Utilizing the books of Amy Krouse Rosenthal as Parenting & Therapeutic resources
I wasn’t familiar with the Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s books before exploring her work during the Virtual Book Club for Kids this month. After reading through every title by her that I could get at my public library I recognized that many of her books could be very helpful to read in therapy or to recommend to parents to read with their children.
Here are the books and how I would use them therapeutically:
- “This Plus That: Life’s Little Equations” – this book could be utilized in SO many ways. You could have the child make “this plus that” equations for overwhelming feelings (getting in trouble at school + mom yelling at me + brother hit = I feel sad + angry). You could also help them realize the consequences to their behaviors (I steal + I lied = people don’t trust me). The book sets up a great starting ground to promote conversations about almost anything … just think creatively on how you can adapt it for the child!
- “Plant a Kiss” – could help children understand patience and how love has the ability to grow and grow.
- “The OK Book” – is a reminder that we don’t have to be GREAT at everything we try. It would be wonderful for a child that’s a perfectionist … or who doesn’t feel they can do anything right. Also, the book is a great reminder to parents (in the highly competitive world) that children are still in the stage of trying new things and developing skills … it’s ok for them to be ok.
- “Spoon” – Is a nice way to talk to children about jealousy and, in turn, being thankful for our own uniqueness and personal gifts. Check out this great activity from Coffee Cups and Crayons.
- “Chopsticks“ – is great for anyone having a difficult time gaining the strength to be on their own.
- “Little Hoot”, “Little Pea”, and “Little Owl” – Perfect for helping children to understand why parents have to set limits … especially about bedtime (Little Hoot), healthy eating (Little Pea), and getting messy/clean (Little Oink).
- “Duck! Rabbit!” – I love using this to talk about different perspectives that people have.
- “Sugar Cookies” – Wonderful book that discusses all the different ways we can show love to each other. Might be a great recommendation to parents who are struggling to find compassion for their children during difficult times.
This list is far from comprehensive, so if you have some suggestions that you believe I should add to the list PLEASE leave me a comment. I love to hear from you!
OR … better yet share a post with the Virtual Book Club for Kids on how you’ve utilized Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s books with children in your life!
Now that we’ve shared our crafts and activities with you, we’re excited to see what you came up with! Please add your links to any Amy Krouse Rosenthal inspired posts to the blog hop linky below.
There are a few rules for this blog hop that we ask you to follow, so make sure to read them:
There are a few rules for this blog hop that we ask you to follow, so make sure to read them:
- Link up only posts inspired by Amy Krouse Rosenthal that share children’s book inspired crafts, activities, recipes, etc. Any other posts will be deleted.
- Visit other blog posts on the linky and comment on or share the ones you love!
- Add our Virtual Book Club button to your post if you’d like.
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Laura Hutchison
Laura Hutchison (aka PlayDrMom) is a chubby kid turned competitive figure skater tween turned high school pom pon girl turned MSU Spartan turned grad student turned Mrs. HutcH turned Dr. turned Mom. She adores living in the Mitten, is addicted to Diet Coke, and firmly believes that ice cream is a main food group.
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Comments
I love this post! We find books so helpful with working through challenges at our house, there is something about connecting how you are feeling to a character that makes it easier to process and talk about. I am so glad that Amy Krouse Rosenthal was the author this month–we had never read any of her books before.
And thanks for mentioning our post too! 🙂
Oh, goodness. My sister needs the “The OK Book” for herself … and she’s in her late twenties! 🙂 My little one’s favorite animal – EVER – is the duck, so I can definitely see him getting into the book on perspectives. Thanks again for linking into the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
Hi Laura, It’s nice to meet you. I’m visiting through the Kid Lit Blog Hop and I’m from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. This is a fantastic post. I love how you highlight the lessons learned in each of the books. Sometimes it’s difficult to identify the main theme and it gets harder and harder as the books get more complex. It’s something I’m working on with my own children. Essentially asking, “What lesson did the main character learn?” Glad we connected and I’m now following you via email and Pinterest. Have a wonderful weekend! Cheers!
This is such a great round-up.