Learn how to use children's books during storytime to approach sensitive topics and increase children's social-emotional wellness-and how to create storytimes that are engaging, participative, and FUN! The emotional challenges many children experience consume the time of teachers, exhaust parents, and sometimes lead children toward behaviors that prohibit social and academic success. Storytime to the rescue! Library storytimes prepare children for kindergarten; storytimes at home and in preschools allow teachers, parents, and children to think and talk about empathy and the importance of honoring your own and others' feelings. In Bringing Heart and Mind into Storytime, Heather McNeil teaches librarians and teachers how to use books to open conversations with children to teach such concepts as patience, tenacity, kindness, and teamwork. McNeil shares research on brain development, social-emotional learning, and the importance of play, but she also emphasizes maintaining the fun of storytime. She recommends songs, action rhymes, games, and crafts that contribute to fun and healthy storytimes. Extensive lists of recommended books will help readers find the right ones for their audience.

A new, interactive approach to storytime, The Whole Book Approach was developed in conjunction with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and expert author Megan Dowd Lambert's graduate work in children's literature at Simmons College, offering a practical guide for reshaping storytime and getting kids to think with their eyes. Traditional storytime often offers a passive experience for kids, but the Whole Book approach asks the youngest of readers to ponder all aspects of a picture book and to use their critical thinking skills. Using classic examples, Megan asks kids to think about why the trim size of Ludwig Bemelman's Madeline is so generous, or why the typeset in David Wiesner's Caldecott winner,The Three Pigs, appears to twist around the page, or why books like Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express and Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar are printed landscape instead of portrait. The dynamic discussions that result from this shared reading style range from the profound to the hilarious and will inspire adults to make children's responses to text, art, and design an essential part of storytime.

We could all use a little more self-love and empathy - and let's make it FUN! "I love my brain!" is the first in a series of chuckle-causing, giggle-getting, tongue-twisting nursery rhymers teaching children about compassion, inclusion, and self-love. "There's so much inside it, and I can't deny it. My brain is so helpful and wise, I can't hide it!" Not only is "I love my brain!" a blast to read (parents are sure to love it as much as your kids), but it also lovingly features children with down syndrome, children with physical anomalies, children of varying races, and children who are gender-nonconforming. Many of the children in the book are children that the author/illustrator knows and loves (other books in the series will also feature real children) - showing ALL children that they are worthy of being in their very own book! "I love my brain!" will leave your child grinning from ear to ear and feeling love for exactly how they were made!

Synopsis coming soon.......

I Can Do Hard Things is a beautiful reminder to tune into and listen to that quiet voice inside so that you can do what's right for you. I don't always feel brave, confident or strong. Sometimes it seems easier to follow others along. It's hard to navigate a world in which we get so many messages about how we should be. We pause. We listen to the quiet voice inside. I connect with the love and strength it brings. It helps me remember: I can do hard things. I Can Do Hard Things: Mindful Affirmations for Kids is the perfect addition to your home or school library. (The book is available in Spanish as Yo Puedo Hacer Cosas Dificiles: Afirmaciones Concientes Para Niños).

A collection of seventy stories from the United States and other countries.

Featuring a wealth of guidance on how to use both traditional tales and family stories to spark communication and help kids cope with fear, anger, loss, competition, and intimacy, "Once Upon a Family" contains stories from many cultures--from Chinese to Tuscan to the Brothers Grimm--that highlight familiar emotional challenges.