The task of helping troubled children to regain self-esteem, or indeed to build self-esteem where none exists, is  a complex and multi-layered undertaking.
This book, while acknowledging the difficulty of such a task for some children, focuses on the elements of self-esteem that are potentially within each child’s ability to manage.
As parents, teachers or carers we have a vital role to play in helping young children to explore and develop these
important foundation elements. One of the ways in which we can do this is through the medium of story.

For ease of use the book is divided into three parts.
Part 1 gives a brief introduction to the ‘art’ of story-telling and the nature of healthy self-esteem and offers guidelines for this particular story. A suggested reading list is provided at the end of this section for anyone who would like to explore the themes of self-esteem, emotional literacy, story-telling or group work with children in more depth.
Part 2 holds the story and offers suggestions for discussion topics which can be used to expand on the various elements of self-esteem covered in each chapter.
In Part 3 you will find a selection of activity sheets together with guidelines for using these with groups or with individual children.

What makes a poem a poem? is it simply a matter of taking words and writing them out in verse form and making them rhyme? Or is it actually much more than that-the use of rules about meter, form, and rhyme to create a framework for the expression of special observations and ideas

POEM-MAKING is a handbook of the mechanics of writing poetry. In a clear, understandable tone it introduces children to the different voices of poetry; types of rhyme and other elements of sound, rhythm, and metrics; and some of the most common forms of poetry.

Myra Cohn Livingston is a well known author, anthologist, poet, and teacher. She has used all her experiences in these fields to make POEM MAKING a useful, accessible, and unique guide for children to use in creating poems of their own.

How can early years practitioners help young children to become not only numerate but also aspiring mathematicians who love numbers, shapes and mathematical comparisons?
The introduction of the Foundation Stage has led to practitioners seeking ways to teach maths that are more in line with the creative and playful ways young children learn other subjects.
Linda Pound draws on current thinking about children’s mathematical development to show how you can encourage and enhance the numeracy skills of any child in the early years by linking maths to everyday life situations and making it a playful and enjoyable cross-curricular activity.

The Best We Can Be: Parents and Children Growing Together is a publication designed to provide support for life's most rewarding and challenging job: parenting. This resource demonstrates how parents can use everyday activities and materials for strengthening their relationships with their children, promoting their early learning and preparing them for success in school and in life. The sections are coordinated with the first 14 well-child checkups and provide age-appropriate advice for enriching the time spent with children to facilitate their development in all domains.

The publication is based on the premise that "little moments lead to big rewards," and each page ends with a "Big Rewards" section that gives parents the reasoning behind the suggested activities.

In addition, The Best We Can Be includes tips for keeping children safe and healthy, as well as strategies for dealing with the challenges that children's emerging skills can create for parents. Each section ends with a "prescription" for parents, inspired by the pediatric literacy program Reach Out and Read, which encourages them to support their children's language and literacy development through conversation and reading books together.

From the benign (every ant you meet must be named) to the truly cruel (Ronald McDonald is dead!), each hilarious cartoon has a tall tale to educate children and entertain wicked adults everywhere.