CHILDREN'S TIME IDEAS, OR FOR READING WITH CHILDREN

• It's "ok" to be angry and afraid at times like this, but we don't want to hurt people in our anger. What are good ways to deal with our feelings?

  --Feelings by Aliki. 32p. 1984. (4-8)

  This is a classic, re anger and various other feelings.

  --I Was So Mad! Norma Simon. 1974. 32p. (4-7)

  Text and pictures relate situations that sometimes result in such reactions as frustration, anxiety, humiliation and loss of control. A good discussion starter. Can move into: What would Jesus do?

• We may feel like "getting back" when we're afraid or angry. But that usually doesn't make things better, and can make things much worse. (Tie in with comments on bullies often being very angry and unhappy and feeling bad about themselves...)

  --Anyhow, I'm Glad I Tried. Judith Vigna. 32p. 1978. (5-8)

  "Oldie but very good."
  How to treat people "no matter what." A child (with Mom's support) treats a disagreeable classmate with kindness and is glad--even though she feels her effort is in vain. Surprising ending.

• Why are there bad things in the world? (You answer!!) (Sometimes it's consequences from things we do, sometimes from things others do or have done, sometimes weather, etc....) Can bad things--things that we had nothing to do with--help bring about good things? How? This is a fable. Where is God in this?

  --Dora's Box by Ann-Jeanette-Campbell. 32p. 1998 (4-8).

  A witch grants protective parents their wish to spare their daughter from pain by allowing them to put tokens of everything evil in a (Pandora-like) box. Dora eventually opens it, learning compassion that comes with knowledge of evil as well as goodness.
  Book Description (from Amazon....)
  What would it be like to live in a perfect world? A world without pain or sorrow? Dora, the child of a goodhearted man and woman, knows such a world. She is protected by the wishes her parents made before her birth--wishes granted by a grateful witch. Her parents first asked for a child, next for her to be protected from all evil, sadness, and pain in the world, and lastly for her to be loved by all. The witch gives Dora's parents a box in which to put everything they want to protect her from, as well as a warning that Dora must never open the box, or the wish will come undone. The last wish is up to Dora to complete. As the years go by, Dora's box is filled and Dora never feels pain, or fear, or grief--until the day a boy persuades Dora to open the box. As Dora feels sadness for the first time, the third wish finally comes true, for to be loved by all, she must know pain and sorrow as well as happiness and joy. Inspired by the myth of Pandora's box, this mesmerizing tale, paired with the spectacular paintings of debut illustrator Fabian Negrin, has the depth and beauty of a classic.

  --Fairness by Sandra Ziegler. 31p. 1989. (5-7).

  (Haven't seen--hopefully addresses how things can't always be fair. Tragedies just aren't "fair.")

• Images are powerful. What kinds of images are in our heads from recent events? (See Susan's comments on the dove she's been seeing out on her phone lines.) Here are many images of what most of the people in the world value and what we want to work for.... (The second one may have some from kids in situations of conflict. But there, the vision is for no more soldiers and guns, but for people to get along. A good segue into the situation of many in this world for whom similar events have been a part of their everyday lives for some time.... )

  --A Million Visions of Peace: Wisdom from the Friends of the Old Turtle. Jennifer Garrison. 1995 160 p. (5-8)

  A dramatic collection of children's visions of peace.

  --My Wish for Tomorrow: Words and Pictures from Children Around the World (Introduction by Nelson Mandela ) 1995. 48p. (4-8)

  An anthology of children's writing and artwork in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. The contributors are from every inhabited continent and range in age from four to fourteen. Inside, two or three "wishes," set off by ample white space, face a full-page complementary illustration. The genuine vignettes, many about peace and the environment, give a sense of the various living conditions and experiences of children around the world. "I wish that parents who have children would not throw them away" ; "I want the sugar, flour to become cheap" ; "My wish is house." The introductory comments by Nelson Mandela and Boutros Boutros-Ghali are simple and accessible. Julie Corsaro

• Not directly in response to the September 11 situation, but good to get in touch with kids in other ongoing situations of conflict is:

  --Sami and the Time of Troubles. Florence Perry Heide. 1992. (6-10)

  A 10-year-old Lebanese boy describes his life in the midst of a civil war. Rich illustrations. At the end, there is a "children's march for peace."....