Summer is ending, and the new school year is upon us. This change can bring lots of emotions in children, both positive and negative. Students all over are feeling excitement about a new grade, new school or just the new year in general. Or, children may be feeling apprehension about those same things. I have found books to be a useful avenue to help children deal with emotions that come with the start of the school year.
Recently, I read a book by a local author that could be helpful with this exact topic. Dr. Melissa Fisher Paoni is the author of Dylan's Hero: A Story of Overcoming Negative Thinking. In this story, illustrated by Springfield artist Christy Freeman Stark, we meet Dylan, who is in the third grade. Like many of us, Dylan has negative voices in his head that invade his thoughts. There's one negative thought that expects Dylan to be perfect, one who reminds him to worry, a negative thought that makes Dylan feel like a victim, and one who is Dylan's constant critic. The reader then learns how each of these negative thoughts show up in Dylan's life, and most of the examples are in school. Luckily, Dylan also has a positive voice that is fighting to be heard as well. Good news for young readers – our main character learns how to hear the positive voice more frequently, so we get a happy ending.
If you or your child is a fan of the movie Inside Out, then this book would be a good one for them. This book also has a helpful note for parents at the back of the book. You can purchase this book and find more information about Paoni and other books she has written, at www.drpaonibooks.com.
A relatively common situation that might give a child feelings of anxiety or apprehension at the beginning of school can be around the pronunciation of their name. Happily, in the past few years there have been a lot of quality picture books published that have explored the idea of having pride in your name. One of those titles is My Name is Saajin Singh, written by Kuljinder Kaur Brar and illustrated by Samrath Kaur.
In this story we are introduced to young Saajin, who is not only in love with his name, he is also super excited to start kindergarten. However, when his teacher calls his name for attendance, she doesn't pronounce it correctly. She says, "Say-jin" instead of the correct pronunciation of "Sah-jin." At first, Saajin did not even realize that the teacher was talking about him, because that is not how he says his name. But when he did realize she must be talking about him, he began to wonder if he had been pronouncing his own name incorrectly the whole time. So Saajin unfortunately does not correct his teacher or his new friends at school and even begins answering to "Say-jin," thinking that that is the way his name is actually said. Thankfully, once his parents find out, his mom and dad help him to confidently clear up the confusion.
As a person who grew up constantly having my name mispronounced, I wish this book existed when I was in elementary school. If your young child needs a little boost of confidence and pride around their name, then I recommend My Name is Saajin Singh, which can be found at the local library or wherever you purchase books.
Returning to school can bring about all sorts of emotions, so giving your child the opportunity to understand that they are not alone in some of those feelings can help to get the year off to a positive start.
Deana Metzke is the literacy/social studies/library coordinator for Springfield School District 186 and a mom of two. For more children's book recommendations, follow her on Twitter @DMetzke or visit her blog at http://raisingreaders.site.
