C is for Cal 1

C is for Cal

Why Not Develop Reading Literacy While Learning Emotional Literacy?

The 'I Feel When' book series develops emotional literacy at the same time it teaches beginning sight words and how to sound out words. You can see that Ada, Ben, Cal, Deb, Ed, and Fred all try to get along with eachother in the 27 book series, but they have difficulty at times. It is my hope as an author that children can see how others cope with their feelings and make connections to their own emotional inner life. We all have feelings inside of us and some of us yes even parents struggle with how to communicate how we feel. There are appropriate ways and some ways that are better than others. So, if you want your child to read with all their heart, try this series. It will help them become more resilient capable adults.

B is for Ben

You Can Help SEL (Social Emotional Learning) reach Children

 

I was  honored to present my 'I Feel ...When...' books with my puppets at the Freedom School in the Porter's Quarters Neighborhood Saturday.  I was approached by a friend who knew that I teach SEL (Social Emotional Learning).    The students and I enjoyed working with my puppets making I statements such as "I feel afraid when I see a spider." They got a chance to see how talking about your feelings can protect you from being bit by a spider, and maybe even help a spider. Unfortunately it has been against the law to talk about how we feel in public schools in Florida. So the chance for me to put these award winning books in the hands of interested readers has been taken away.  Even though I won the Royal Palm Literary Award for this book last year, I was not allowed to bring it to one public Elementary School when the Women's club was reading books to children.  I was greeted with great enthusiasm when I showed my book to the media specialist at Newberry Elementary when I volunteered for their book fair.  But when she took the idea of having a live author in the school to present to the students with puppets, the principal must have declined my offer.  

 help promote my books if you could order them from the public library.  All you need to do is click on the link below and type in the author and title information I provide below.  If you want to help me even further, I always love reviews on Goodreads and amazon.  Even though I won the Royal Palm Literary Award for my book 'I Feel Afraid When I See A Spider' media specialists in Florida are afraid to have an SEL presentation for fear of breaking the law.  State officials have made clear they see SEL, as it's also referred to, as part of an unacceptable liberal agenda. They've banned mention of it from books and programs. Since all the titles in my 27 book series have the word 'Feel' in it, I am getting a much cooler reception in public schools than in years past.   By asking for my books in public libraries you are warming the sweeping cold chill being felt for those wishing to build emotional literacy for their children in public forums.

I would be ever so grateful if you could help me promote and curate books that build emotional literacy.  The more books you order with your library card for free, the more children will be able to have access to fun puppets, programs, and books that help them discover their own self determination.  The first step to integrity is being aware of your feelings inside.  If we take away chances for children to build emotional intelligence, we will one day have adults that can not cope with their inner life and are much more easily controlled by the media through fear.  If we can cope with fear, anxiety, anger, joy, love, shyness, embarrassment, disgust, envy, confidence, pride, confusion, and loneliness and learn how to talk through our experiences in positive ways we will have a more peaceful world.  

I have purposely woven non-violent communication into my books and put I statements in them in contexts that match experiences children might have in healthy settings.  Then I built a world made of young monsters who have the least attachment to ethnicity, race, religion, or political leanings I could imagine.  I wanted to have characters that reflect what is going on in the inside of all of us who could work together to talk out their problems by identifying their feelings and resolving their problems together.  I wanted the dialogue to model a positive communication approach with others.

Would you like to help me work to get these books out to children?  Would you like to help an author who dares to write about feelings for children even though politicians are trying to stop helping children cope with their feelings? You can! Reviews are also helpful for me.  You can review them on Amazon or on Barnes and Nobles, or Goodreads.

https://www.aclib.us/suggest-materials

9781946785664  is the ISBN for the book I Feel Confident When I Do What I Do Well by Karen White Porter

9781946785459  is the ISBN for the book I Feel Disgusted When  You Don't Blow Your Nose

9781946785473  is the ISBN for the book I Feel Afraid When I See A Spider

Goodreads link for digital book on grief for kids (low cost)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33667198-how-gregory-deals-with-a-case-of-grief?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=OVRJjH4IM9&rank=1

More Books from Everfield Press

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Everfield+Press%22?Nrpp=20&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntk=Publisher&Ntx=mode+matchall&page=2

 I also have colleagues who write about feelings too like author Chrislene Satine who wrote 'The Little Girl With The Big Eyes' or Jenny Dearinger who wrote "Spotted Fish and Striped Fish."