We All Have Value

April 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Sometimes the text in emotional learning titles is dry and didactic. However, this series rises to the challenge, and presents small vignettes that focus on basic social emotional strengths and characteristics. In Enough To Go Around, for example, a young boy starts a food drive at his school after he worries that one of his friends might not get enough food to eat at home. In Yes I Can!, a determined girl works on staying focused on her science project as her friends and family offer distractions along the way. Each title has a clear beginning, middle, and end to the story and leaves readers feeling positive about the choices they can make. The illustrations throughout the volumes are bright and colorful, showing a number of classroom and family life settings while depicting children with different skin tones. VERDICT Using real-life examples and scenarios to teach social emotional skills to young children, this series is a good choice for both classroom and library settings across the board.

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
Grades K-3 The Cloverleaf Books: Stories with Character series (4 titles) seeks to deliver lessons in character education to a young audience, and this title focuses on respect. Using a fictional story, it follows a diverse group of students through a school day, pausing to discuss how particular interactions were respectful or disrespectful. In the first chapter, Pete's passion for pizza leads him to cut into the lunch line, and he later answers a question directed to another classmate, interrupting him in the process. Boxed asides point out how Pete's behavior is rude and disrespectful. The picture-�book narrative continues with additional faux pas identified and other characters demonstrating better ways to treat friends and peers. The blend of fiction and nonfiction works well here, as it gives abstract concepts a relatable form.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)