Today I am going to share three picture books that teach different lessons. Some are more serious than others. The books touch on things like the waste and accumulation of plastic and more, depression and anxiety and words and their meanings when you add another word. We will start with a perfect one for Christmas. It is Toy Mountain by Stef Gemmill and Katharine Hall. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6.
We are continuing our celebration of Native American Heritage Month with a middle grades novel today. This novel delves into Native American life but it also has important messages for everyone to learn. It is such an interesting story and has fascinating characters. The book is The Brave by James Bird.
Have you ever read a book that moves you and changes your life almost instantly? The book I am sharing is one of those books. It was so moving to me that I told Hazel and Steve that they need to read this book. All three of us tend to be anxious people and after this past year there is a lot to be anxious about. This book is perfect for anyone who feels anxious, stressed or worried. The book is Peaceful on Purpose by Joel Osteen.
During Covid the overall visits to the emergency room have significantly decreased. However during this same period there has been an increase in kids' visits to the ER for mental health reasons. (Source) I suppose it is not that surprising. We all know that Covid is increasing anxiety in most people. People are afraid of catching it. People are afraid of dying from it. People are afraid of loved ones catching it. Plus the change in our lives--the masks, social distancing, not seeing loved ones, change for routines, etc. add more stress and anxiety. This is certainly true for adults but it is even more true for our kids. Kids are struggling to understand the pandemic. They are struggling to understand why the adults in their life are acting so differently and are so stressed out. All they truly know is a year ago the world changed. Everything stopped. School went remote. For some their parents were out of work. Slowly things are opening back up. People are wearing masks. Hand washing is a big deal. It is truly a scary time to be alive which makes it a perfect time for today's book. The book is All About Anxiety by Carrie Lewis and illustrated by Sophia Touliatou. It is a middle grades book (ages 9-13).
Let's face it 2020 was a hard year. Now we are in 2021 and it is not looking much better. We are living through a worldwide pandemic. Even after the November election our politics do not seem settled or at least completely accepted. Then there is the struggle with masks. Some people wear them and others do not even when we see the numbers of people infected growing so fast and our hospitals are reaching their limits. All of this is enough to make us feel stressed and anxious. The new year usually brings hopes and dreams. We make resolutions on how we are going to change for the better. Yet this year we are all a bit overwhelmed. How do we get past all of this?
