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Remember when you were a child around the age of 9 or 10 years old? If you were like most, you made a lot of wrong choices which landed you in hot water with parents or caregivers. But, perhaps you were unaware that you even had choices. I know most times I wasn’t. Good choices lead to self-control and self-control to self-confidence translating to empowerment. Self- perception of a child in relation to the world and those around him/her depends upon the choices made at every age of child development. Parents, teachers and caregivers can educate children regarding the wonderful world of options (choices) and their consequences through literature. Books that teach right from wrong, good from bad, motivated from unmotivated, wise from unwise among a myriad of other child development stages are waiting to tell their stories. I haven’t met a child or adolescent yet that did not like a good story. I’ve also never met a parent that didn’t want her child to make good choices. Parents, teachers and caregivers want children to make the right choices because they want to. But first, children must be familiar with choices and their consequences. It’s also important for children to recognize the difference between scenarios that have options and those that do not. There are so many books available online in genres that include topics on any child development stage your child is currently undertaking. Share books with children that cultivate optimism, that teach what and how they think is most important in life, that model how experiences whether positive or negative develop some force inside that prepares us for the next similar experience. Build on the learners’ needs and problems that exist in every day life for that learner’s age group. Give them short assignments each day such as keeping a journal to jot down one sentence to sum up the day or making out the menu for a family meal. Of course, you must follow through with the menu! And, I’ll bet they jot down more than one sentence and want to make more menus. All children have goals. Goals will correspond to the child’s age, but they are still goals, ever so important. By identifying a goal that a child wants to achieve, then locating books that entertain that goal, you teach the child that dreams or goals can become reality. And, you are giving modeling motivation. These activities are helping children learn to learn. Patricia Polacco is an excellent author of children’s literature and one of my favorites. Recommendations: Welcome Comfort Ages 4-8 Patricia Polacco This is a very touching Christmas story which deals with real issues. The children who listen to this story will empathize with Welcome, who was taunted and teased by his new classmates. Welcome Comfort is a little foster boy who becomes friends with the school janitor, Mr. Hamp. Through their friendship, Comfort learns to believe in Santa Claus and the importance of relationships with other people. Fiction. n/a. 1999, Philomel, Unpaged, $16.99. Reviewer: Dawn Cobb (Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 12, No. 3)) The Trees of the Dancing Goats Ages 5-10 Patricia Polacco Two farming families, living half a mile apart in rural Michigan, celebrate very different traditions with their winter holidays, but their friendship is rock solid in a time of crisis. In another of her marvelous autobiographical stories, the author, Trish in the book, remembers her Ukrainian Babushka (grandmother) hand-dipping the candles for the Hanukkah menorah while her Georgian/Russian grandfather carves wondrous wooden animals and figures, brightly painted and the most wonderful gifts in the world. This year an epidemic of the contagious disease, scarlet fever, prevents most of their neighbors from preparing for Christmas. In a practical but kindly way, the family goes from house to house bringing roast chicken, latkes (potato pancakes) and also tiny trees decorated with dancing goats and other painted figures; leaving presents and at every house a candle "So they will have the light of God in their hearts...and so that God will protect them and make them well again." Their unselfishness is returned in a lovely way when the neighbors recover and come visiting them. Polacco's storytelling is faultless, as are her marking pen and pencil illustrations 2000 (orig. 1996), Aladdin, $6.99. Reviewer: Judy Chernak Thank You, Mr. Falker Ages 8-11 Patricia Polacco Trisha loved to draw. At school the other kids watched her perform her magic with crayons. When it came to reading, Trisha always failed. Finally, in fifth grade, Mr. Falker came into her life and helped her overcome her problem. The author writes from her personal experience about a teacher who appreciated her strengths and helped her overcome her weaknesses. We feel Trisha's pain and see her growth. The paintings are emotionally rich. A teacher can change a child's life as this inspiring story clearly demonstrates. 1998, Philomel, $16.99 My Rotten Red-Haired Brother Ages 5-9 Patricia Polacco The story is based on the author's remembrances of her brother, Richie, who could run faster, throw farther and get dirtier than anyone else. Trisha can't out best him at anything until the night that she wishes on a falling star. Trisha learns about the power of wishes and Richie proves that he's more than a bragging brother. The poses and facial expressions are so child-like that they highlight the universality of this story of relationships. The end papers are covered with photos of Trisha and Richie from their family album. 1994, Simon & Schuster, $15.00. Reviewer: Jan Lieberman