You need to know about Todd Parr. Yesterday. If you are already on board, high five. If not, your life is about to get more colourful and fun.
Todd Parr is full of light and love and message and care. He is an author and illustrator of kids’ books (and a few resources) that teach about taking care of the planet, understanding feelings, coping with difficulty, accepting those who are different, how to enter school for the first time, and how to live a life with less worry. Oh and so much more. In summary, his books teach children how to be more emotionally intelligent.
The magic? All of these wonderful messages are hidden in the costume of colourful lines and designs and funny pictures and laughs. The kids don’t even know they’re learning something super duper important. They’re just having fun.
If you head to his web site you will find all sorts of resources, including links to his books, information about what’s coming, and even some free printables and crafts. Rainy day activities? Nailed.
Here are my, I mean my kids’, favourite Todd Parr books.
- The I Love You Book This was our first Todd Parr book. It goes through different ways the child is loved. It ends with the acknowledgement that really, the child is loved just the way she is. Sweet and powerful message.
- The Feelings Book This book is the one most directly related to emotional wellness and intelligence. It portrays and names an array of feelings and acknowledges that it’s normal and ok and good to feel them all.
- Feelings Flashcards This is a very sturdy and large set of double sided cards that you can use in all sorts of ways to open up conversation with your child about how he is feeling. Or how he DID feel. Or how he MIGHT feel in a made up situation. The possibilities are endless. The point is to open up the dialog with your kiddo about feelings and how they affect him.
- I can’t choose my last favourite, so instead I will list out a few for you to check out. Check them out at your library or buy one for your home collection – either way, you will not be sorry that you now know about Todd Parr. You’re welcome.
It’s Ok to Be Different.
The Earth Book
The Peace Book
Be Who You Are
It’s Ok to Make Mistakes
The Kindness Book
These books are the kind I won’t donate to the thrift store when we are done. We will not be done with them. These are the keepers!