I recently received both books for review. I love smelling new books so the first thing I did was smell the pages! Next, I opened them up to check the wording. One of my pet peeves is books, created for early childhood, that contain too many words and too many graphics. Beginning readers do not want or need to be overwhelmed – keeping things simple is far more effective for them (this statement is made after working with children for more than 23 years).
Kimochis delivers quality text, simple wording and beautifully simple graphics.
My review:
The Kimochis line seeks to build emotional intelligence (IE) and social emotional skills in children; with the help of their grown-ups. This brilliant concept hasn’t yet caught on around the world but let’s hope it does soon! Many schools are now realizing the value of teaching IE in school and the importance of helping children understand feelings, emotions and empathy. I’ve read recent articles about Australian school grabbing hold of IE lessons and it’s certainly my hope that more American schools will jump on board, also.
Teaching IE in the early years could certainly help to lower the number of bullying instances, online bullying, blog trolling and more. Our kids need to understand how feelings work and they need to be given the tools to effectively work through emotions and anger.
Bug Makes a Splash! is a wonderful story that assists with the feelings of fear and doubt. Bug doesn’t want to swim but his friends all encourage him to give it a try. Bug sees his friends having fun and conjures up the courage needed to jump in. He’s glad he did!
Do you have kids or students who struggle with trying new things? This is the perfect book for them!
