Zen Parents, Cooperative Toddlers: Your parenting tool set to staying calm, eliminating whining, and living a fun family life.

Written by Anna Anderson

Sound like pie in the sky? This brief book is not meant to be the definitive how-to guide by an expert but a sympathetic parent who is sharing her experiences. The author offers some common sense approaches to maintaining sanity and family peace during this trying time. Andersen encourages parents to be nice to themselves, develop a positive attitude of love and cooperation, and to learn to let go and be more patient while letting go of stress. It is necessary to set home rules, but at the same time relax unrealistic expectations and give the young child choices within reason.

When communicating with a toddler, a parent needs to connect in a way that the child can understand and to listen as well as speak. Parents must learn the fine line between firmness and gentleness. Use the philosophy, “walk a mile in my shoes.” Toddlers are curious, but must also learn how to respect boundaries while exploring. Give them chores and realistic expectations to spark creativity.

Finally, the author sets forth scenarios in which toddlers do make unreasonable demands and recommends different approaches to handling them. By making the young child see that their behavior is inappropriate, ignoring it, and then astonishing them by doing something that is playful; you will allow your child to feel as if you are able to understand their thinking and not demand compliance with your way of doing things. If parents allow themselves to develop tools to handle stress and be grateful and proud of their children, life will become easier and more enjoyable

Andersen offers a free download of a morning and evening routine chart. I would recommend this book to parents, teachers, grandparents and daycare personnel as an easy to read helpful guide from which you will surely pick up at least one or two ideas you can use.

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Early Signs of Autism in Toddlers, Infants and Babies: Diagnosis and Treatment Options

Written by Leslie Burby

The author is the mother of two children on the Autism spectrum and the Editor of Autism Parenting Magazine. She wrote this book to share her experiences and enlighten the public about identifying the signs of Autism in young children, a condition that is widely misunderstood. Burby endeavors to help parents understand what the signs are, how diagnosis criteria have changed, what sensory conditions may accompany Autism, how to get a diagnosis and who to contact as well as ancillary medical conditions and treatment possibilities.

I worked in this field for many years as a special educator and know first hand how Autism affects every child differently, how much conflicting information is out there, and how confusing the myriad symptoms and treatment options appear. The author systematically breaks down the old and new ways of identification and the five common types of Autism. She outlines the early signs and possible accompanying behaviors. Burby presents parents with a guideline of developmental milestones to look for in the areas of cognition, speech, social, adaptive, gross and fine motor skills. The section on sensory issues explains the differences between hypo and hyper sensitivity and indicates the behaviors that might accompany each. She also suggests ways to soothe children from her own personal experiences. Autism generally comes with a host of other medical conditions. Leslie outlines them: obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder and Fragile X Syndrome are just a few.

Most importantly, the author insists that parents not ignore the problem or allow pediatricians to suggest that they wait. She summarizes many of the popular early intervention strategies for cognitive, motor, speech and sensory issues. Even more valuable is the section which gives contact information country by country. Burby gives answers to frequently asked questions and offers a free copy of Autism magazine as well as sharing her personal contacts and reference sources.

This is a book that every parent, health clinician and educator should have in their library. Our children are counting on us.

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Writing The Bible for Children: How to Write Blazing Biblical Stories and Picture Books for Kids

Written by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod

I was drawn to this book by the second part of the title. Because I write picture books for kids (and adults), I was curious to see how the author would connect the concept with the writing of biblical stories.

Strangely enough, she begins by stating the reasons for NOT writing Biblical stories. These include the wish to get rich, demonstrate superior intelligence or the presumption that you and your religion can teach better than anyone else. The correct reason for writing them is that the Bible is full of timeless stories that can be meaningful to any generation. Proceeding from there, the author lays out how to write such a story, how and where to search for one, the journalistic method , the technique of story flow, presenting the protagonist, writing the dialogue, and presenting your point of view.

Once your story is written, the really hard work begins. The author must edit over and over again, gather the artwork, design the cover, correctly format the work and then publish the story. Authors must know how to interpret the inconsistencies in the Bible and reconcile them with their own view of Christianity. MacLeod gives the writer some excellent pointers on how to avoid mistakes that can derail a book if the appropriate illustrations are not carefully chosen to correlate with the meaning of the text.

I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s presentation and common sense advice. Even though I have never written a Biblical story, I appreciate the relevance of the topic to that of writing picture books for children. This book is a must for writers as well as parents, librarians or teachers who are the vehicles for providing access to the literature that their children read.

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The Little Leprechaun Who Loved Yellow: Following Your Heart

Written and illustrated by Sally Huss

Patrick loved his mother, but one thing about being a leprechaun made him unhappy. His mother insisted that he always wear green, the color of Ireland. That made Patrick sad because he loved all colors in the world around him, especially yellow. But all leprechauns in his school wore green, and that was just the way it had to be.

One day at recess, Patrick observed a beautiful rainbow; he decided to go off into the forest to try to find that beautiful yellow pot of gold that was rumored to be at its end. Soon his teacher and the whole community of leprechauns began to worry. Will Patrick find his pot of gold? Is he going to be in trouble with the adults?

The story has a surprise ending that will affect Patrick, the leprechauns, and his family. Delightful bedtime story that teaches children rules do not have to be arbitrary and that children and parents can learn to follow their heart. Perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the family, preschoolers and primary grade children.

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Dear God, Please Forgive Me for Hating Jessica Maloney

Written by Junia Wonders

Illustrated by Divin Meir

At the beginning of the story, the reader meets the author who is writing a letter to God asking for forgiveness for hating Jessica Maloney. Don’t be mistaken; this book is not preachy or religious in the strict sense of the word.

Plot centers around the author, her friend Minty and a boy named Andy who are classmates in a private school. Jessica Maloney is the most popular and prettiest girl in school, but she is far from perfect. She uses her status as the headmaster’s daughter as an advantage to bully other students that she sees as inferior to her. Our narrator is called “Four-Eyed Freak, gets her dress slit, gum placed in her braids, and a book from the library ripped into shreds. Her best friend, Minty, has her pigtails cut, and a friend named Andy, who has hygiene problems, becomes an outcast due to Jessica’s shenanigans. Jessica throws a tantrum in gym class and gets away with it because the teacher is afraid of losing her job.

There seems to be no way of fighting back until our narrator concocts a clever plan. She teams up with Minty and Andy to draw “unflattering” posters of Jessica that suddenly appear all over the school. What is on those posters and how will they help teach Jessica a lesson? At the end of the story the narrator explains that all three children feel guilty and apologize to their teacher and even to Jessica.

Nice example for children to teach how to deal with bullies without escalating the bullying.

This book is targeted to children ages six to nine, which seems appropriate. The illustrator’s beautiful watercolor pictures with pencil details add lots of depth and emotion to the story. Characters are multiracial. Nice book to have handy for parents and teachers to open up a productive discussion on the nature and types of bullying. Available in kindle and paperback formats.

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Home

Written by Brenda Kearns

This novella explores the drawbacks of the foster care system and the emotions of children who are its victims. The author has had first hand experience with the system and presents her story from the point of view of fourteen year old Allie. She and her younger twin siblings, Luke and Madeleine have been ripped away from their mother many times. This time they find themselves on a farm.

Allie is determined to get them back to their urban home. She uses her experience to try to manipulate the system and the social worker. When she finds herself in the care of Jo-Jo and a few other foster children, Allie is flummoxed. While she is determined to get back home as fast as she can, this family’s approach of both tough love and common sense has her baffled. It seems that Allie’s mother is determined to sabotage her efforts because every time she has a chance to show herself a good mother, she proves just the opposite. Finally the day arrives when they have an unsupervised overnight visit with their mother; the children find themselves in trouble again. How will Allie decide to handle it this time?

This book is both an examination of foster care and a coming of age story. Kearns knows how to develop her characters and pull the heart strings of her readers. At the same time, the touches of humor like Allie falling into cow dung and getting kicked when pretending to understand how to milk a cow take the edge off an otherwise too serious topic. I recommend the book for children ages ten and up. They will find many topics with which to identify as well as being given an opportunity to explore aspects of serious family issues.

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A Boat Full of Animals: Fun Activities to Develop Character in Kids

Written by Sally Huss

I have read many of the Sally Huss books, but this one takes her work a step farther by showing children how to put the lessons into practice. This book contains thirty animal games which allow a child to play while developing skills in kindness, gratitude, appreciation, goodness, patience, and truthfulness. We have all heard the expression, “ A happy life makes a happy wife.” Huss believes the same applies to children; by creating happy children we will build cooperative communities of future happy adults putting these virtues to good use worldwide.

There are thirty games featuring different animals; they can be divided according to time, virtue or animal preference. Each of them provide interactive questions for the child and then create a scenario in which to imagine and act the game out. Here is one example: #4 The Cat Game. Huss points out one of the best qualities of a cat is how it cleans up after itself. Then she gives the child reasons why cleaning up is a good thing and how good it makes you feel. Next she presents the steps in playing the game. The child is asked to make a mess at different times of the day and then clean up seven times. At the end of the day, think of what has been done and how much you have learned. As time goes on, be sure to remind yourself how happy your success has made you.

Each of these games is so cleverly crafted that it is hard to choose. Let me give another example. In #16 The Rabbit Game, the child learns that a rabbit’s long ears are for listening as well as hearing. He must be alert for danger. The child is asked how many times must he hear something before he pays attention. Listening is fun because when we listen we learn new things. Instructions are to really listen at least five times when parents, teachers, siblings or friends speak to you. Then put your rabbit friend on your animal boat and both he and you will be happy listeners.

As a child moves through the book, he will eventually have filled his boat with thirty animals and all their good character traits. A child will have learned how to assimilate their good traits and apply them to everyday life situations making each day a happier experience for the child and those around him. These games are fun to play, and parents or teachers may choose to zero in on those qualities which need the most reinforcement. Highly recommend the book, particularly for children in the five to eight age group.

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Mind Mapping for Kids: How Elementary Students Can Use Mind Maps to Improve Reading Comprehension and Critical Thinking

Written by Toni Krasnic

Cautionary Note; This book is not intended to be read and forgotten; be prepared to spend time putting it to the test! Krasnic’s goal is to engage elementary students to use mind maps to connect the dots not just collect them. Once that task is accomplished, students can see and use the big picture to ask meaningful questions allowing them to become better readers and learners. The author’s purpose is to provide a guide for teachers and parents to help young students use mind maps to improve their reading comprehension and critical thinking.

Krasnic divides the book into three parts. Part One explains the fundamental principles of visual mapping both in mind mapping and concept mapping. In the second part, the Concise Reading Method (CRM) is fully explained. This technique marries the eight reading strategies to mind maps. These strategies will sound familiar. They include Summarizing, Applying Previous Knowledge, Visualizing, Evaluating, Synthesizing Information and then asking Critical Questions. Teachers and parents working with the common core curriculum will recognize many of these. Part Three contains enrichment activities with additional examples, templates, and tips for students, parents and teachers on how to use these techniques.

The author speaks to each of the target audiences. Teachers are encouraged to experiment and teach children to use their unique abilities and interests to create many kinds of maps Students are urged to believe in themselves by taking control of their learning and assuming personal responsibility for their education. Parents of very young children must allow their children to choose what and how to learn by facilitating their natural curiosity. Once a child becomes school-aged, a parent needs to partner with the school and display the child’s work throughout the home.

The materials in this book are comprehensive but well organized and easy to follow. Readers are encouraged to ask questions and seek additional assistance. The drawings and illustrations make the concepts easy to understand. I urge parents, teachers and students to spend some time looking them over. Time and energy invested now might last a lifetime.

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Happy New Year from all the Authors in the Ultimate Reading Quest! This year myself, and all the Quest authors, want you to enjoy your reading experiences more than ever! So in 2015, the Ultimate Reading Quest has more, more, more! More authors and more books, means more mystery, more danger, more intrigue and more edge-of-your-seat adventure awaits you! We want you, our readers, to be able to fill that Kindle, tablet or E-reader you got for Christmas, with fabulous reads to take you through 2015. The Quest is so much fun! Who doesn’t love searching for treasure? The ULTIMATE READING QUEST is about finding books that are “perfectly” suited to your reading taste by clicking on choices. To thank you for participating, the authors have decided to give away oodles of prizes for free! Enter your name to win Amazon cards and free books from authors! Plus a whole store of treasured books are just waiting to be discovered by you!

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Self-Esteem For Kids: Every Parent’s Greatest Gift: How to Raise Kids to Have Confidence in Themselves and Their Own Abilities

Written by Simeon Lindstrom

The book will aid parents in building and developing a healthy sense of self-esteem in children ranging in age from toddlers to teens. Parents are the primary influence on a child’s self-esteem and self-confidence without which he will not be successful in school, work and everyday life. Although every child is different, the strategies and tips apply to all of them.

Lindstrom goes on to explain why self-esteem is important, how it develops in different stages of child development, and the do’s and don’ts for parents in facilitating the process. Then the author identifies the warning signs of low self-esteem that might come from within the child like self-critical comments and refusing to make decisions. Outside factors like bullying and negative reactions from teachers and peers could also be triggers. Perhaps the most important part of the book is the chapter on proven strategies for raising self-esteem giving parents access to the tools they need to address the problem and help their children cope with negative feelings.

I agree with the author that spending just fifteen minutes a day conversing with a child without distractions can have a huge impact on their self-esteem and self-confidence as well as provide an opportunity to convey parental love and enhance positive thinking. The author admits that there are times when a child’s low self-esteem are beyond the control of a parent. He presents a path for the parent which includes information on how to seek and find therapeutic options and then convince a child of its importance to his well-being.

This short book is well written and easy to follow. I believe it is a valuable resource for all parents, caregivers, teachers and counselors to keep on their bookshelf.

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