by J. A. Ginsburg

a story about the emotional skill of dealing with frustration Stuart J. Murphy's I See I Lean series

Who hasn’t been there? Percy is hurrying to get dressed. He wants to go have fun! And everything is going perfectly until a shoe goes missing. Sure, he finds a toy truck parked under a blanket, but it just isn’t fair! “Where is is my shoe? I can’t find it! I can’t find it!”

Percy Gets Upset, a new addition to Stuart J. Murphy’s I See I Learn series, focuses on the emotional skill of dealing with frustration.

Percy, an otherwise sweet little boy who loves to go to Ready Set Pre-K and play with his friends, is having a rough day. First he can’t find his shoe. Then his mommy wants him to come home for dinner—right when he’s in the middle of playing a game of hide-and-seek with his very best friend, Freda. Then his daddy wants him to eat the dinner. Then both his parents want him to go to bed! Grmph!

Percy is beside himself. Stamping his feet. Scowling. Feeling cranky. It’s no fun to feel this bad. In fact, it’s just awful.

Throughout the story, his ever-patient mommy and daddy try to help Percy by suggesting things he can do to calm down: Take a deep breath. Stop and think. Talk about it. Count to ten.

The storytelling—as with all the I See I Learn books—is kept simple and clear, supported by illustrations designed to provide behavioral models that teach an important life skill. Children who are better able to manage their emotions can work through feelings of frustration and anger faster. They can move on to something that’s a lot more interesting and fun.

H’mmm…such as reading Percy Gets Upset, over and over again?

Blogger and mother Shara Lawrence-Weiss writes:

Have they met my daughter? Sheesh. As we read Percy Gets Upset together, Mini Human #2 (my 4 year old) said, “Mom. Percy is just like me.” Ahhh…yep. Percy gets MAD at things and at people and has a tendency to react rather than respond. My daughter asked me to read the Percy book to her three times in a row, until she had it memorized. Then she went to her father and told him what the book was about.

She was quite impressed by the idea that a story had explained her own personality so well…

And just like Percy, we hope “Mini Human #2″ woke up the next day in her cute little pajamas, her favorite stuffed-animal buddy in hand, and came running into the kitchen, with a big smile and a shout, “Guess what? I’m not upset any more! I want to have fun!”

Click for free pdf poster! Perfect for classrooms & refrigerator doors!

TEACHERS! PARENTS! CARE-GIVERS!

Each I See I Learn book includes a two-page spread called “A Closer Look,” designed to review key points of the story with an illustrated recap and a series of questions:

• What do you do when you’re upset?

• What helps you feel better when you’re frustrated or angry?

• Draw a picture of how you feel when you’re grumpy.

• Draw a picture of how you like to feel.

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MISS CATHY RECOMMENDS:

Anger Management for Kids by Michele Borba / “Realty Check” (blog)

Building Emotional Intelligence by Linda Lantieri and Daniel Goleman (book website)

Children and Coping with Transitions by Nicole Grant / “The Fun Mum” (blog)

Kids are very visual learners. From a very young age, they can recognise symbols and attach meaning to pictures. Create a visual schedule that shows them what their routine will be for that day…

—Nicole Grant