Poor school results

The Berenstain bears' report card trouble

by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Its Report Card day at Bear Country School and an envelope containing Brother Bear's report card is sitting on his desk.  Brother Bear stares at it as if "were a bomb about to go off".  He eventually plucks up the courage to open the envelope only to reveal all D's except for PE, for which he has received an A.  The problem is that Brother Bear has devoted so much time to soccer, athletics, baseball and gymnastics that he has let his other subjects slide with resulting poor grades. Finally, the moment of truth has come..... time to show his report card to Papa Bear.  He explodes and grounds poor Brother Bear.  He is grounded until he can turn around his grades and that means no more soccer and other fun stuff.  His soccer coach is very disappointed as they have some important matches coming up and the team will miss its 'star' goalie.  Brother must buckle up and improve his grades but he is so depressed, that it makes life unbearable for the rest of the family.  They decide to help him out and his parents concede that they bear some responsibility too.  Instead of just standing on the sidelines of the soccer pitch and cheering, they ought to have been checking on Brother's schoolwork too.  Will Brother be able to improve his grades and not end up being grounded for life?  Will he learn a valuable lesson about finding a good balance between playing the sport that he loves as well as making an effort with his schoolwork.  A valuable lesson to be learned from this tale for those children needing some help in this area.

Citation:

Berenstain, Stan & Jan. The Berenstain bears' report card trouble, New York : Random House, 2002.

Community Rating:

70 reader ratings with an average score of 3.73 out of 5 stars (courtesy of www.GoodReads.com)

First hospital visit

Paddington goes to hospital

by Michael Bond & Karen Jankel ; illustrated by R.W. Alley

Paddington Bear has managed to hurt his arm and the Browns take him to, what turns out to be Paddington's first trip, to hospital.  From the moment they step inside the hospital, Paddington looks around in amazement and awe and, when he is placed on a stretcher, he thinks it is "very good value". Despite all the wonderful, caring doctors and nurses, Paddington Bear is  a somewhat anxious however they help him to realise that hospital is not as frightening as it might initially seem and the food is even good!  As Paddington's arm is sorted out and set into a plaster to heal, the uncertainty of what hospitals are like become demystified for children.  A great story  to familiarise children with what happens in a hospital.

Citation:

Bond, Michael, Jankel, Karen & Alley, R.W. Paddington goes to hospital, London : Collins, 2001.

Community Rating:

11 reader ratings with an average score of 4.45 out of 5 stars (courtesy of www.GoodReads.com)

New Step-parent, step-siblings

Lizzie Zipmouth

by Jacqueline Wilson ; illustrated by Nick Sharratt

Lizzie Zipmouth lives happily alone with her mum but soon her mum starts dating.  Initially the men her mum dates are mean and scary but she eventually finds and falls in love with Sam.  Lizzie is very unhappy with her mum's new relationship. She thinks Sam will turn out no different than the others and she just doesn't trust him.  Lizzie's mum decides that they will move in with Sam and, to make matters worse, he has two sons, Rory and Jake.  Lizzie is so dead-against this turn of events, and, despite the fact that Sam tries to make her feel at home and spoils her, she decides to send herself to Coventry and refuses to speak with anyone, hence the name bestowed upon her: 'Lizzie Zipmouth'.  One day, Lizzie is introduced to her "sort of step-great-grandma" who is even more stubborn than Lizzie.  It is through this delicate, emerging relationship and a subsequent shock that Lizzie realises that she belongs to and is much loved by this new blended family.

Citation:

Wilson, Jacqueline & Sharratt, Nick. Lizzie Zipmouth, London : Young Corgi, 2000. 

Community Rating:

246 reader ratings with an average score of 3.38 out of 5 stars (courtesy of www.GoodReads.com)

Awards:

(1) Nestlé Smarties Gold Award

(2) Red House Children’s Book Award

Separation & divorce

Daddy's getting married

text by Jennifer D. Moore-Mallinos ; illustrations by Marta Fabrega

This story is told from the child's perspective.  It addresses how the child of divorced parents deals with the fact that her parents are divorced.  She describes a whole range of emotions that she has experienced and why she believes she has felt them.  Secretly, she hopes that her parents will get back together again but her hopes are dashed when dad tells her that he has a new 'friend' in his life and they will soon be married.  She is sad that all her dreams of being a family again will never come true.  She is mad at her dad for not giving her and her mum another chance and she is confused and doesn't know what she is supposed to feel.  This story reassures children that they will always continue to be loved and supported by a parent who remarries.  Many children who are experiencing similar circumstances will identify with the feelings described by the child in the story and be drawn to its outcome.  Included are guidelines for parents to help them to help their children in similar circumstances.

Citation:

Moore-Mallinos, Jennifer D & Fabrega, Marta. Daddy's getting married, Hauppauge, N.Y. : Barron's Educational Series, 2006.

Community Rating:

3 reader ratings with an average score of 4.00 out of 5 stars (courtesy of www.JacketFlap.com)

Weight control

Flabby Cat and slobby dog

by Jeanne Willis

Flabby Cat and Slobby Dog share a house together and spend most of their days sitting on the sofa, eating and sleeping.  As time passes, the sofa seems to shrink so Flabby Cat and Slobby Dog wonder what they should do….. Eat and sleep, of course!  The sofa gets smaller and smaller and the house gets smaller and smaller and finally they are driven to action. On TV, Flabby Cat and Slobby Dog watch a programme about their 'distant relatives', the cunning tiger and the wild wolf.  They decide to try to find their relatives and ask whether they can live with them.  It turns out that their relatives are more distant than they thought and Flabby Cat and Slobby Dog embark on an odyssey filled with many hardships just to find them.  Unable to locate them, they make the arduous journey back home only to walk into the house and find them in the hall mirror!  Of course, all that walking, searching and hunting had made them both fit and trim.  They reflected on more than just their mirrored images and, "for the first time in a long time, felt really comfortable with who they were".  This a good book to read with kids in order to appreciate the importance of eating well and keeping active.

Citation:

Willis, Jeanne. Flabby Cat and slobby dog, London : Andersen Press, 2009. 

Community Rating:

7 reader ratings with an average score of 3.14 out of 5 stars (courtesy of www.GoodReads.com)

Self-esteem

It's okay to be different

by Todd Parr

This book addresses all the quirky things that makes each of us unique.  It gives 'permission' for children to be happy with who they are, regardless of any self-conciousness they may have about being small, having no hair, having big ears, being a different colour or coming from a different place, to name just a few.  It is written very simply with bright, bold and childlike illustration that is appealing to all.  This book bolsters self esteem and reinforces that it is okay to be different because "you are special and important just because of being who you are" and invites readers to discuss what is different about them.  This would be a great book to share with a group of children to invite discussion about everyone's similarities and differences and how we should all feel good about the person that we are whilst celebrating the diversity that we enjoy in our community.

Citation:

Parr, Todd. It's okay to be different, Sydney, N.S.W. : ABC Books, 2007, c2001.

Community Rating:

284 reader ratings with an average score of 4.44 out of 5 stars (courtesy of www.GoodReads.com)

Awards:

(1) 2001 National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA)

(2) Winner of the Los Angeles 100 Best Books of 2001

Dealing with bullying

The Recess Queen

by Alexis O'Neill ; illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith

All the kids at school are afraid of Mean Jean the Recess Queen.  She is the playground bully who always gets things her own way.  That is, until a new girl called Katie Sue, "who looks like someone you'd scare with a Boo", starts at school.  She has no preconceived ideas about the playground 'order' and goes right ahead and does things just as she pleases!  And when Mean Jean challenges her, Katie Sue stands up for herself.  Katie Sue then proceeds to offer to play with Jean and Jean is so taken aback (as no-one has offered to play with her before), that she sheepishly joins in!  Jean soon realises that its much more fun to play with someone rather than bully others so that she can play with things by herself.  The playground quickly becomes a great place for all the kids at school.  This captivating tale is told in rhyme and it can be used to discuss, with young children, how to deal with bullies.

Citation:

O'Neill, Alexis & Huliska-Beith, Laura. The Recess Queen, New York : Scholastic, 2002.

Community Rating:

179 reader ratings with an average score of 4.06 out of 5 stars (courtesy of www.GoodReads.com)

Awards:

(1) Maryland Children’s Book Award, Winner 2004

(2) Virginia Young Readers, Winner 2003-2004