Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Book Nook - Lou's Zoo and Winston Too

 Learning a new skill in life takes practice, yet we rarely take the time to teach our children about compassion and kindness. Books are a handy tool we can use to provide examples to our children that teach the importance of these skills that will be used in all stages of life.


I wanted to see if you were interested in an interview with award-winning and best-selling author, JoAnn M. Dickinson, on her new book: Lou's Zoo and Winston Too (May 2023). This new children's book teaches children about kindness, compassion, acceptance and self-esteem. 

In  Lou's Zoo and Winston Too, Winston the Wise Owl joins Lou's neighborhood zoo and takes on the role of the problem solver. In that role, Winston shows kindness and compassion with every problem he solves in the neighborhood. After all, Lou's desire is to make sure all the guests are happy. Readers will learn how Winston is not only Lou's helper but also becomes the wise owl that animals begin to rely on when they have a problem to solve.

I had a chance to learn more in this interview.
Why is it important for children to read books that reflect traits like compassion, acceptance, and self-esteem?
First, we must build self-compassion and self-esteem within ourselves to strengthen our psychological well-being and then we must be compassionate towards others
and have compassion for others. This has been proven to increase feelings of happiness, optimism, curiosity as well as decreased anxiety, depression and fear of failure.

What are social, emotional? Self-management - Managing emotions and behaviors. Self-Awareness - Recognizing our emotions, values and our strengths and challenges.
Social awareness - Showing empathy for others. Relationship skills - Forming positive relationships such as working in teams, dealing with conflicts.

What is Auditory learning? A child learns most effectively by listening. A teacher specializing in speech therapy suggested the animals' names, such as Mickey the Meek Monkey and Gage the Glorious Gorilla
in Who's New At Lou's Zoo was a good auditory learning tool. 

What can families do to make sure their kids are helping others feel accepted? Accepting others starts with accepting ourselves.
Teach kindness and compassion for others and accept others for who they are. We are all different in our unique ways. 

JoAnn M. Dickinson is an award-winning and best-selling author of Who's New At Lou's Zoo. Her writing career began in 2016 when inspired by her grandchildren she wrote "I Love To Go Camping" and "Lulu's New Best friend". In 2022 she launched several new books, Rylee The Young Rocketeer, John's Camping Adventures, John's Camping Adventures at Crab Run Beach, Who's New At Lou's Zoo. In 2023 she is set to release 3 more new books, Lou's Zoo and Winston Too (Lou's Zoo Series), John's Adventures at Yellowstone Park (Camping Series), Rylee's Rover (Rylee's Series). As a native of Southern California, she currently lives near her kids and grandchildren. For more information, visit her website at  https://joannmdickinsonauthor.com/

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