We Can Get Along

December 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 1-These welcome additions highlight interpersonal issues. We Can Get Along tackles conflict, while Just Because I Am takes on emotional awareness and bodily autonomy. The language is simple and straightforward but elegant. We Can Get Along opens, "I know lots of people at school, in my neighborhood, and on the playground. Sometimes we get along...." The facing page continues, "And sometimes we don't." Each recto is in full color and depicts a diverse group of children interacting, while each verso features white-lined drawings on a solid color background of a child engaged in an activity that represents the relevant feeling or idea. At the back is an extensive list of follow-up activities, discussion starters, and suggestions for helping children deal with all the emotions and interactions they encounter in their daily lives. This gentle and supportive approach validates children's feelings and emphasizes that they are in charge of their bodies and emotions. VERDICT Solid options for encouraging emotional and interpersonal awareness in young children.-Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
These purposeful stories will be appreciated by adults who want young children to examine their behaviors and improve relationships. Each double-page spread features a colorful background, simple line drawings, and a cheerful full-color illustration. The characters' diversity (e.g., a girl with a headscarf, a boy in a wheelchair) is a plus. A substantial "Note to Caring Adults" and many related activities are appended.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

August 1, 1997
Ages 4^-7. Payne's attractive paperback reminds children how it feels when you get along with others--and how it feels when you don't. Each prettily and intricately bordered spread offers a message about treating others well on one page and then reiterates that message more simply on the facing page, resulting in a narrative that can be read alone. The basic message is to use one's own feelings as a guide to treating others: "I know how I don't like to be treated. I don't like to be teased, called names or yelled at." Within the borders, which feature such kid-appealing images as dinosaurs, stars, and baby chicks, are a multi-cultural group of children learning these important lessons. The book can help teachers, librarians, and parents find many ways for children, alone or in groups, to learn these lessons as well. ((Reviewed Aug. 1997))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1997, American Library Association.)

April 1, 1997
PreS-Gr 3-Written with clarity, authority, and empathy, this text explores the universal feelings of children in the area of getting along with one another. Good times such as laughing, working, and playing together make them feel happy and safe, while quarreling, hitting, bullying, and teasing make them angry and afraid. These are the givens of everyday life. The empowering theme here is that individuals choose how to behave. Everyone can share, respect others, think before speaking, work out problems, and enjoy many types of friends. Caring adults can be consulted in times of puzzlement and trouble. To make this didactic message lively and appealing, the short blocks of text are enclosed in double-page frames of imaginative and charming illustrations done in pen and ink and bright markers. Children of all races are shown in a variety of ordinary activities, with exuberant backgrounds and borders of interesting items. This expression of the Golden Rule in sensible, easily understood language could be used in any setting, with a group or one-on-one, to address individual behavior or peacemaking techniques in general.-Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA