Reviews of The Little Book of Character Strengths
“When we learn how to use our strengths, we become our best selves and contribute to the world with much more passion and energy. June Rousso’s lovely poem brings the different character strengths to life in a beautiful and memorable way and helps us all to recognize our inner strengths and get more out of life” – actionforhappiness.org.
“If you are looking for a read-aloud at home or in the classroom, here is a great picture book for you on social morals. Each moral trait is defined and expressed in rhyming lines and beautiful anime-like watercolor illustrations. Each trait can be read daily to inspire a child or taken in groups to help with building vocabulary and character in school. They could also be used as writing prompts to get children to think deeper. I found it to be an interesting book that could be read a page at a time or in sections. It would make a great instructional tool for the classroom or at home.”- Tiffany Turner, The Indie Children’s Authors Connection–
“What a great idea! Dr. Rousso has taken the complex, all-important subject of character and, more specifically, character strength, and rendered it palatable to children and young adults. Most can agree that this crucial topic is in short supply in this day and age of moral ambiguity. Parents will also gain from Dr. Rousso’s book– from being reminded of what it is to be a healthy, moral, human being: one who possesses among other traits wisdom, curiosity, perspective, creativity, judgement, a love of learning, courage, perseverance, honesty and many more. Moreover, her book will be easily embraced by children, not only because her “discussion” of each character strength is in delightful rhyme form, but also because each is accompanied by dream-like illustrations that engage the imagination and make spectacular use of color. This is a book that should be on the shelf of every child in the process of building character, and enlisted by every parent for whom good character in their child is a priority.” – Julie Marcus, Ph.D.
“The first step in evaluating and developing our character is to have a clear understanding about the meaning of each of the strengths. In June Rousso’s book, The Little Book of Character Strengths, she cleverly presents them to us as a beautiful poem with colorful images that both you and your children will enjoy reading together.” – Sandi Schwartz, happysciencemom.com.
Click here to read Amazon Reviews for We all Live on this Planet Together
A Review of We All Live on this Planet Together by Ooha
We all have fears. But, we are all also more than our fears. So, when your fears take hold of you, how can you overcome them? How can you remember that there is an entire world beyond them?
This book with colorful pictures is essentially for children, but, very readable by adults too. After all, adults have fears too. All of us deal with our fears on a daily basis. But, I guess adults are better off since we’ve grown into that awareness which helps us vocalize them. Children, on the other hand, feel fear; intense fear at times; not all of them, however, can put their finger on the cause or tell us about it.
So, this book is a great gift to make to your baby who’s afraid of the dark, but, hesitates to wake you up in the night when he needs to go to the bathroom. The beautiful watercolours will catch his fancy and lull him into a story that gently reminds him that fears are only part of who he is and not even an important part. He is so much more and this book reminds him to remember it every time a twinge of his heart makes him uncomfortable.
While the concept of this book is to be applauded, there are a little few things that I wish could be different. The language could be simpler. A few words here and there are above primary school reading levels, I felt. It could be converted to a teaching experience though, if you’re up to it.
The watercolours do their job of attracting your fancy. However, I felt they were a little too messy for a child’s understanding. Or maybe, I’m underestimating the kids? There is one picture though where fear takes on a rough-hued form; it stands in front of the kid; it was truly intimidating. I felt the impact even in my critical frame of mind and it stayed with me. I wished for more pictures like that.
BOTTOMLINE: The book gives out a beautiful message- that we are more than our fears; and that if we ever need help to overcome them, all we need to do is look around. The title may not give you the impression, but this little book is about not giving in to your fears- big or small. So, give it a whirl with your pre-teens for its message and in between all that seriousness, take a break and admire the colors.
Happy Reading!
A Review of We All Live on this Planet Together by Sandi Schwartz
From a young age, children express their fears about a number of issues whether it is an imaginative monster under the bed, their parents leaving them with another caretaker for a few hours, or the first day of school. As our children get older, their fears tend to expand and become more complex. They may read a scary book, see a frightening scene on TV, or overhear a conversation about a disturbing news story that triggers fear within them.
If these fears are not addressed, they can start to take over their lives in the form of stress and anxiety, preventing them from feeling happy and safe. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), it is estimated that 1 in 8 children suffers from an anxiety disorder. Additionally, the use of anti-anxiety medications is exploding. It increased by almost 50 percent for children ages 10-19 between 2001-2010, explained Scott Shannon, author of Mental Health for the Whole Child: Moving Young Clients from Disease & Disorder to Balance & Wellness.
Given these patterns, it is so critical that we talk openly about fear with our children from a young age. One way to do so is through reading. We All Live On This Planet Together by June Rousso is a touching children’s book that will help teach your kids how to overcome their fears using many of the themes from the Happy Science Mom toolkit, including optimism, self-love, gratitude, and spending time in nature.
“The first step in evaluating and developing our character is to have a clear understanding about the meaning of each of the strengths. In June Rousso’s book, The Little Book of Character Strengths, she cleverly presents them to us as a beautiful poem with colorful images that both you and your children will enjoy reading together.” – Sandi Schwartz, happysciencemom.com.