August Children’s Title of the Month: Little Laugh & Learn Series
Self-help, kid-style! Kids ages six to nine can tote these handy guides anywhere and boost their skills. With practical advice, silly jokes, fun illustrations, and a kid-centric point of view, these books are the go-to for help with everything, from triumphing over teasing to learning to be a fantastic friend to becoming a self-confidence superstar, and more!
Make a Friend, Be a Friend
Written by Eric Braun & illustrated by Steve Mark
Published in English by Free Spirit Publishing
World Rights Available
Life is better with a friend. That’s true for everyone.
Some kids have lots of friends. Others have a few. Either way is great! Make a Friend, Be a Friend helps young readers find ways to—you guessed it!—make friends and be a better friend. Children learn: how to find and make friends, ways to show you want to be a friend, how to be a good friend, what to do when times get tough. Special features include, What Would You Do? A Story Starring YOU, inviting readers to practice making friends and solving friendship problems.
About the Author
Eric Braun writes and edits books for readers of all ages, specializing in academic and social-emotional topics. Books he has worked on have won awards and honors including the Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award, a Foreword Book of the Year Gold Award, a Benjamin Franklin Award, and many others. A McKnight Artist Fellow and an Aspen Summer Words scholar for his fiction, he earned an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons.
Ease the Tease
Written by Judy S. Freedman and Mimi P. Black & illustrated by Steve Mark
Published in English by Free Spirit Publishing
World Rights Available
Teasing happens to lots and lots (and lots!) of kids. Every day. Sometimes that teasing can be fun, but sometimes it hurts.
Ease the Tease helps young readers recognize what hurtful teasing sounds and feels like and offers a toolkit for dealing with teasing. Inside the book, readers will find not one . . . not two . . . but ten helpful ways to ease the tease: Two ways using pure brainpower, three ways to try right away, four ways with the element of . . . surprise! And, finally, one way with the help of a grown-up (because sometimes asking for help is the right thing to do) Children can try out these practical and memorable strategies, practice them, and team up with others to ease the tease. Includes a glossary of terms at the back of the book to equip and empower children with the vocabulary they need.
About the Author
Judy S. Freedman, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., is a licensed clinical social worker with more than thirty years of therapeutic and educational experience with children, adolescents, and adults. During her more than two decades as a social worker in elementary schools, she created the Easing the Teasing program, which empowers kids with essential skills and strategies to handle teasing incidents, and which was the basis for her parenting book Easing the Teasing: Helping Your Child Cope with Name-Calling, Ridicule, and Verbal Bullying (Contemporary Books/McGraw Hill). She gives presentations and workshops to parents, educators, mental health professionals, recreational personnel, and students. Judy received the Illinois School Social Worker of the Year Award in 2011. She lives in the Chicago area with her family.