Blog Archives
Noise All Over
Liam wakes up one Sunday morning enjoying the peace and quiet as the rest of the house is still asleep. However, his quiet time is interrupted by the sound of fire trucks racing in his home and neighborhood. Unable to ignore the sounds, he hides under his pillow and covers, trying to make the sound bearable, but it still hurts his ears. That afternoon he has a special outing with his aunt and cousins. When he discovers that the outing is to a loud rock concert, he becomes concerned, and as soon as the music starts, the pain in his head from the sounds is too much, and he has to run away. It takes a quiet conversation with his uncle Harry to find a way to cope with the loud sounds that cause him pain.
Noise All Over by Tuula Pere is part of her Little Fears series for children. This beautifully written picture book tells the story of a child who struggles with loud sounds. This is a common issue for children with sensory processing disorders. The sounds are not just loud but physically painful; those without this issue may have trouble understanding the concept. This children’s book explains how it makes Liam feel and what can be done to help him when sounds get too overwhelming.
Noise All Over is an insightful children’s book that helps kids understand what it is like to have an aversion to loud noises. This is a beautiful story to share with classrooms to help classmates learn empathy and how to help one another. In addition, it is a great starting point for talking about how people process things differently, be it sounds, textures, or even how they think.
Pages: 36 | ISBN : 9523577816
Giant Legs (Little Fears)
Grandpa’s birthday is approaching, and a garden party has been arranged for the whole family. However, Elliot, one of the family members, is anxious about being in a large gathering. During the celebration, he retreats to his grandparents’ attic to escape the crowd. But Uncle Stephen comes up with an idea to entice Elliot back to the garden by encouraging him to walk on high wooden stilts, which alters his perspective of the world and the people below.
This is an entertaining and creative story that shows young readers that thinking outside the box can be a fun way to solve problems. I know the story title was Giant Legs, and I had guessed this had something to do with a child’s height, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the unusual but amusing way young Elliot get’s ‘giant legs.’
Children will be able to relate to Elliot’s concerns, as I’m sure many kids don’t like going to grownup parties. I enjoyed how an amiable uncle is the one that helps young Elliot overcome his concern. I feel that uncles rarely appear in children’s books, so this book is certainly unique in that aspect.
Delightful and encouraging, Giant Legs will help kids cope with the stress of feeling out of place by coming up with creative solutions and encouraging them to play, not hide away.
Pages: 34 | ISBN: 9523577875
Scared to Swim (Little Fears)
Lillian is taking a bath one day and decides that it would be fun to learn how to swim. Her father agrees and quickly signs her up for swimming lessons. But that night Lillian feels that she may have been too hasty in her decision and starts to worry. Sure enough, when she is in class she is frightened by the noise and wild activity in the class. How will Lillian ever learn to swim?
Scared to Swim is an educational children’s book that shows young readers how to conquer their fear, specifically their fear of swimming. Many parents, myself included, think that sending their child off to swim lessons solves their swimming problem. But for some kids all the activity of a swim class can make them nervous. Author Tuula Pere illustrates this point perfectly in her children’s book.
I loved the art in the book as it made Lillian’s emotions throughout the story very plain. The dramatic enhancement of emotion on the characters make for some funny scenes, like when Lillian says she wants to learn how to swim. I literally laughed out loud when I saw her waving her arms around as if she was swimming.
This bright kids book sends a powerful message to young readers that if they trust in their parents, and give it a good try, together they can accomplish anything. I thought this book was going to show the parent encouraging their child to take the class. I was delighted to see that the parent is the one that helps their child learn a new skill and gain confidence in themselves. This shows young readers that relying on family can be powerful.
Scared to Swim is about so much more than swimming, and all of these ideas are shared in an easy to understand and beautifully illustrated picture book. This is a fantastic book to read multiple times as I’m sure that every time a child reads it they will pick up a new subtle but important lesson.
Pages: 34 | ISBN: 9523254510
LITERARY TITAN 