Maryellen authored two new children's books that support social emotional learning skills and teach about empathy. ​
To support Maryellen's work, purchase your copies of Puppy and Kitten Find A Family and Madigan and Menina Find Their "Furever" Family.
Available now at these and other fine retailers!
Maryellen shared her new children's books with live book readings! If you missed these fun online readings, you can still view the recordings and share these charming tales that teach young readers how empathy and love help to make friends and a family.

Feelings: What does it feel like for you or for me?

Objective: Children will demonstrate an ability to connect to the characters, verbalizing answers to the questions in the book, by naming their own feelings and ideas about feelings.
SEL Competency:
Self-Awareness
Social Awareness
Relationship Skills
                                 Vocabulary:
​sad, lonely, excited, warm, hungry, scared, worried, friendly, unfriendly, upset, “Pawsitive”, startled, sharing, family, loved
  1. After previewing the book, make any notes needed of your own thoughts or observations to share with the children later.
  2. Show the cover and discuss, “How do these characters look? What emotions are on their face?” Take all answers, and perhaps write them down or use feeling word cards (such as Kimochis® feeling pillows) to put in a visible place.
  3. Begin by sharing with children that one of the most important things they will learn in a family is to love and feel loved. Ask how many agree by raising their hands.
  4. Then share with children that one of the most important things they will learn at school is how to be a friend. Ask how many agree by clapping their hands.
  5. Begin reading the book, pausing on questions and asking children to contribute.                                                                    a.  Engage ALL students by using non-verbal signals, such as “Show me your sad face or body,” or “Put your hand on                      your heart if you feel the same as Puppy or Kitten”.
  6. When you have finished the book, ask reflection questions, such as:
            a.  Which character did you find the most friendly?
            b.  Which character was able to be a friend?
            c.  When did a character feel loved?

Optional Activities

Art:
​“Draw your own family, with whom you feel loved” OR “Draw your friends and how you share with them.”
Game:
Start off with a friendly signal, such as a wave, then the child waves in a circle, to the person sitting next to them, and that child waves back, then waves to the child on their opposite side, until the wave comes back to you! Then have a child choose a NEW friendly signal, like excited hands or a “thumbs up.”
Recess:
​Read the book BEFORE recess and when children go out to play, make a challenge to “be like Puppy” or “be like the boy” or “be like Kitten!”. These characters display friendly and kind behaviors. When children come back from recess, ask, “How were you friendly and kind?” Praise their specific efforts!
Reinforce:
Use other tools in your classroom, such as Kimochis®, Second Step, Caring School Communities, Tribes, etc. to reinforce vocabulary from this lesson.

Empathy and Feelings,
​go together!

Objective: Children will demonstrate an ability to empathize, by identifying their own feelings in relationship to how characters experience feelings and by verbalizing answers in discussions with the “reader” (e.g., teacher, parent, staff member) and friends/classmates.
SEL Competency:
Self-Awareness
Social Awareness
​Relationship Skills
Vocabulary:
alone, sad, blue, confusion, differences, excited, distracted, impulsive, nervous, unfriendly, acceptance, inclusion, exclusion, startled, considerate, generous
1.  Challenge children to identify familiar words, or words they THINK about when they read the story (that might not be there written, but remind them to look at the illustrations).
2.  Allow children to use their imaginations about what feeling the character “could” be feeling, based on how they feel when reading the story.
3.  Let them name synonyms (sad, blue, depressed or friendly, considerate, kind, etc. ) and antonyms (inclusion vs. exclusion, generous vs. selfish) for feeling words, scaffolding as necessary for developmental age with your child/children.
4.  Show the children the cover first, and read the title aloud. Ask children, “How do these characters look, what emotions are on their face?” Take all answers, and ask a few children to take turns writing them down in a visible place, or use feeling word cards or tools (such as Kimochis® feeling pillows) to put in a visible place. Children can make predictions, if wanted, and share those aloud. Begin by sharing with children an these ideas:                                  
​          a.   One of the most important things they will learn in a family is to love and feel loved. Ask how many agree by  
                raising their hands.
          b.  One of the most important thing they will learn at school, is not only how to be a friend, but how to make a friend
                as well. Ask how many agree by clapping their hands.
          c.  Having differences is a part of life, and one of the most important things they will learn at school, is how it feels to
               be included and excluded. That at times, they may be included or exclude someone, all kids can be on both “sides of  
               the fence.” Ask how many agree by showing a “thumbs up.” Ask if anyone has questions about this idea, and if they
               have been on “either side of the fence.”
          d. NOTE: Remember, all kids are kind, and all kids can be unkind. Children need our help to learn how to repair  
              relationships and get adult support, in either situation. Children should not be shamed when they have done  
              something wrong, instead, see it as an opportunity to connect, and then to correct, with: emotional support + 
              replacement behaviors + a curiosity about how their feelings “got the best of them,” in that moment! This will 
              normalize that taking responsibility for our actions is not only possible, but feels “do-able!” Children who learn 
​              to“own up” in a safe way, build a positive sense of self, leading to positive character development.
5.  Begin reading the book, pause on pages, and ask children to observe how they feel. You can have a child contribute verbally or non-verbally. With a group of children, it is helpful to engage ALL with non-verbal signals, such as “raise your hand if you felt or saw one of the vocabulary words we discussed,” or “show me silently, what does your body do when you are excited or distracted,” or “put your hand on your heart, if you feel the same as Puppy or Kitten,” etc.
6.  When you have finished the book, ask reflection questions found on page 30, in the Librarian notes. Additional ideas you can do with the reflection questions:
                 a.  Have children pick a question to use to “interview” a classmate.
                 b.  Pick three questions for children to write answers to, and then read anonymously aloud to the class.
                 c.  Put children into small groups and choose three questions to discuss. Have each group present to the class.

Optional Activities

Art:
​“Draw a cartoon from your favorite scene in the book” OR “Make a collage, that represents your family, with whom you feel loved! OR ”Doodle scenes with your friends, note how they are different than you and how that compliments your friendship”
Recess:
Read the book BEFORE recess, and when children go out to play, make a challenge to “be inclusive!” When children come back from recess, ask, “How were you friendly and kind?” How did you include someone? Praise their specific efforts!
Reinforce:
Use other tools in your classroom, such as Kimochis®, Second Step, Caring School Communities, Tribes, etc. to reinforce the vocabulary from this lesson. Use your creativity at home, to encourage kindness and love as verb, in family settings.
Game:
Play the non-verbal gesture game of “how is your day going?”
I. One person starts with a gesture to show how they feel today (e.g., feel like I’m running around, so I run in place silently).
II. Then the next person, mirrors the gesture the first to the person who gave it, then turns to the next person and gives their gesture (e.g., sleepy gesture), then that person repeats sleepy to the one who gave it, turns and gives their new signal to the next person, until EVERYONE has gone in the circle.
III. When the group is done, ask if anyone felt similar to someone else’s feeling “gesture” of the day or felt “empathy” when someone gave a gesture that was indicating they were having a hard day or tired day. NOTE: This is a great game to play on a Monday morning, to see how everyone’s weekend was or how everyone is feeling returning to school on a Monday.
NOTE: This is a great game to play at the start of dinner, non-verbally, for a quick check in about how everyone is feeling af the end of the day.

Did you know that some public libraries will purchase copies of Maryellen's books for you to checkout?

Some libraries use a program called Zip Books! Find out if your local branch can help you!