Guiding Social and Emotional Growth of Young Children Through Bibliotherapy

(Copyright 2006 by Anne M. Slanina, Ph.D.  This article is the property of the author and may only be copied for personal use.  It may not be copied and reproduced for distribution without specific permission of the author.) 

 Overview

The Literacy Dictionary (Harris & Hodges, 1995) defines bibliotherapy as "the use of selected writings to help the reader grow in self-awareness or solve personal problems"(p. 19). According to the Carnegie Library’s "Kids’ Page," bibliotherapy for children entails "using children’s books to solve emotional problems" (retrieved from the internet 02/20/05). Even the renowned Children’s Hospital of the Cleveland Clinic for Rehabilitation utilizes bibliotherapy to "help children cope with life" and "promote emotional healing" (retrieved from the internet 02/20/2005). The purpose of this article is to explore a variety of issues that may disrupt the lives of young children and demonstrate how carefully selected children’s literature can assist with their social and emotional development.

In order to understand how to help children develop both socially and emotionally, it is imperative to understand how children’s thinking develops and how they process information.

Eggen & Kauchak (1997) explain that according to Piaget’s stages of development the thought process of children between the ages of two and seven is governed by their perceptions. One aspect of this stage is egocentrism, which is defined as "the inability to interpret an event from someone else’s point of view" (p. 38). Another characteristic of this stage of development is "centration," which "is the tendency to focus on one perceptual aspect of an object or event to the exclusion of all others" (p. 38). It is not until adolescence that children enter the stage of "formal operations" when they begin to be able to think about problems abstractly.

Even though young children are egotistical, the empathy one young child will show for another child who is crying is frequently evidenced. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that we can present a story about a child experiencing a crisis and assume that the reader will be able to feel empathy for the affected child, and because of the egocentric nature of the child, will be able to personalize the story. Social and emotional development of young children can be enhanced if we carefully choose the literature presented to children in difficult situations and provide ample opportunity for discussion, allowing children to relate the situations to their own feelings.

Finally, all children will experience adversity of one kind or another at some point in their lives. If they have been presented with literature that addresses a variety of difficulties prior to having a crisis, they will be better equipped to cope when the need arises.

Campbell, B. (2003). Sometimes my mommy gets angry. NY: Putnam.

Clifton, L. (2001). One of the problems of Everett Anderson. NY: Henry Holt.

Hopkins, B. (2000). My mom has a bad temper. Washington, DC: Child & Family Press.

Klassen, H. (1999). I don’t want to go to Justin’s house anymore. Washington, DC: Childe & Family Press.

Slanina, A. (2004). Annie Mouse meets her guardian angel. Philadelphia: Xlibris.

Simon, N. (1974). I was so mad. Chicago: Albert Whitman & Company.

Finchler, J. (2000). Testing Miss Malarkey. NY: Walker & Company.

Viorst, J. (1972). Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Brown, L. and Brown, M. (1998). How to be a friend. NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Caseley, J. (2001). Bully. NY: Greenwillow Books.

McCain, B. (2001). Nobody knew what to do: A story about bullying. Morton Grove, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company.

Yaccarino, D. (2002). unLOVaBLe. NY: Scholastic.

Haynes, M. (2000). Grandma’s gone to live in the stars. Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman & Co.

Plourde, L. (2003). Thank you, Grandpa. NY: Dutton Children’s Books.

Rogers, F. (1988). When a pet dies. NY: Putnam.

Viorst, J. (1971). The tenth good thing about Barney. NY: The Trumpet Club.

Anglada, T. Brandon and the Bipolar Bear free downloadable coloring book and discussion guide available through www.BPChildren.com. (retrieved from the internet 08/09/2005).

Brown, M. (1979). Arthur’s eyes. Boston: Little, Brown.

Clark, D. (1999). Puppies for sale. Dalmatian Press.

Kuklin, S. (1988). When I see my dentist. NY: Bradbury Press.

Osofsky, A. (1992). My Buddy. NY: Henry Holt.

Slanina, A. (2007). The Adventures of Annie Mouse: Baby Brother Goes to the Hospital. Harrisville, PA: Annie Mouse Books.

Willis, J. (2000). Susan laughs. NY: Henry Holt.

Arnold, T. (1997). Parts. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.

Bunting, E. (2001). Too many monsters. Mahwah, NJ: Troll/BridgeWater.

Hefter, R. (1974). A noise in the closet. Columbus OH: One Strawberry, Inc. Weekly Reader Books.

Henkes, K. (2001). Wemberly worried. New York, NY: Scholastic.

McKissack, P. (2005). Precious and the Boo Hag. NY: Atheneum Books for Young Children.

McMillan, S. (1985). I used to be afraid. Worthington, OH: Willowisp Press, Inc.

Stevens, K. The Beast in the Bathtub. (1985) Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens,
Inc.

Zolotow, C. (1972). William’s doll. New York, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers.

Grindley, S. (2000). A new room for William. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Viorst, J. (1996). Alexander, who’s not (do you hear me? I mean it!) going to move. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Wolde, G. (1976). Betsy and the chicken pox. NY: Random House.

Zolotow, C. (1966). If it weren’t for you. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

References

Carnegie Library. (retrieved from the internet 02/20/2005) www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/booknook/bibliotherapy/

Cleveland Clinic. (retrieved from the internet 02/20/2005). www.clevelandclinic.org/childrensrehab/programs/bibliotherapy/

Eggen, P. and Kauchak, D. (1997). Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Harris, T. and Hodges, R, eds. (1995) The literacy dictionary: The vocabulary of reading and writing. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.