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William Wobbly and the Very Bad Day: A story about when feelings become too big (A Therapeutic Parenting Book) ISBN: 9781785921513
Farrell, Amy, Jefferies, Rosie and Naish, Sarah
Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016
What is wonderful about this series of books is that they have a dual purpose. They teach parents how to handle children with problems in a loving and non-judgemental way, and they are also good children's stories. Aimed at adopted and fostered children and their new parents, they show some of the common behavioural and physical problems that children who have suffered in the early years of their lives can exhibit. There is also information for parents about using the books at the end of the story. In this one, we meet William, who often wakes in the morning with 'wobbly' feelings. He doesn't like school, he tends to lose things, and on bad days his mum tends to sigh a lot. On this particular day, he is feeling very wobbly indeed, and when he gets to school and a boy laughs at him, the 'whooshing and rushing noises in his head' get the most of him and he shoves the boy over. Even worse, when a teacher arrives to sort our the problem and is cross with William, he pushes her too. William's mum must be called, and when she arrives, she sees how upset he is and shows her understanding by asking if he is okay. He is able to begin explaining to her about the wobbliness and the hot, whooshing and rushing noises that make him do the things he does, and mum says that she is quite sure he has 'a good heart' and that she will help him to overcome the problems this causes even though she understands that this will take time. She also explains that his anger and reactions are down to his early years. William is reassured and knows that with mum's help he will learn. Written by a mother with five adopted children, the books in this series will prove invaluable to those who must deal with children with serious background difficulties. The pictures are wonderfully simple and effective, full of grey, brown and taupe colours, with solid characters - very reassuring. Available from Amazon, from good book shops, and from the publisher: www.jkp.com.
Age: 5+