Share and Take Turns

August 1, 2003
K-Gr 1-Two books aimed directly at issues that arise in the classroom and on the playground, presenting the social skills needed to address them and ideas and activities for parents and teachers to reinforce them. The titles could not be more didactic in tone and spirit; the greeting-card illustrations are determinedly multicultural and multiabled, bluntly repeating the lessons at hand. Sample dialogue: "I think about what I hear. Thinking helps me learn and remember" (from Listen). "I'm learning to make good choices. I'm learning to think about others" (from Share). It's unlikely that this kind of iteration actually motivates children. These books may be of some use in the classroom, but they are of doubtful value in a general collection.-Dona Ratterree, New York City Public Schools

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2003
Reviewed with Cheri J. Meiners' "Listen and Learn."

PreS-Gr. 1. From the Learning to Get Along series, these colorful books encourage children to learn social skills. In "Listen" an African American boy explains what listening means: keeping quiet, watching the person who talks, thinking about what is being said, and asking questions when he doesn't understand. He also talks about using those skills in the classroom and at home. Similarly, in "Share" a red-haired girl learns techniques for sharing, then shows how she shares and takes turns when playing at home with her sister and friends. Each book ends with the child feeling good about using his or her new skills. The bright line-and-wash illustrations feature multiracial groups of children engaged in familiar activities. The writing is purposeful, but it is also practical in approach and sensitive to the problems and feelings of young children. A good choice for teachers seeking books that reinforce familiar classroom messages. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)