Customer Reviews

Harry the Happy Caterpillar Grows: Helping Children Adjust to Change (Let's Talk)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What I love most about Harry The Happy Caterpillar Grows is that it doesn't speak down to children. In a very open and forthright manner this little story makes change appealing and gives children an expression for their fears and anxieties and possibly an opportunity to talk with the loving adults in their life about changes they face. Either way, it's a great story that will help children internalize the good things about change and feel a whole lot better.

We read this book to our almost three-year-old daughter. She likes all the little details about caterpillar life (they're fun to act out too) and we like that it tells a great story about accepting change. Being a parent (and being a child, for that matter) is about adapting to constant change and any tools that can help you with that are of a great value. So when our daughter tells us that she's "a baby, not a big girl" we can ask her, "don't you want to be a butterfly now like Harry, not a caterpillar?"

It's a good length for bedtime, well written, and with colorful art. Highly recommended.

"Harry the Happy Caterpillar Grows: Helping Children Adjust to Change" is a juvenile self-help handbook in the Let's Talk Book series to assist children in adjusting to change. Written in cheery prose with brightly colored illustrations, "Harry the Happy Caterpillar Grows" gradually introduces ideas that will make change easier to accept and integrate for young children. Coping and flexibility, making a list of things that are not changing, focusing on the positive aspects of change, all these suggestions and more are successfully implemented by Harry in his struggle to accept the change coming in his caterpillar life. Children will identify with Harry and learn ways they can work to adjust to changes in their lives too. At the end of "Harry the Happy Caterpillar Grows" there are two lists: One is Tips for Children, and one is Tips for Parents and Guardians; both are very helpful. Also recommended in this series by the same publisher is "Cassandra Gets Her Smile Back: Teaching Children to Care for Their Teeth," by Sherri Alpert, D.D.S., illustrated by Tea Seroya.

"Harry the Happy Caterpillar Grows: Helping Children Adjust to Change" is wonderfully written and illustrated. It will be a great book for any child, especially those facing big changes in their lives. I work in the adoption field, and could not help but feel this would be a helpful book for children transitioning from foster to adopt families. They will be able to identify with Harry and his anxiety about change, and be encouraged by his beautiful transformation.

This is such a nice story, combining facts about the butterfly life cycle with a main character kids will identify with. Harry likes his caterpillar life, and changing and flying through the air sounds scary! I bought it for my niece starting kindergarten and it was a big hit. Also includes helpful tips for helping kids deal with change.

A good test for a book is to read it to my 5 year old daughter. This one passed the test. She enjoyed Harry the Happy Caterpillar Grows. After reading it we even discussed how she cried when she first had to go to her church class alone but now she loves it. I've read a couple children's books lately that help children deal with change and this is my favorite so far. Filled with bright, colorful illustrations, it held the attention of my daughter. Using a caterpillar's change into a butterfly, this book could be used to help children through many of the changes that come as part of life.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

We first heard of this book from my sister-in-law at a family gathering, therefore, my wife Suzie and I decided to get it for our two young boys. It is not only a great book for a child who may fear changes in their life but also a great book to introduce the concept of life changes to any child. The illustrations by Kathy Voerg are vibrant and colorful and the storyline by Cindy Jett is both charming and heartwarming. Our boys really love this book.

Sometimes you just need a good story for the 3-8 year old. But sometimes you need a book to help them cope with the challenges they face. This book does both. A simple story with nice colorful illustrations of friendly characters makes this an easy bedtime read for children. The extra bonus is the list of tips for coping with change at the end of the story which can help summarize the lessons learned for the child...if you need it. If not, it's just a cute story. One list is for the kids, and one for the adult. A nice addition to the bookshelf, and a book that can be used over and over for different types of challenging kid situations.