March 22, 2012

Bookworm: "I Don't Want to Go" & "Suppose You Meet A Dinosaur"

I had the privilege of reading to CJ's 3-year-old class at his preschool yesterday.  Although he specifically requested that I bring car books (didn't matter which ones as long as they had cars in it), I brought books I thought would be of more value to his class and still be enjoyed by the children.  And quite honestly, I'm tired of hearing about Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater.

The two books I selected were I Don't Want to Go by Addie Meyer Sanders and Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur by Judy Sierra.  The students and the teacher - none of whom had read either books before - absolutely loved them (the teacher jotted them down to order for the class).

One addresses anxiety and the other introduces good manners.

I Don't Want to Go 
by Addie Meyer Sanders

When I saw I Don't Want to Go at the library, I immediately checked it out because it seemed perfect for my oldest son.  Starting at 6 months, he exhibited a serious case of separation anxiety and it was difficult for my husband and I to leave him, especially in the nursery at Sunday school.  We would usually get paged within minutes of dropping him off, and one of us would have to miss worship service to sit in with him.  This trend lasted until he turned 3.  And up until two months ago, he was the only one among his classmates at preschool still kicking and screaming every time I dropped him off.  He would wake up in the mornings and ask where he was going, and if Daddy or I replied, "school", he'd have a nervous breakdown and cry "I don't want to go!"  Of course, when he does go, he has a great time and doesn't want to leave when I go to pick him up.  And now that he's made friends and gained confidence, he's the first one running in the door to get to school! 

So this story about Joey is really about any child who experiences anxiety and fear in new or unfamiliar situations.  When Joey is told he's going somewhere new or doing something he hasn't done before, his mind immediately conjures up frightening scenarios so he decides he doesn't want to go.  But lo and behold - much like my son - when he actually does go, he has an amazing time.  Over and over again, his fears are conquered and he discovers fun in the unexpected.

Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur 
by Judy Sierra

Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur is a fun way to teach simple manners, especially if your child loves dinosaurs like mine do.  The rhymes and illustrations are adorable.  In no time, your children will be using, "No, thank you", "Yes, please", "Excuse me", and other well-mannered phrases.  And if your kids already know these, this book is a great way to reinforce those polite manners.

Hope you enjoyed these reading selections.  I'll be posting more of these regularly.  I love finding good books (for children and grown-ups).

Read anything good lately?  I'd love to get some suggestions for my summer reading list.


2 comments:

  1. How fun, Rachel! I have been looking out for some good books to read to my little girl and these sound perfect! I should see if I can get my hands on them... Thanks for sharing this! :)

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  2. i absolutely love children's stories. they have the best lessons in them. :) my absolute favorite is the giving tree. :)

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