Liking Myself & The Mouse, The Monster and Me

Product Description (from Amazon.com)

This fun-filled, hand-lettered book for 5 to 10 year old children is packed with ideas and exercises to improve self-esteem and build emotional and social skills. As they read, children learn to listen to and talk about their feelings. By encouraging them to write or draw their responses to specific scenarios, Liking Myself also helps children learn how to handle themselves when they feel upset or overwhelmed. Reading this book with their parents can open new channels of communication and deepen trust.



Product Description (from Amazon.com)

Engaging artwork and exercises illustrate aggressive “monster” and passive “mouse” behaviors, helping youngsters (ages 8 and up) identify these characteristics in themselves and in others. The “me” communication style, based on rights, responsibility, and respect, teaches healthy, non-violent conflict management skills that can help kids stop being or attracting bullies. This best-seller in six languages is widely used in "bully-proofing" and violence prevention programs. Reading this book with parents can open new channels of communication and deepen trust.

About the Author
Pat Palmer, Ed.D. is author of many books for children, teens, and adults, that offer compassionate, positive ways to handle and express feelings, be assertive, and be confident. Her books are available in six languages, and are especially popular in the U.S. and Japan. The former Director of the Assertiveness Training Institute in Denver, she continues to write at her home in Hawaii.

MY REVIEW

I absolutely love the message in BOTH of these books. I think they would be great to use in a classroom setting with each child having their own book to write and colour in. They are entirely in black and white and my kids asked why someone "forgot" to colour the pages. I told them that they could colour them and they thought that was cool :). Both stories remind me of the social stories I use with my son who has high-functioning Autism. They are straight-forward, down to earth and easy for anyone to understand.

Liking Myself is packed full of affirmations for kids. Palmer describes feelings and how to relax and let go of negative feelings. My favourite was "Let go of the idea that everyone has to like you". That is a lesson we ALL need to learn!

The Mouse, The Monster, and Me is great because it can help kids who are being bulled AND kids who are bullying. We have had a lot of trouble with Aiden being a bully (he has aggression issues as part of his Autism) and I LOVED how this book talked about the Monster and what it feels like in your body and mind to be that Monster. One of my favourite parts said

"Everyone has the right to express feelings, thoughts, and opinions. However, this right needs to be used in a fair and responsible way. It is not ok to act like a monster an dto put others down in order to express yourself. For instance a discussion or even an argument is ok, but shouting someone down is not ok."

Brilliant.