Celebrate National Book Month

Sometimes life’s most important lessons can be learned best through stories. In honor of National Book Month, I wanted to share some suggestions of great books to read to your child as well as a few that they will be able to read themselves. All of these deal with issues that are critical to their safety and well-being.

Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up by Mollie Katzen and Ann L. Henderson - A great book to teach kids that not only can food be fun to eat but equally as fun to prepare. What a terrific way to start them off on the right path to having a healthy relationship with food!

My Body Belongs To Me by Jill Starishevsky - Jill is an Assistant District Attorney in New York City where she prosecutes sex offenders. She has dedicated her career to seeking justice for victims of child abuse and sex abuse. This book is narrated by a young child and encourages kids who have been abused to ask for help. It’s a very simple book that will help parents talk to children about this difficult subject and also provides two pages of resources on where to get help.

Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia – Explaining death to a child is never easy. This beautiful book utilizes the metaphor of a leaf as it goes through all of its stages in spring, summer, the beauty of the fall colors and finally falls to the ground during the winter. It’s a wonderful tale that will help parents discuss life and death.

Speak Up and Get Along!: Learn the Mighty Might, Thought Chop, and More Tools to Make Friends, Stop Teasing, and Feel Good About Yourself by Scott Cooper – In this time of bullying and suicide, it’s vital that our kids learn as young as possible how to handle conflict, stick up for themselves and deal with bullies. In this book, kids are given practical tools for how to build relationships, stop fights, prevent bullying and feel good about themselves. There are even exercises that kids can do to practice what to say in certain situations.

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