm and rhyme that doesn't seem forced. "Three little snowflakes melt on my tongue. I eat them up. Yum! Yum! Yum!"

"Four little snowflakes tickle my chin. I laugh. I jump. I run. I spin."

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Well, that's it. I hope you're inspired to check out a book or two and that you enjoy them as we have. Next up on the Read Your Way Through series is either going to be Bedtime or Eating (more specifically Picky Toddler Eating). Two biggies for most parents, right?! :)

New Blog Series Coming!

Just wanted to get the word out that I'm gearing up to start a new blog series! I hope you'll find it helpful, but also fun...and maybe it will open things up to discussion a bit. I'm really excited by the idea to bring together some of the things I love and am passionate about: kids, motherhood (parenting), books, information-gathering, and story-swapping.

The series will be called Read Your Way Through ____. The blank being some aspect of parenting, toddlerhood, or child-rearing that we are apt to confront at some point. My basic intent to offer reviews and recommendations of books to get you and your child through the sweet, fun, chaotic, silly, special and challenging moments. The focus will most likely be picture books, but who knows... I am quite the "How To" non-fiction reader so I'll no doubt have some "adult" recommendations too, as they apply. Maybe I'll get crazy and throw in a web site every now and then, too!

In my planning, I've arranged a selection of stages, traits and milestones that is pretty lengthy and quite varied, with the intent of keeping things somewhat universal and relevant to many of our lives. Of course, I welcome topic suggestions too.

Stay tuned!