Book review: Matilda saves Santa Claus

Book Review:  Matilda saves Santa Claus (2013) by Alex Field

A Christmas gift, that is a picture book about Christmas? Yes please!

It's a beautifully illustrated book your kids are going to enjoy for the whole year. 

Kids won't really care that the story lacks a lyrical flow or that it's really repetitive.

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for children: 

This is a book that needs to be read to little children. Some of the typeface makes it difficult, and a few words would be unfamiliar to preps. It's a simple story with a great moral. It' doesn't matter how small you are, you can make a huge difference, and be rewarded for it.

My Christian Perspective:

God uses the most unlikely of heros to do great things. He chose the youngest child to be a king, a persecutor to be an evangelist. So the themes of getting little ones to recognise that their size or age isn't a barrier to serve others is a great message.
Whether santa claus is real or not, and whether as a Christian, we should perpetuate this is another debate. But I heard on the radio the "origins" of Christmas stockings. It's goes something like this, there was a poor man with three young daughters, he was too proud to ask for assistance during Christmas, but couldn't afford any gifts for his little girls. Saint Nicolas findng out about this threw 3 gold coins down his chimney which landed in the stockings the girls were hanging out to dry.
Yes, the spirit of Christmas is about love, it's about giving, whether gifts or services to others. And it's not expecting anything in return.

My overall rating: 

Good
This resource maybe useful and maybe a decent use of time. 

Great solid picture book that will withstand the multi-re-reads your child will enjoy.

I was provided with a review copy of this book.

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Book Review: Bailey Beats the Blah (2013)

Book Review:  Bailey Beats the Blah (2013) by Karen Tyrrell

We know CBT works, but somehow it's difficult to describe how this works with children. A great book for parents, GPs, schools and psychologists working with young children. This is another great mental health book by Karen. Well done.

"Blah" a word to use, when you can't describe the yucky feeling. 

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for parents:

Particularly if it's your first child, parents aren't used to talking to little people about feelings. This book is a simple and short way to help parents and their offspring communicate emotional distress.

For children:

Topics presented are a great way as an "in" to discuss mental health issues with young people. Children aren't great at describing what's wrong. They often point to the same problems listed in the book - like tummy pains. When there is no word for them to describe this yucky feeling they have, the lack of energy of joy, "blah" is a great alternative.

My Christian Perspective:

Depression isn't a word we can find in the NIV version of the bible. Yet, we find that symptoms of depression are actively described in some of the most influential biblical characters. Moses, David, Solomon, Job, Paul. They are mourning, downcast, miserable. Sometimes it's helpful to be able to identify times of distress. And the bible tells us that Jesus is our friend and support in these times. I was so blessed to hear a testimony from a young child at my Children's Sunday School. Mother came up to me on Sunday and said, "sometimes I'm ashamed of the lack of faith I have compared to my daughter." She went on to describe a situation where her daughter was required to list people she could turn to when she was in trouble. Number 1 on the list was God. This was closely followed by police, her mother and her friends.

My overall rating: 

Excellent
This is a very useful resource or a decent use of time. 

I liked it, it does a great job of pinpointing what mood disturbance in young children look like. And best of all, there is a happy ending with practical ways parents and schools can help. Sometimes simple is best.

I was provided with a signed copy from the author- Good reads. It retails for $13.45 on Amazon or $3.99 on Kindle (Christmas sale!). Its aligned with Kids Matter national education program. 5% sales go to Kids Help Line. 

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Book review: Best friends and mean girls (2008) WIN!

Book Review:  Talking with Your Daughter About Best Friends and Mean Girls (8 Great Dates) (2008) by Dannah Gresh

Looking for ways to broach hard subjects with your tween daughter? Looking for ideas for activities to get closer to her?

Although this book has a lot of focus about God, it still works great if you ignore the spiritual references. Teaching your daughter that Love is patient, kind, bears all things.

I have started letting parents read this book in the waiting room of my practice.

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for tweens: 

Talking to your daughters about these subjects is perhaps more effective in the tween years than later in life. Research shows that strong parent-child relationships and firm guidance about certain behaviours are protective for offspring. It's a great and fun way to begin to talk to your daughters about difficult topics. Some ideas included in the book include having a slumber party, going on a shopping spree, doing random acts of kindness to others. All these are great ways to spend quality time with your girls.

Main topics the book covers includes: what real friendship looks like, how to be a nice neighbour, friendships with best friends, how to deal with mean friends, parents, siblings and boys. Wow.

I like how the book is really interactive with tonnes of activities, technology bits you and your daughter can listen to and spaces to put down thoughts and notes.

For children:

Topics here are less relevant for younger children, but the ideas to spend time with your daughters still apply. There are even sections with adjustment for younger children. 

My Christian Perspective:

There is a large focus and assumption that readers are christians. But I believe the content is not necessarily directed as such. Any daughter/mother can benefit from learning that love is patient, love is kind, love doesn't gossip, love trusts, love endures. But it's an added bonus for Christian daughters and parents to be able to reflect on the many blessings that God has given. And it also offers specific prayer requests you may have. 

My overall rating: 

Excellent
This is a very useful resource or a decent use of time. 

I liked it, it has some really great ideas for spending time with your tweens. I didn't think all the topics were relevant for all girls, but this is still a worthwhile read for parents, even if it was in the waiting room. 

I was provided with a signed copy from the author- Good reads. It retails for $13.00 a Big W, you can also obtain copies from Amazon and the publisher's website. 

And here's your opportunity to get a copy. The publisher has given me a copy to give away!

HOW TO ENTER. 

Simple fill in the form to enter (If you don't  like Rafflecopter, you can just comment below to enter). Be sure to enter your email address so I can contact you if you win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

I was provided a review copy by the publisher but was in no way paid for writing this review. 

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Movie Review: Smurfs 2 (2013)

Movie Summary: The Smurfs 2 (2013)

This was much better than the first movie, which doesn't happen often with sequels. I'm not sure why there are so many negative reviews out there for this movie. It was never intended as a masterpiece. The humour is such that adults can have a little giggle while their children enjoy the adventure.

*spoiler* Some of my favorite bits include the use of a media play- ipad like device to plan ahead, and "Patrick-Barney" coming to terms with loving a step father.

Yes the graphics weren't the best, but they were great compared to the 2d blue smudges I used to see on TV. And what I liked about the movie is that it didn't lose sight of the main themes and attitudes of the original Smurf series.

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for children: 

I believe that this movie is suitable for most of the family. Kids any younger than 13 should really have parental guidance as the action scenes can get a little scary and some of the jokes a bit off! The story lines and morals are great for the kids. -- it doesn't matter where you came from or who you were, it's who you choose to be.

Things to talk to your kids about:

Good vs evil. step parents

Things to talk to your teens about:

Rebelling, identity, step parents, unconditional love

My Christian Perspective:

The theme about choices in this movie is great. Grumpy can choose to be grumpy or positive, smurfette can choose to be a smurf or a naughty. Some choices can have small consequences, but others choices can influence your entire life and even the future of the world as we know it.

My overall rating: 

Superior
This is a fantastic resource or was an extremely great use of time.

This review may have been slightly biased because I grew up with Smurfs on TV, but which review isn't biased by personal experience? This is a keeper. When the DVD comes out, it will be on my shelf and I intend to watch it many times with children of all ages. And I think this is an excellent addition to any DVD library.

This isn't a movie for everyone's taste, but if you are a fan of kids animated movies, the original smurfs series, this is one for you.

#Smurfs @sonypicturesAUS

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Book Review: The Carousel (2011)

Book Review:  The Carousel (2011) by Ursula Dubosarsky

If theme park rides could talk and dream, would wooden horses like to escape?

It's nearly Christmas, and it's time to pick up gifts for kids. Picture books are great keepsakes for young ones who don't seem to mind the repetition.

This is a heavy weight book with lots of pretty pictures, more suitable for girls than boys. This book can encourage young people to follow their dreams and not conform to set norms about who them must be.

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for children: 

Children love spending time with their caregivers. Reading is a great way to spend time with them. Allow them to fill in the blanks with familiar words, talk to them and ask them what they think would happen next. This is a cute little book for young children and would be good for any waiting room.

For children:

I think for young kids, simply listening to their parents reading and just looking at the pictures is a real enjoyment. While reading, you may notice deeper themes within the text. At least on one level it's teaching kids to break free from the mundane.

My Christian Perspective:

There are different religions in the world that believe in cycles. In the asian tradition, when you die, you will reencarnate. But Christians believe that this cycle doesn't occur. We are all bound to one destiny- eternal death. That is unless we decide to break free from this destiny by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal lord and savior.

My overall rating: 

Good
This resource maybe useful and maybe a decent use of time. 

My first thought was, this is a heavy picture book. Yes, both in weight as well as in thought. It was beautifully illustrated and can be interpreted at many different levels. Would be a great gift for little ones 8-10, or a good waiting room book.

I was provided with a signed copy from the author- Good reads

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Book review: The Little Book about God (2013)

Book Review:  The little book about God (2013) by Ron Rhodes

Understanding God, and his will in our life is an ongoing quest. The author pulls the bible apart to highlight 28  things we should know about God including, God is the father, the son, the holy spirit. God is eternal, everywhere, all-powerful, all-knowing. God is love, true and merciful.

The format for each chapter is easy to understand. The author start out with a main idea "e.g. God is, by nature, love. His grace is limitless". Then goes through the needs to know and verses in the bible to think about. The author then provide ideas/quotes to think about which bring out the main idea. The structure of these chapters is a great way to teach kids/teens but the content maybe a bit abstract for children without explanation. 

Just as the author recommended, it's got 28 chapters (2 pages each) which makes for a great one month devotional. I think it's a useful resource to have on hand. It's like a quick desktop reference guide. 

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for children: 

I believe this book is targeted at older adolescence to adults. The complexity of ideas would require explanations for younger adolescences. For adults, this book allows for room to expand your understanding of who God, according to the bible, is. 

For children:

As you personally go through this book, you may want to share some simple ideas/snip its with your children. However, you will need to judge whether some concepts are too difficult for them to understand and simplify these for them. The easiest way for children to understand these concepts is to use examples.

For teens:

Although they maybe able to grasp the content of these chapters for themselves, the application and the importance of these ideas may warrant further discussion with parents/peers. 

My Christian Perspective:

In Sunday School, we learned that God is love. It wasn't until when I grew up when the importance of righteousness came to me. So on one hand, God needs to punish us for our sins, but on the other hand he loves us. When my students ask me about other elements of God, I find myself dusting off knowledge in my brain. I find that I am unable to adequately describe and back up what I have said. This book is a helpful resource to read through at least once, then keep on hand for when a question comes up about who God is.

How can we teach what we do not understand? 

My overall rating: 

Excellent

Overall, I believe this is a great little resource to have on hand to remind us of the many qualities of God. However, it's not a resource I would be encouraging children to read alone. 

The Little book about God will be released October 2013. 

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Book review: Chicken Soup for the soul 20th anniversary edition

Book Summary: Chicken Book for the Soul 20th edition

I grew up reading chicken soup for the soul. And if by association, chicken soup always makes me feel better after symptoms of cold or flu. My doctor brother does the same, so I can't be completely wrong.

This book talks about love (how the man made a list about characteristics he wanted in his partner and how God granted a partner), (I love the story of how a teacher made all the difference), (about how hugging can make a difference), learning to love yourself, parenting, learning, living your dream, overcoming obstacles, wisdom but not as you know it.

My Psychological Perspective:
I think from my psychological perspective, the stories presented in the "Chicken soup for the soul" series are effective because they are from real people, and you can connect with the writer.

While these are not stories geared for young readers, they can be shared in the family and the stories don't go old.

My Christian Perspective:

My personal opinion is that we have so many challenges in everyday life, and how God helps us overcome these challenges is a testimony. The author wrote in the first chapter that the book was initially rejected by publishers. But when it finally got published, people kept sending their stories in too.

Each of these stories inspire others. If you have a story, why won't you share them too? Has God saved you through a miracle? Did you learn something about life today?

My overall rating: 

Loved it, and always have. This book makes for a great gift for young and old. I don't adore every story or buy into every story, but as with every edition, there is bound to be a story that was made for you to read.
Always have a box of tissues on hand, don't say I didn't warn you.

Chicken Soup for the soul 20th anniversary edition is now available on Amazon and good bookstores.

I was provided a review copy of Chicken Soup for the soul 20th edition by the publisher but was not otherwise influenced in this review. 

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