Book Reviews: Sticking With It and Worrying Too Much

One thing we can all agree on in our family is that we love to read!  My husband and I enjoy fantasy books, like Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.  We also enjoy various historical, self-improvement, and humorous reads, among others.  Reezle has a penchant for animal books, from birding to caring for cats, and other non-fiction.  And Little G can't get enough of his children's human body and science books, when he isn't toting around his favorite math workbook.

Since reading is a well-received way of learning new information for my kiddos, I like to get them books that help them through various things they may be struggling with.  Recently, I bought my daughter a workbook on anxiety.  While her brother is the type to shrug off most things, she tends to worry, worry, worry about the smallest things.  And since worries tend to grow over time, I thought it would be wise to address it now and provide her with tools to manage the feelings of stress.  Among those tools is What To Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner, Ph.D.  It's full of brilliant metaphor and exercises to help children understand and manage their fears.  I would give it 5 stars and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to help a child who may be prone to worry.  Recommended reading level: age 6 or grade 1 and up.  Mama Bonn's thoughts: I think this is a suitable workbook for children through elementary school.

Little G, our easily-frustrated kiddo, often has little to no patience with himself any time he doesn't already know how to do something.  Learning, though not difficult for him, causes frustration because the little dude feels like he should know it already.  My goal with him is to help him realize that making mistakes is part of the process of learning, and actually helps us retain our knowledge better if we don't allow the frustration to be the focus.  My mantra with him has been everyone makes mistakes, and that is perfectly okay!  He doesn't seem to be convinced, so I looked around for, of course, a book. I found a winner!  Try And Stick With It by Cheri J. Meiners, M. Ed. discusses the very issues Little G is struggling with and offers useful suggestions.  We have several of Cheri J. Meiners' books, and they're all wonderful so far.  They even have a section in the back of the book with information on how parents (grandparents, teachers, etc.) can discuss various sections of the book in more depth.  Again, a 5 star book that I would highly recommend.  Recommended reading level: Reading level states 4 years and up.  Mama Bonn's thoughts: For independent readers, I would say it's a great book for 1st graders, so the age range on this is probably preschool through grade 2 or 3, generally speaking.

Review: Different Like Me, My Book of Autism Heroes

The other night, just before bed, my 6 year-old son proudly proclaimed, "I'm HAPPY I have autism!" He went on to tell me it's because his brain is "interesting and smart". I can't argue with him there.

We had just read some of the book Different Like Me, and he found Nikola Tesla and Temple Grandin most interesting. My daughter liked Einstein and Tesla best.

I love that there is a book like this, which celebrates the positives of being on the spectrum. I firmly believe there are gifts in every challenge, and autism is absolutely one of the most profound examples of that. Though it is not possible to say with certainty whether all of the individuals in this book would have received a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, they do at least share many familiar traits. In a society that seems all too eager to point out what cannot be accomplished because of autism, this book is about possibilities and potentials, about focusing on strengths and developing one's gifts, and about how much one person can contribute to the world in spite of challenges and differences.

The book might be a bit dry for younger children, but probably great for the 8 and up group who are beginning to understand what their diagnosis is and what it means. I love positive and empowering children's books, and this is definitely among them. Rather than the redundant, patronizing attempts at "acceptance" that too many other books throw out at us, this book focuses more on the individual and their accomplishments and contributions to the world - without the seemingly obligatory "even though they had autism" qualifier.

My Brother Charlie Book Review

I recently picked up a copy of My Brother Charlie for my kids after seeing some rave reviews of it online. Because it was so highly-rated, I didn't even flip through it until I had it home. Mistake.

The very first things that made me say, uh oh, this might not be what I was looking for... were the puzzle pieces scattered on the inside of the book jacket. I know some people like to say that autistic children are little puzzles, but I absolutely detest that metaphor. My child isn't a puzzle, he's a person. Just because he thinks differently and sometimes acts differently than children his age doesn't mean he's a puzzle that needs to be solved. But I wasn't going to let the artwork make my decision on the book. And, as it turns out, it didn't have to.

The general feel of the supposed "acceptance" message in this book felt condescending, like "Yeah, Charlie is broken, but we love him anyway," rather than true acceptance. Granted, the boy in the story was non-verbal, but even that aspect could have had a more positive spin than talking about how Mommy cried because the doctors told her Charlie would never say 'I Love You'. Yes, poor Mommy, because her son isn't going to express love the way she wants him to, to make her feel good. My son didn't need words to express love. I'm fairy certain no one does. I absolutely loathe how the world has such a narrow view of what people should be and how they should act.

In another part of the story, Charlie's sister discusses how he sometimes "ruins" playdates by, well, being himself. Apparently, in his family, needing to be alone and away from people is unacceptable and highly annoying.

Another thing I found abrasive was the statement, "Charlie has autism. But autism doesn't have Charlie." I would expect someone to say this about a disease, like diabetes or cancer. Autism is a neurological difference. Of course it doesn't "have" anyone. That bit reminded me of the horrific I Am Autism video that the deplorable organization Autism Speaks put out not long ago as part of their fear propaganda. It made my skin crawl.

I mean, I don't know. Children are naturally a bit selfish, and maybe that's why the book has those undertones to it. For the purpose of relating. But I thought it was so bad that I didn't even give it to my kids to read, I just took it back.

My position on autism may be different from that of others. For me, my hopes are that my son lives a happy, fulfilling, meaningful, rich life, whatever that means for him. I really don't care about anything else, or anyone else's opinions. I wouldn't change him for anything, because everyone has challenges and this just happens to be the one we deal with.

The Cat at Night

We love books in our family, so I thought it would be a fun addition to our homeschool blog to discuss some of what we are reading and offer some mini reviews. Our most recent book love is The Cat at Night by Dahlov Ipcar.


The Cat at Night became an instant favorite for us. Bright, colorful, and beautifully illustrated pages tell the story of a cat's nighttime adventures through city and countryside. Fun and informative, the book gives readers a few insights into the mysterious noctournal nature of cats and why the darkness is not a problem for them. Perfect for a bedtime story to read to your children, or to have them read to you!