A poignant and heart-warming picture book exploring the importance of making space and time for our own griefs, small or large, sensitively visualized with David Litchfield’s stunning illustration. A small boy is sad, and instead of ignoring it or trying to push the feeling aside, he creates a shelter for his sadness – a safe space where Sadness can dwell until it is ready to leave the shelter. This story can be used in a small group to support children experiencing sadness, e.g. after a loss or bereavement, or more widely to talk about the value of acknowledging feelings. It can also be useful to explore the concept of safe spaces.
A moving, powerful story that shines a light on those that feel invisible in our world. Isabel and her loving family are forced to leave their home due to poverty. Feeling alone and invisible to the world, Isabel begins to notice the many other people living in similar circumstances – in fact, there are other ‘invisible’ people everywhere. Isabel is stirred to action and decides to make a difference to her new community in the little ways she can. By gradually improving small things that cost nothing, she starts a community movement and, before long, colour floods into her life and the lives of others once again.
This story links to whole school values of tolerance, kindness and caring and can be used for developing a sense of belonging and community. It shows how anyone can make a positive impact on those around them, regardless of how little they have.
Colour Monster is heading to school – but he is not really sure what exactly school is. Is it a spooky castle filled with terrifying animals? Or perhaps a place in the sky, amongst the rainbows and clouds? With a little help from a friend, Colour Monster soon finds his feet at school and throws himself head first into lots of exciting activities.This is a perfect for the first day of school when children are feeling nervous, as well as being a story that can open discussions about feelings associated with starting something new.
I challenge anyone not to be moved by this wonderful book. It’s such an enormously important narrative that’s spun with such simplicity. Norman is startled when he grows wings, initially hiding them out of fear. But before too long, the act of hiding who he is becomes the very thing that makes him miserable. And once he accepts – and indeed celebrates – himself, his whole world changes for the better. This gorgeous book encourages children to accept themselves fully, reinforcing the idea that embracing one’s differences leads to true happiness.
A story that encourages positive behaviour by using the concrete concept of an ‘invisible bucket’ that holds your good thoughts and feelings. This book links to the value of happiness and provides positive examples to children of how to show kindness, appreciation, resilience and love in their daily lives. It also promotes whole school positive behaviour and helps to explore the idea of how our actions can affect the feelings of others.
Kate is a sporty and happy girl. She does well at school and has many friends. But like every girl, she sometimes faces difficult situations at home or at school. Discover how Kate uses her strong mind to tackle her daily challenges with a positive attitude.This story covers lots of areas of mental health and well-being and arms children with practical ways of developing their mental resilience to cope with challenges and develop a positive outlook. There are three books in the series.
A fun and reassuring tale about dealing with worries, all about a Worrysaurus who faces a series of worried thoughts about the picnic he has planned. Can Worrysaurus find a way to chase his fears away and have fun?This story can be used to support children with high levels of anxiety, to help children to recognise the physical affects of anxiety and to support a whole school focus on developing resilience.
A story about the connections between loved ones. A mother tells her two children that they’re all connected by an invisible string. ‘What Kind of String?’ the children ask. The answer is the simple truth that binds us all: an Invisible String made of love. This book links to the whole school value of ‘love’ and can be used with children who might find separation from parents difficult, such as at dropping off time in the morning, for settling in new children in pre-school and reception or for children living through a prolonged period of separation from a family member.
Brit and Etho are the best of friends. Every day they take their cardboard boxes to the top of Sudden Hill and turn them into adventures. But when Shu comes along, their comfortable two-by-two relationship is changed and Brit finds it difficult to adjust. Eventually, with much persuasion from Etho and Shu, Brit learns that three-by-three can be even better. This heartwarming story explores the feelings of insecurity many of us feel when a new personality comes along, and shows children that it is okay for friendships to change over time. The story inks to the whole school value of ‘friendship’ and can be use with individuals or small groups of children experiencing friendship issues (e.g. when three children are finding it difficult to share each other) or for helping established friends to welcome new friends into their group.
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Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
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