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Adventure Girl, Dabi Digs in Israel, written and illustrated by Janice Hechter, is a picture book about a young girl's love for exploring nature. While on a special family visit to her grandparents in Israel, Dabi goes on a special archeology dig with her family. While on the dig in this national park, she discovers a beautiful gold ring! What else will she find? Adventure Girl is a story that celebrates a child's love of nature and provides a glimmer into the field of archaeology. The book also gives us an introduction to the setting of Belt Guvrin National Park in Israel and some new vocabulary words in Hebrew. Guvrin National Park Do you want to learn more about Guvrin National Park? Check out the website here. Part of why I love sharing children's books is because I learn so much! Without reading this book, I never would have known about reserving your own archaeology dig in this national park. Check out Janice below on her own dig in this national park. To learn more about Janice and visit my website, click here.

I am excited to present this podcast with Yehudi Mercado, author of Chunky and Chunky Goes to Camp. Both of his books are also memoir graphic novels, which make the books even more unique. Chunky Chunky is based on the experiences of the author/illustrator, Yehudi Mercado, who is a Mexican Jewish boy growing up in Texas.  The book begins with a trip to the doctor when Chunky is told again that he has to lose weight. What will he do? When he arrives home, he meets an imaginary friend who represents a positive mindset for Chunky throughout the book. Chunky decides to try various sports throughout the book to appease his parents, most specifically his father who is an excellent athlete. However, he just always ends up at the hospital, getting hurt. In the end, Chunky discovers his true talent and the place he feels like he truly belongs. To read more about this book, check out my review here. Chunky Goes to Camp is another excellent graphic novel written and illustrated by Yehudi Mercado. The book begins with Yehudi constantly getting in trouble at school for his humourous and mischievous personality. His parents decide to send him to a sleepaway camp. This Jewish sleepaway camp seems like a nightmare at first until he meets his friend, Pepe who changes everything for Yehudi. They have so much in common, including being Hispanic and Jewish. Chunky Goes To Camp is a perfect read for anyone going to camp this summer. To learn more about this book, listen to our podcast together. The book releases June 14th, so pre-order now to get your copy! To read more, visit my website here.

Most Perfect You written by Jazmyn Simon and illustrated by Tamisha Anthony is a beautiful book about a girl named Irie who rediscovers what it means to be perfect. Jazmyn Simon redefines what it means to be perfect in this book. The whimsical and bold illustrations bring this story together as a work of art.  Irie hates her hair and all she wants is to have hair like everyone else. Her mom tells her a story that can warm the heart of any reader! I love this book because it celebrates being unique and self-love. It's hard to not compare yourself to others and this is not just specific to children. Even as an adult, we often compare ourselves to others whether in person, on social media, or through other media sources. This book is a reminder for both children and adults alike that we need to stop and be grateful for our own unique qualities. This book is wonderful to read aloud and discuss after! To check out examples of discussion questions and learn more about Jazmyn, visit my website here!

I discovered this picture book, Regina Persisted when recently reading the Hadassah magazine. Regina Persisted, An Untold Story written by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and illustrated by Margeaux Lucas is a wonderful book that tells the heroic story of Regina Jonas. The story begins when Regina was a child and dreamed of being a rabbi. She had many obstacles that held her back. In one part of the book, one of her professors told her "Stop trying to be a rabbi. You won't be-not now, not ever."  Regina's dream came true in 1935 when she passed the test and became a rabbi. She officially was hired as a rabbi in 1937. In 1944, Regina was taken to a concentration camp and killed and her story was not told till now. This is why I wanted to share this story on my website so other children and adults can know all about Regina Jonas and how she helped pave the way for other women to become rabbis.  She is important in Jewish history.  To learn more about Rabbi Sandy, visit my website here.

I am excited to share this wonderful podcast with Roz MacLean. Part of what I love about podcasting is getting the opportunity to talk with interesting people who are helping to change the world. Roz is one of these people! Her projects reflect a passion for diversity, inclusion, and telling a story. I learned about Roz when writing a review and interviewing the author of I am Odd, I am New. To check out that podcast, click here. Roz MacLean is a visual artist, children’s book author/illustrator, and educator living and working in Comox Valley, British Columbia.  Roz believes the opportunity to engage in art-making should be accessible to all regardless of socioeconomic status, background, or ability. In her work, she investigates ideas of human nature and relationship, community, mental health, interconnection, and the natural world through an anti-oppressive and LGBTQI + inclusive feminist lens. Roz also develops and facilitates art workshops and projects for children, youth, and community members. Past workshops have centered around themes of inclusion, emotional well-being, skill development and material exploration, beautification of public space, storytelling, and bookmaking. To learn more, visit my website here!

Terrance The Hothead written by Lisa Cloherty and illustrated by Alex Lopez is a story about big feelings and emotional regulation. Terrance the Hothead has big feelings and feels overwhelmed with big emotions each time a problem arises. He starts with a simmer, steam, and then explodes! How can he regulate his emotions better so he can begin to develop friendships with others? Terrance learns some key strategies from Coach Ice and Lady Grey throughout the book to help keep him more regulated. This picture book helps give children the language to talk about big feelings and how to cope with them. I love the illustrations in the book and how the main character navigates his feelings throughout the story. I also love the language of simmer, steam, and boil. Giving children some concrete ways of talking about their emotions help them learn to talk and regulate their big feelings. Listen to our podcast above to learn more about emotional regulation! To learn more about Lisa and her book, visit my website here. 

Forget Me Not begins as Calliope moves to a new town with her mother. Calliope moves often with her unstable mother, which makes her feel displaced and unsure of how long she will be living in one place. On the first day that she moves, she meets her neighbor, Jinsong, who also is in 7th grade at her new school. Calliope immediately feels connected to Jinsong. Will he be a true friend to her?  Calliope has always felt different because of her tics and "quirks" as her mom would call it. She would hum, tense her arms and yank her hair. Her mother, who doesn't understand the disorder, takes some extreme measures to help reduce symptoms, which includes cutting Calliope's beautiful hair at the beginning of the book to reduce the "yanking and pulling". When Calliope is diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at a young age, her doctor advises Calliope to hide and control her tics. For someone with Tourette's, trying to hide these tics makes symptoms even worse.  The story progresses as Calliope navigates her new school, tries to make new friends, and struggles with her Tourette's Syndrome. However, it's difficult because she gets bullied and teased, which makes her symptoms even worse. She also feels alone with her mother constantly with a new boyfriend. How will Calliope find true friends and take control of her own life?  To learn more about Ellie and her books, check out my website here.  

Come On, Calm! is a wonderful, interactive book that is not just a story, it's a therapeutic experience when reading it with your child. I love supporting other speech-language pathologists in their journey in writing children's books since we have such a unique perspective with regard to neurodiversity. Come On, Calm! written by Kelsey Brown and illustrated by Joseph Wrightson is a picture book published by Mascot Books that embeds calming strategies for young children. The book was originally written as a poem by the author. It focuses on specific vocabulary and action words with step-by-step ideas for self or co-regulation. Come On, Calm! embeds language such as emotional vocabulary (e.g. nervous, excited) with strategies such as "sniffing", "squeezing", "zipping", "brushing" and much more. The book is beautifully illustrated and bursts with energy!  I love how the book naturally embeds movement and a multi-sensory experience. When reading this book, practice the different movements with your child and/or student. Work on print awareness by pointing to the words in the book and doing consistent check-ins with feelings. This book also helps children understand what "calm" means. Listen to our podcast above to learn more about tips from Kelsey! To learn more about Kelsey, visit my website here. 

Mindful Mondays: Transforming the Everyday to Claim Calm and Reduce Stress written by Kim Dwyer, Ph.D. is divided into four sections. These sections include General Mindfulness Strategies, Mindful and Thoughts, Mindfulness Values and Intentionality, and Mindfulness and the Art of Living. This book gives valuable strategies for both the beginner and expert in mindfulness. One of the most challenging aspects of daily living is being mindful. I have to remind myself all of the time to "slow down and be in the moment". In our podcast, we discuss different ways to be more mindful in our busy and stressful world!  Kim is also the children's book author of Rocky's Christmas Journey. This picture book is about an owl that was discovered in the tree at Rockefeller Center in 2020. The story follows this owl from the treetops of a forest to the tree in NYC.  The book is beautifully illustrated by Moran Roudor and includes a caregiver guide at the end with discussion questions. To read more and learn about Kim Dwyer, click here. 

I Am Odd I Am New written by Benjamin Giroux and illustrated by Roz MacLean is a picture book based on a poem that the author wrote when he was 10 years old. The poem, which is pictured below describes Ben's feelings about feeling "out of place", "like a castaway", and how he tries "to fit in". Benjamin, who is autistic wrote this poem as part of a school assignment. The poem is beautifully written and unique but the feelings he expresses through the poem are felt by many others. This was evident after his parents shared the poem on social media and it became viral inspiring many others to discuss similar feelings. Whether your child is neurodiverse or neurotypical, this book can be an excellent tool to be read at home or in the classroom.  To learn more about Benjamin and read this poem, click here.

Do you have a child with selective mutism? Does your child's voice get stuck in school or with certain people? All three books below written by Lucy Nathanson are excellent resources for both school and home alike.  Why Doesn't Alice Talk at School? This picture book is a story that is intended to be read to friends and the class about selective mutism. This book begins with a section for adults and the story for children follows. The book is a wonderful tool to help explain to children why Alice doesn't talk at school. He talks about different things that other children are scared of and then relates it to Alice and her fear of talking at school. The teacher also gives some tips for the children to help support Alice. Why Doesn't Alice Talk at School is ideal for the classroom or school library! My Name is Ben and I don't talk sometimes This picture book includes both a children's story and guidelines for parents and professionals. The story begins with Ben explaining that he is a chatterbox at home, but at school he has trouble talking. He also gets nervous when he has other people over at his house and is scared to talk to his Aunty Sarah. I loved how the author embedded different tips in the storybook such as Ben being relieved that his Aunty Sarah doesn't ask him a lot of questions, which makes him nervous. The book also incorporates the brave chart and how Ben begins to feel brave to talk with his Aunty Sarah in the room. My Name is Eliza and I don't talk at school My Name is Eliza and I don't talk at school is another wonderful storybook about a young girl named Eliza. The book begins with a section of "How to Read this Book" and then includes a section of therapeutic strategies such as stimulus fading, reassuring your child, graded exposure in the community, and brave charts. Eliza describes her "big worry feeling" when her voice gets stuck. This third book written by Lucy Nathanson can be an excellent tool for parents, friends and educators. To learn more and check out additional resources about selective mutism, click here. 

Be The Dragon 9 Keys to Unlocking Your Inner Magic written by Catherine J. Manning and illustrated by Melanie Demmer is a beautiful workbook to stimulate your child's creativity and imagination. The book begins with a Know Yourself Quiz to determine "What type of dragon are you?" From there, you can determine what type of dragon you are! Are you a water dragon, air dragon, ground dragon, fire dragon, or moon dragon?  In this book, you will find hands-on activities, quests and quizzes, exciting stories, and vibrant illustrations. Through these activities, your child can reflect on overcoming fears, increasing confidence, social skills, and stimulating problem-solving situations. To learn more about this book, visit my website here!