Illustrated by Catia Chien. 38 p., Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Sometimes being a friend means letting go. A little girl finds a beautiful sea serpent in her bathtub. They play together in the bath, and when it isn't bath time, she keeps him in a fish tank. The girl asks the serpent whether he misses the sea, and he says he does. In response, she promises to take him back, but the next couple of days are rainy, and she doesn't think that's good beach weather. In the meantime, the serpent is growing rapidly, and although she has mixed feelings about it, the girl realizes that if he grows any larger, she won't be able to take him home to the sea. So they go to the beach in spite of the rain. Knowing that people and serpents have different needs, and so need different homes, the girl says goodbye to the serpent. It's hard for both of them, but they take the time to share memories of their time together, the girl gives the serpent lots of reassurance about his life in the sea. When she's gone home, the girl finds comfort in her memories of the sea serpent. The story is illustrated with charcoals and semi-transparent washes of acrylic in a palette of greens and blues. Children will understand that there are times when it's best for both of you to put your friend's needs first, and that although this can be painful, it's bearable. Ages 4-8
Showing posts with label separation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label separation. Show all posts
Mommy in My Pocket by Carol Hunt Senderak
Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata.32 p., Hyperion, 2006. When children go to school, they might miss their parents. In this sweet story, a little bunny imagines that she'll miss her Mommy when school starts. Although she could bring Mommy's picture with her, what she really wishes for - and the story elaborates on - is that Mommy would be tiny enough to fit in her pocket, so she could keep her there all day at school, next to her heart. She imagines the whole day like this. But she knows that even though that won't happen, she'll be all right at school, "because the love in Mommy's hug and kiss ... will stay with me all day!" This rhyming story is illustrated with tenderly colored, yet energetic watercolors. It offers empathy with children's wishes, along with reassurance that they can tolerate ordinary separations from parents. Ages 2-6
Feeling Better: A Kid's Book About Therapy by Rachel Rashkin
Illustrated by Bonnie Adamson.48 p., Magination, 2007. When kids start therapy, they have lots of questions. This story, in the format of a journal by 12-year-old Maya, helps answer them. Maya explains that she no longer has fun with her friends or doing things that she used to enjoy, has difficulty paying attention in class, often feels irritable, and gets a lot of stomach aches and headaches. She wants to be alone - but she doesn't. Maya's father explains to her that sometimes kids don't know how to express difficult feelings, so they try to forget them, and when that happens, they act and feel the ways Maya has been acting and feeling. He tells her that he had struggles like this as a child, but didn't learn to understand them until he was an adult - with the help of a therapist. And he offers Maya the option of meeting with a therapist. Both nervous and relieved, Maya meets with Dr. Madison. She explains what therapy is like, and that "if you need help from a therapist, it doesn't mean you are bad or weak or dumb. It means you're smart because you want to get better." Maya finds that Dr. Madison is nice, funny, accepting, and genuinely interested in her. She discovers that it's OK to feel all kinds of feelings during the sessions. Dr. Madison explains that the therapy is confidential, unless it becomes necessary to talk to others to keep Maya safe. She offers the option of playing games or making art, and Maya notices that making art is especially helpful in understanding her feelings, which helps her feel better. At the same time, it's not easy to get used to therapy, and sometimes Maya doesn't feel like going to her sessions. But her parents remind her that each time she goes, she's getting better. With continued work, Maya comes to realize that at least some of her sadness is about her mother being away on more business trips than before. Her mother helps her manage that with special times before and after the trips, and more communication while she's away. After nearly a year, Maya feels proud that she's worked through her "big" feelings, feels more like herself, and is almost ready to end her therapy. Illustrated with line drawings, this story offers children a helpful, hopeul introduction to therapy. Ages 8-14
My Father is in the Navy by Robin McKinley
Illustrated by Martine Gourbault. 24 p., Greenwillow, 1992. When your parent has been away for so long that you don't remember him, homecoming can be confusing. Sara knows that her daddy is in the Navy, and her mother talks about him and reads her Daddy's letters to her. Sara knows she's supposed to say goodnight to a picture of him every night, but she doesn't remember him. When it's time for him to come home, all the excitement around her perplexes her. But when Daddy asks Sara to say hello to him, she finds that she remembers him after all. With its softly colored illustrations, this story offers empathy to children whose parents have been away for longer than they can remember. Ages 4-6
Love, Lizzie: Letters to a Military Mom by Lisa Tucker McElroy
Illustrated by Diane Paterson. 32 p., Whitman, 2005. Having a parent who is away because of military service can be a particularly difficult form of separation. This story describes Lizzie's time while her mother is deployed overseas through Lizzie's letters to her mother, and occasionally, notes from Mommy to Lizzie. Lizzie describes her everyday life, along with expressing wishes that her mother will be home for special days and concerns about her mother's safety. She also sends Mommy maps that she's drawn with Daddy's help, which illustrate her experiences. At the end of the story, Mommy sends Lizzie a map that leads to Mommy's return. An afterword for parents gives helpful suggestions for supporting children as they manage this kind of separation. illustrated in colorful watercolors, this story supports children's coping with military separation, encouraging an active, age-appropriate role. Ages 6-11
Boundless Grace by Mary Hoffman
Illustrated by Caroline Binch. 28 p., Dial, 1995. When your family doesn't fit with the images of families that you're exposed to, it can be confusing. And it can be even more confusing to meet a father whom you haven't seen since you were very little. Grace lives with her ma and her nana in the United States, and sees herself as not having a father. But she does have a father, and he lives in Africa with Grace's stepmother and young stepsister and stepbrother.Grace is surprised when he sends her tickets for Nana and her to visit him there. At first, Grace feels as if she doesn't belong in this family - they're complete without her, and this family has the "wrong" mother. But she finds that she can't help liking her step-siblilngs. She feels that she has to be annoyed with someone, though, and, having read stories about wicked stepmothers, chooses her stepmother, Jatou. Once her father reassures her of his love for her, she's able to like Jatou, and to enjoy African cultural experiences. But she misses Ma, and feels homesick when they talk on the phone. She feels as if there isn't enough of her for two familieis. Nana assures her that there's plenty of her. By the time her visit is drawing to a close, Grace has begun to see her family as normal, not as a family that should fit the mold of those in the stories she's read. She decides that the story of her family will end with living happily ever after, "though not all in the same place." The pencil and watercolor illustrations are evocative of Grace's feelings and the closeness of her relationships. With Grace, children will understand that there are all kinds of families, and "families are what you make them." Ages 5-8
The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster
Illustrated by Chris Raschka. 32 p., 2005. Relationships with grandparents can be a special source of joy and security for children. In this story by the author of the absolutely wonderful children's novel The Phantom Tollbooth, a little girl has special times at her Nanna and Poppy's house. Their house has a Hello, Goodbye Window where the girl greets her grandparents when she arrives, looks for the pizza delivery person, and even expects the queen of England and tyrannosaurus rex. When it's time to go home, she blows goodbye kisses through the window. The girl shares memories with Nanna and eats Poppy's delicious breakfasts, draws pictures, enjoys Poppy's jokes, and helps Nanna in the garden. There are limits at Nanna and Poppy's house (the girl can ride her bike, but not in the street; she can collect sticks, but not bring them into the house) but these don't seem to bother the girl a bit. When Mommy and Daddy pick the girl up, she's happy to go home, but sad to leave her grandparents, and acknowledges this combination of feelings in an informative, matter-of-fact way. The girl plans to have a special Hello, Goodbye Window in her own house when she grows up to be a Nanna. The colorful, exuberant illustrations add to this story's delight. The Hello, Goodbye Window offers a sense of warmth, security, and fun, empathy with transitions, and acknowledgement of complicated emotions. Ages 4-8