Book Week Early Childhood Shortlist: Don't Worry Felix by Yohan Devezy and Katharine Alice

 

Don’t Worry, Felix follows a little boy, Felix, on his first few days at a new school. For many, a new school can be a very anxious time. This book normalises children’s experiences of anxiety and
empowers children to identify and decrease systems of stress and worry and face their fears. One author is a qualified counsellor, and the other, an occupational therapist, and they have weaved into
the story a ‘special trick’ that the father teaches Felix. This ‘Take 5 breathing technique’ is a simple strategy that can empower children to calm their nervous system through the power of their own breath. The technique can be adjusted to suit each child’s current abilities. (from New Frontier Teaching Notes)

There are so many picture books about starting school, but I'm not sure that this is the right time of year for a display of these, unless Kindergarten orientation days are coming up and parents borrow from your library. If you want examples of books for this see this Pinterest page Starting School or Momotimetoread's Pinterest Starting School Books.

I think I'd be more likely to do a display of mindfulness books, especially ones that feature breathing. The 5 minute breathing technique highlighted in Don't Worry, Felix appears in many picture books. I also thought about a display of books about worries and while we do have many books to help with this, I don't like to put them all out at once, as my young children might discover 'a new worry'.

Wellbeing has been a school feature now for quite some time, but unfortunately every time the teacher responsible for it or the school councillor changes, what the school does in the name of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) may change. My school has used Circle Time, Kimochis, You Can Do It, Zones of Regulation and now as a Round Square school may adopt the Round Square Heroes of Discovery characters. Through all this I have collected Mindfulness and Growth Mindset picture book resources and endeavoured to make sure teachers know of their existence.

'Breathing' picture books for teachers to use with classes:

• My Magic Breath  by Nick Ortner and Alison Taylor

This is the 'best' one for libraries to have because it covers other feelings besides 'worry', but still uses breathing as a means of modulation. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra have added music on this link.

  

More picture books for mindfulness on Pinterest here.

As to the metaphor of the balloon being a worry that changes in size, you are probably better off having fun doing science with balloons, but if you do want to explore books that feature balloons look here.

The balloon has a metaphoric role in these:

10th October World Mental Health Day

Make mental health & well-being for all a global priority. 

Every year in October, around the time of World Mental Health day on the 10th, people all over the world celebrate Mental Health Week. Mental Health Awareness Week is held annually in the second week of October. This year, Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 will be held from 10th-16th October.

We know that lockdowns have had an effect on the mental wellbeing of children. In December 2020, research showed that more than four in ten parents had seen their children display behaviours that suggested heightened anxiety since the outbreak of Covid-19.

Almost half of the 1,000 parents of four- to twelve-year-olds who took part in the survey in Britain said they felt that the pandemic had also “negatively impacted” on their children’s friendships.

This has given rise to issues such as stress, fear, anxiety, depression, adjustment issues, apprehensions towards the future, surfacing of the previous and past undiagnosed and untreated mental health disorders, fear, phobia, and obsessions of contamination, fear of physical interactions, fear of uncertainty leading to helplessness. 

Schools can provide supportive platforms for children to share and talk about their feelings and fears to mental health professionals. They can render massive help by emphasising the importance of speaking out when disturbed or confused. This will help prevent and manage a lot of mental health issues that children could be facing. I work at a school that takes the wellbeing of the students very seriously. Class time is allocated regularly for Circle Time, Wellbeing sessions and wellbeing is always a focus at assemblies. 

What is good mental health? 

It is when we can cope with the stressors of our daily lives, participate in loving relationships, contribute to our community, and work towards our goals. So everyone has mental health, even children.

How many children have mental illness?

In 2013–14, an estimated 314,000 children aged 4–11 (almost 14%) experienced a mental disorder in the 12 months before the survey (Lawrence et al. 2015). Boys were more commonly affected than girls (17% compared with 11%).

ADHD was the most common disorder for children (8.2%), and the most common among boys (11%).

Anxiety disorders were the second most common disorders among all children (6.9%), and the most common among girls (6.1%).

More recent data, that factors in the pandemic, will probably show higher figures.

Teachers at my school frequently ask for books to support their Social and Emotional Programs, so there are shelves in the nonfiction section that now have many more books than they did in the past. There are books about feelings and emotions, books about neurodiversity,  mindfulness, tolerance, resilience, growth mindset and general wellbeing.

   

Start with What's in Your Mind Today? by Louise Bladen 

Then, the  most borrowed books about feelings are:

• In My Heart: A Book of Feelings  by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey

• The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas

• Feelings by Libby Walden and Richard Jones

• The Boy With Big Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee and Jacob Souva

• Visiting Feelings by Lauren Rubenstein and Shelly Hehenberger

• How Are You Feeling Today? by Molly Potter and Sarah Jennings

• Big Feelings by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufmann

About worries and anxiety:

• Ruby's Worry by Tom Percival 

• The Worrying Worries  by Rachel Rooney and Zahra Hicks

• Jeremy Worried About the Wind  by Pamela Butchart and Kate Hindley

• Jack's Worry by Sam Zuppardi

• What's Worrying You? by Molly Potter and Sarah Jennings

• Brave Every Day  by Trudy Ludwig and Patrice Barton

• When You Are Brave by Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler

Other general titles:

• What's Going on in my Head? by Molly Potter and Sarah Jennings

• The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig and Patrice Barton

• Tomorrow I'll Be Brave  by Jessica Hische

• Brave by Stacey McAnulty and Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

• When Sadness Comes to Call by Eva Eland

• Mr Huff  by Anna Walker

• A World of Pausibilities  by Frank J. Sileo and Jennifer Zivoin

Of course there are many more books than this.

See here for more books on worries and anxiety.

See here for books on mindfulness.

16th January New School Year List 2: Separation Anxiety

As the school I work at has seven preschool classes as well as four classes of each of Kindergarten to Year 2, there is always a need at some time for books that address the worries that go with being separated from a parent while at school. Most teachers have their favourite 'go to' book for this purpose, but it is always good to have a few more at hand in case the specific one they want is on loan at the time. If you're a parent you might like to adopt the Willa Perlman idea of kisses in your pocket from the book Pocket Kisses.  

At one stage this was very popular in our preschool, but the library copy of the book fell apart and hasn't been replaced. Just looking though, I see that it is still available. 

Separation anxiety is a normal rite of passage for young children. It is common at drop-off time, but can occur anytime and with even the sturdiest of children on a 'bad' day. Picture books enable adults to address the angst of separation with humour and warmth and as many of them feature animals, there is a distance from the child which means they can smile at the animal's quandary. Most children just need reassurance that their parent will return to pick them up.

Below are some books from our library that I have recommended over the years. The beginning titles are usually all that is needed to reassure students that their parent will return. Often I send the book accompanied by a plush toy that accompanies the book so that the child has something to hold while the story is read and discussed. Chester  and Llama Llama Red Pajama,  but we have an owl baby and a duck which stands in for Puddle.

Most teachers know and use The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, but there are many others:

1. Oh My Baby, Little One by Kathi Appelt and Jane Dyer

2. Puddle's Big Step  by Amber Stewart and Layn Marlow

3. The Kiss Box  by Bonnie Verburg and Henry Cole

4. Llama Llama Misses Mama  by Anna Dewdney

5. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson

6. Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

7. Will I Have a Friend?  by Mirriam Cohen and Lillian Hoban

8. First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg and Judy Love

9. Love Waves  by Rosemary Wells

10. Mama Don't Go by Rosemary Wells

11. The Invisible String and The Invisible Web  by Patrice Karst and Joanne Lew-Vriethoff  (an earlier version of The Invisible String was illustrated by Geoff Stevenson)

12. Mum Goes to Work  by Libby Gleeson and Leila Rudge (earlier edition illustrated by Penny Azar)

If you do not have these or the child is older look for these:

• Tomorrow I'll Be Brave  by Jessica Hische

• My Strong Mind  by  Niels Van Hove

• Parachute  by Danny Parker and Matt Ottley

• That's Me Loving You by Amy Krouse Rosenthal