PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS: Monsters for Sale/When the Ground Shakes/Don't Ever Look Behind Door 32
ABOUT THE BOOK
"Each day came and went with no child to take them home. The monsters decided it was time to make a plan of their own." Joy and contentment soon lead to worry as three toy monsters realize their plan to find the love of a child is falling apart. Will she return them? Will she give them away? Or maybe-just maybe-she will help them to discover that simply being themselves is always enough.
REVIEW
This is a cute story about the importance about being yourself. While it felt a bit didactic in its delivery of that message, the illustrations are cute enough to overlook that. Here we have three monsters who are afraid that no child will ever want them the way they are, too many children have walked away. So they put together a plan and hide as much of themselves as they can behind clothes. When a young girl adopts all three, they feel like their lives are set for good, until their clothes get dirty and tattered and must be taken off. Will the girl still love them when she sees them in all their glory? The book is missing a bit of polish, and the changing colors of the text is a bit distracting, the book is still cute.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Preparing children for an unpredictable event, such as an earthquake, is one of the best ways to reduce trauma and maintain children's mental and emotional well-beings. We combined our experiences as a Marriage & Family Therapist and School Counselor to write this book, both specializing in work with young children for more than 20 years. Our first-hand experience helping children cope with traumas, including natural disasters, is what opened our eyes to the need for this type of self-help guidance book. This book was written to introduce the concept of an earthquake, and to provide children with tools to stay safe and cope during the event. There are books available that teach children what to do during an earthquake. The purpose of our book is to address children's emotional well-beings and to help reduce their anxiety and fear. Children learn through repetition. We recommend reading and practicing the skills introduced in this book on a regular basis. This book can also be used post-earthquake to help kids cope with their emotions and help them make sense of what has happened. When children know what to do, they are less likely to be scarred by the traumatic event.
REVIEW
With natural disasters being a part of life in most parts of the world, it becomes important for parents and teachers to teach children how to cope with the possibility of living through one. This book sets out to teach children how to face an earthquake. The book is clearly intended to be used with fairly young children as it is quite repetitive. But that isn't a bad thing in this case. The book helps children understand what an earthquake is and how to respond if caught in one. I appreciated the inclusion of counting and singing favorite songs. I thought those were great strategies for controlling fear. Advice for how to be safe in different conditions is also helpful. While the illustrations are too animated for my taste, the solid nature of the advice makes that easy to overlook. And young readers will probably be comforted by the cartoon illustrations. I'm now interested in having a look at the activity book that goes with this one to see if the activities are as solidly helpful as this book is. I'd highly recommend this title for those who have children and live in an earthquake zone.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The magical Hotel of Hoo is a mysterious place with some very unusual occupants. As our guests explore the strange hotel, they are invited to experience everything it has to offer with just one warning… don’t ever look behind door 32.
This imaginative picture book aims to take children beyond the first ten cardinal numbers, and introduces them to the patterns of counting in a fun and accessible way. With rooms to explore and unique objects to count, children will enjoy lingering on each page as they make their way closer to the forbidden door.
REVIEW
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The rhymes are delightful, the illustrations adorable, and the ending a surprise. It's also a fun counting book. As the hotel's host shares with the children the many unusual guests and rooms in his hotel, he continually reminds them that door 32 is off limits. As the children get closer and closer to the banned room, I started speculating about what might be found there, but what is behind the door was not at all what I was expecting, and made me laugh out loud. A fun book all around. There was only one spot that bothered me and that was where the illustrations and the text didn't match. The text says a red broom, but the broom isn't red. The goblin in the picture should be purple to match the goblins mentioned earlier, but is green instead. But that is a smile gripe in the face of such an enjoyable book.
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