Loving When Differences are Different
Mike, a young mixed-race boy, celebrates who he is with lots of energy and a bit of sass for all the questions about why he is different! All children should have Mike's confidence in who they are - it would be far simpler then for children to love and celebrate others' differences!
Ideas for Making it Real
What are your child's differences? How do you help him to celebrate those differences? If you need some ideas on how to start this conversation with you child, check out Celebrating the Differences That Make All Children Unique at Pathways.org. And Better Kid Care has some wonderful suggestions for activities and games to teach young children about our differences.
Electric with Joy!
Noodle prefers the Boss to Nonna - Noodle's little body simply becomes electric with joy when she sees Boss.
She loves a little cuddle from me, but as soon as she see Boss I become chopped liver. Every. Single. Time. Recently, Boss traveled for a few weeks and Noodle missed seeing him something fierce. Whenever I visited, it was "Nonna!" with a smile. And then, "Boss?" with a sad, puzzled face - even her little body seemed to slump a bit. But when he came home - wow! - she would not let him go for hours. Even if I am chopped liver, I love seeing how much Noodle adores the Boss! The best way to cultivate our children's joy is to build deep, strong loving bonds with them. Still This Love Goes On is an inspiration to think about the people and the places we love - when we do, joy goes on and on as well. Buffy Sainte-Marie
Sainte-Marie is a world-renowned and Academy Award-winning Cree singer-songwriter, activist, educator, and visual artist. Her other books for kids include Hey Little Rockabye, illustrated by Ben Hodson, and Tâpwê and the Magic Hat.
Juliet Flett
Flett is a Cree-Métis author, illustrator, and artist who has received numerous awards for her books, including two Governor General's Awards and the American Indian Library Association Award. Her books Birdsong and We All Play are also critically acclaimed.
Five Resilience-Building Habits for Children Ideas for Making it Real
Learn Sainte-Marie's song with your kiddo! The sheet music with lyrics is included in the book and you can find a Sainte-Marie video of the song on YouTube.
Joy is Everywhere
Wow! I am currently reading Magnusson's The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly and am awed by the serendipity of reading A Little Book of Joy at the same time - cultivating joy is important at every stage of life!
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu tell a simple story of two young boys finding joy in hard times and how important it is to share joy when possible. This is a very sweet, gentle story which, when read often, will prompt quiet, thoughtful conversations with your child. The Dalai Lama, An Archbishop, & An Artist
The Little Book of Joy grew out of the deep, joy-filled friendship between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Emeritus Tutu. If you are able, stream the Mission: Joy documentary about their decades-long friendship; here is a short trailer for the movie.
Rafael López is a New York Times bestselling, award winning illustrator, born and raised in Mexico City. His illustrations bring diverse characters to children’s books and he is driven to produce books that reflect and honor the lives of all young people. He is the recipient of 3 Pura Belpré medals, the Schneider Family Book Award, Jane Addams Book Award, Tomas Rivera Book Award and is the illustrator of 3 New York Times bestsellers. López is a founder of the Urban Art Trail movement in San Diego’s East Village creating a series of large-scale murals bringing the community together.
I cannot think of another artist more qualified to illustrate The Little Book of Joy. If you share only one book with your child this year, I hope it will be this one. Five Resilience-Building Habits for Children Ideas for Making it Real
What is joy? Recent findings in neuroscience research echo ancient faith traditions in defining and cultivating joy:
How do we teach these ideas to our children?
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Purpose
The Stories Matter Disclaimer: Most of the books reviewed can be found at your public library or purchased through your local bookstore.
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