When You Are HAPPY

Book Review: When You Are HAPPY
By Eileen Spinelli

I'm a big believer in the importance of raising happy children. I think it is necessary to talk to children about happiness and other feelings they have. As I recently became a mother of 2 I try to think of as many appropriate weekly activities to keep all of us entertained, learning and happy. We recently took our first library trip and found this gem. With amazing illustrations and array of vocabulary that I wouldn't necessarily use on a daily basis, its a pleasure to read.  From happiness to feeling grumpy, the mother depicted in the illustrations narrates to her child what she would do depending on how her little Busy Bee felt.

Buy it here!  

Book Review: Jake Starts School by Michael Wright

Book Review: Jake Starts School
Topic: Feeling Scared for School

Is it just me or do you get excited to for the start of a new school year? It brings me back to when I was younger. Which backpack will I use? What will I wear on the first day? Who will be in my class? 

At the age that I'm working with things aren't that complicated. However, things do get a little bit scary once the Little Busy Bees have to enter their new classroom. At age 4 and 5 children are still nervous and a little worried about starting the new school year, especially if they are entering a starting a new school. I found this gem of a book recently and wanted to share it with you. It gave me a laugh too. 

This is such a sweet book about a Little Busy Bee who is scared to start school. I read it to a small group of children who demanded it be read a second time right as I was saying "The End". It touched upon feelings of nervousness for school and being too attached, literally, to mom and dad on that very first and scary day. The book ends on a happy note and Jake gets involved in a full classroom conversation all on his own. 

Buy Jake Starts School by clicking here. 

The Cranky Bear by Nick Bland

Book Review: The Very Cranky Bear
Topic: Frustration, Anger, Sharing

It's winter time and all this bear wants to do is get to sleep. A few other animals have a different idea and just want a warm place to play their games.  This makes it harder for bear to get some peace and quiet and causes him to become CRANKY. The other sweet animals try to think of ways to make him happier. A nice book that foreshadows creative thinking, sharing and caring. And touches upon feelings of anger and frustration. Read about what happens in The Very Cranky Bear by clicking here.
Preschoolers will ask you to read it over and over. Just be prepared. Make it fun by changing your voice or having your little busy bees role play.

The Day Leo Said "I HATE YOU!"

Book Review

Topic: Social Skills/Hate

Let's be honest here...We've all heard those adorable Little Busy Bees use the hate word. But have you ever caught yourself not being so sure how to respond to such a strong statement? During the first few years of teaching every teacher experiences those "UH-OH-what-do-I-say-now?" moments. Well I'm here to let you know that Little Leo up there says it loud and clear to his mom! I know can you believe that!? But well educated mom lets him know that she hates things too. She teaches him that everyone has the right to say what they want when they want, we all wish that would be different at times, I'm sure! But we do have the right, which many people don't. So that being said, it's okay not to like things whoever you are {grown ups, kids, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.}. But if it's going to hurt someone's feelings please keep it to yourself. Ever heard of - Sticks & stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me! It was my dad's mantra to me when he heard about negative stories from school. But every LBB should know that it's okay to have feelings. As adults, lets help them understand exactly what they are feeling and why. The Day Leo Said I HATE YOU! Is a great jumping off point even before your child says I hate_______. So why not talk about the topic before they hear it negatively from someone else.

Check your local & school libraries first. If they don't have it, then why not buy it for them if you are able to.

Learn more about the author Robie Harris here! 
Buy the book here! 

Mean Soup

Book Review
Topic: Bad Day/Frustrated

In MEAN SOUP A Little Busy Bee has a rough day and comes home crabby. Mom makes him feel better by being silly and creatively helping him get his frustrations out. With cartoon-like illustrations and simple language this book gets it's point across loud and clear. A fun book to use for reading comprehension also.  


To enjoy some Mean Soup click here

When Sophie Gets

Topic: Anger

It's hard to be a Little Busy Bee at times, especially when mom forces you to share and when grabbing is involved. Sophie is a little girl who becomes extremely mad when things don't go her way. She deals with her feelings and recovers in her own time. A great book to use to address a certain someones unacceptable way of dealing with their anger. Have a conversation about how your Little Busy Bee deals with theirs and feel free to use your self as an example also. 


Invite Sophie to your house by purchasing her here

Expression Stamps

Perfect for Little Busy Bees to use as a tool to encourage communication about these different faces/feelings and learning that that it's acceptable to have different feelings. You could do so many activities with these: stick figure people with these as heads, include these in an alphabet book {A is for Angry}, a child dictates a story and uses the stamps to show how his character feels, etc. Possibilities are endless. Great even to just use as a simple stamp activity prior to talking about their "feelings". Have fun and stamp away!


Purchase your stamps here