Page 1 - Kind News Parent Guide, March/April 2021
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Parent Guide





                                                                              MAR/APR 2021
                                                                     Teaching kindness while
                                                                       helping to instill good
                                                                    reading habits in children.



                                                                                   BOOK NOOK


                                                                                Matylda, Bright
                                 KIND TIME                                      and Tender

                                                                                Written by Holly M. McGhee
                                 Welcome, Spring! In this                       Recommended for ages 8-12
                                 issue we explore responsi-                     Sussy and Guy are best friends in
                                 bility. We’ll meet two kids:                    fourth grade who share their silliest
                                 one who loves reptiles and                      thoughts and deepest hopes. One
                                one who loves caring for                         afternoon, the two of them decide
                                                                                 they must have something of their
                               kittens. Both exemplify           very own to love. After a trip to the pet store, they bring
                             responsible decision-making,        home a spotted lizard, the one with the ancient face and
                         a core SEL competency identified        starfish toes, and they name her Matylda (with a y so
            by CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social,    it’s all her own). With Guy leading the way, they feed
            and Emotional Learning. Kids can take a quiz to      her and give her an origin story fit for a warrior lizard.
            see what pet is best for them, and read all about    A few weeks later, on a simple bike ride, there is a terrible
                                                                 accident. As hard as it is, Sussy is sure she can hold on
            how one RedRover staff member played a role in       to Guy if she can find a way to love Matylda enough.
            a pup’s happy ending in To the Rescue.               But in a startling turn of events, Sussy reconsiders what
                                                                 it means to grieve and heal and hope and go on, for her
                                                                 own sake and Matylda’s. By turns both devastating and
           To access an interactive version of this issue online,    buoyant, this story is a brave one, showing how far we
           visit KindNews.org. Check out our recommended book    can justify going for a real and true friend.
           list at RedRover.org/books.
                                                                 BOOK SUMMARY FROM AMAZON.COM.
                          Looking for more ways to help your     COPYRIGHT: MATYLDA, BRIGHT AND TENDER. © 2017 BY HOLLY M.
                          children build connection?  Check      MCGHEE. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER,
                          out our empathy app, The Restricted    CANDLEWICK PRESS, SOMERVILLE, MA.
                          Adventures of Raja. It is a bilingual,   ABOUT THE AUTHOR: HOLLY M. MCGHEE IS A LIFELONG LOVER OF
                          interactive series of book and game    WORDS AND PICTURES. AFTER WORKING IN THE NEW YORK CITY
                                                                 PUBLISHING WORLD FOR YEARS, SHE STARTED HER OWN
                          apps that includes questions and       PUBLISHING COMPANY, PIPPIN PROPERTIES, INC., IN 1998. THE
                          play-based learning that parents       COMPANY FOCUSES ON HIGH QUALITY LITERATURE
                          can use to help children understand    FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, AND HOLLY IS COMMITTED
                                                                 TO PUTTING OUT BOOKS THAT MAKE A
                          animal behavior and practice empathy.   POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
                                                                 SHE IS ALSO A PLANT-LOVER AND GETS   FLIP OVER!
           Visit RedRover.org/empathyapp for more information.   A LOT OF JOY FROM HELPING THINGS
                                                                 GROW. “PEOPLE AND PLANTS THRIVE
                                                                 WHEN THEY RECEIVE WHAT THEY   Turn the page for
                                                                 NEED.”, SHE SAYS. OTHER BOOKS
               Did you know?                                     BY HOLLY M. MCGHEE INCLUDE   activities to use in
                                                                 WHAT THE WORLD COULD MAKE,   your classroom that
                                                                 LISTEN, AND COME WITH ME. SHE
          Your local or school library can get a FREE single-copy   LIVES IN MAPLEWOOD, NJ AND   align to standards.
          subscription simply by visiting KindNews.org, selecting the   NEW YORK CITY.
          individual subscription option, and entering promo code LIB2020.
          You can find more recommended books at RedRover.org/books.                    a publication of
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