feelings: 11 Articles

They Only See the Outside: Interview with the Author

families April 1, 2021 10:00 am By Kalli Dakos

In honor of National Poetry Month, we've interviewed Kalli Dakos, author of a new collection of poems, They Only See the Outside. We ask her about the process of making this book and how poetry can help children better understand their feelings and feel less alone. Magination Press: What inspired you to create this poetry collection, They Only See the Outside? Kalli Dakos: I was asked to do a collection of poems that deal with emotional issues and I thought it was a wonderful idea. I’ve been sharing poetry with children for many years now and I know that poems can help them deal with problems at so many levels – both reading and writing poems. Reading poems helps children to feel that they are not alone with their difficulties and writing poems helps to give a voice to their problems and to share their own stories. Reading poems helps children to feel that they are not alone with their difficulties and writing poems helps to give a voice to their problems and to share their own stories. MP: You’ve written many books of poetry. What makes this one different? KD: This is my first book that has both previously published poems and new poems as well. I was able to share some of my favorite poems from other books and to add poems on brand new topics. MP: Are there any poets who have inspired or mentored you? KD: There are many poets who have inspired me over the years – from William Wordsworth to Shel Silverstein to the wonderful children’s poets today who are my friends. MP: The poems in They Only See the Outside can raise many different emotions and reactions from page to page as you cover incredibly different topics, from serious to ordinary to amusing. Can you explain why this approach benefits readers? KD: Poems help children to develop empathy and compassion for the struggles that their peers face, and covering all different topics helps this exposure. And then there are the poems that strike a chord with individual children because they have experienced the feelings in the poem. I love to include longer free verse poems that can handle topics that require more text, and it is always important to include humorous poetry that gives children a break from the deeper issues, but also helps them to realize they are not alone with embarrassing situations. MP: In this collection of poems, you explore all kinds of feelings a kid might have in diverse life experiences. In your picture book Why Am I Blue?, you explore feelings, too. How is writing a book of poetry different from crafting a picture book? KD: I feel that most of my writing is poetry even if it is in a picture book. I always begin a picture book as a poet, with either free verse or rhyme. In the original versions, the stories are written as poetry, and then changed to picture book format, as in Why Am I Blue?

They Only See the Outside: Interview with the Author Kalli Dakos 2021-04-06T11:39:22-04:00

Creating The Find Out Files My Sibling: Interview with the Author

Uncategorized September 24, 2020 12:22 pm By Isabelle Filliozat

In the last of four interviews Isabelle Filliozat, French parenting expert, talks about her book, My Sibling. My Sibling is part of The Find Out Files, a series of activity books that explores feelings and relationships. You can also read her interviews about My Emotions, My Anger, and My Fears. Here's what Ms. Filliozat has to say about creating My Siblings: Magination Press: Why did you decide to include a book about siblings in The Find Out Files? Isabelle Filliozat: Do you really have to ask the question? Isn’t it the most difficult topic the parents face? It was the most complicated issue for me with my children. So hard! We hate to see our children fight, but behind those fights are emotions. If we parents learn to hear these emotions, fights lessen. Small fights are natural between siblings, but children need tools to help them deal with conflict so that they don’t harm themselves physically or emotionally. MP: Why did you choose a cat as the animal guide for My Sibling? IF: Cats are very cute and friendly. They come to be petted, but they have their independence. And as with your siblings, you never know if he wants to cuddle or fight. While kittens fight a lot with each other, they never harm themselves, but they practice fighting with one another so that they will be strong with strangers. Kittens cuddle a lot. They go underneath one another, on top, any position…I love the game “kitten basket” where all the family piles on each other, pretending to be kittens in a basket. There’s so much contact. You end up laughing and charged with oxytocin! MP: In My Sibling, you explain how birth order affects how families interact. You explore what it feels like to be a first child or a younger child. What kinds of unique experiences do middle and youngest children have? IF: I didn't have room to explore all positions in detail, but the idea is to think about the impact of the environment on development of temperament. When you are in the middle…well, you are in the middle…so you neither get the advantages of the eldest, nor of the youngest. And also you are older than one, and younger than another. So it’s a mix of the positions. It’s of course different when you are in the middle of three kids or in the middle of five, and when the gap between each is one or six years. So many situations and recompositions nowadays add complexity. The idea of the book is not to trap a child in a definition, but to help him think about the experience one is living. MP: What about twins or multiples? They have to share their parents from the beginning, and people frequently compare them. What kind of experiences do they have as siblings? IF: Yes, every situation is particular. That is what we have to realize. A baby doesn’t grow alone in a desert, he builds himself

Creating The Find Out Files My Sibling: Interview with the Author Isabelle Filliozat 2020-09-29T15:39:42-04:00

Magination Press Family Learning At Home: Activity Books to Explore Feelings

Uncategorized June 1, 2020 10:00 am

Learning about emotions and relationships is a life-long task. Every day, parents and caregivers help children learn to identify, manage, and express feelings in a healthy way and to develop strong and healthy relationships. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified that task, as people, young and old, all over the world are coping with anxiety, fear, sadness, loneliness, and uncertainty brought on by the health crisis, and parents are managing their children's learning at home. A new series of activity books, just published by Magination Press, provides kids the opportunity to work through the feelings they may be having and sometimes complicated sibling relationships. Written by renowned French parenting expert Isabelle Filliozat, The Find Out Files activity books explore feelings and the experience of having siblings. Using activities, stickers, and funny illustrations, these books make it fun for kids to discover "what makes you, YOU!" The Find Out Files provide a unique and engaging platform for social-emotional learning. Each book has drawing activities, quizzes, crafts, and stickers, as well as an extensive note for parents and caregivers with tips and tools for exploring the topic. There are four books in the series: My Emotions My Emotions is a fun-filled tool for kids to discover self-expression and awareness. It offers kids all sorts of information to nourish and appreciate their emotional life. Young readers will learn how to name their emotions, understand and accept their feelings, and develop emotional self-awareness so they can get on with the business of being a kid. My Fears Everyone can be less afraid with practice and feel more confident and sure of themselves. This not-so-scary activity book helps kids understand why they get fearful and reassure them that everyone feels afraid sometimes. Children discover how some fears and worries are useful and how to deal with other fears that are not helpful. My Fears can also help kids face their fears and learn to take chances, have fun, and be a less afraid kid! My Anger My Anger will help kids understand that getting angry is a normal part of life. It may be a bit uncomfortable at times, but it’s OK if kids need to be mad! Children explore anger through fun activities coupled with humorous illustrations and discover what it means to be angry, why it happens to everyone, and how to better handle it. Allowing children to work through their anger helps them better understand themselves, others, and the world, and will help them establish their sense of self and self-confidence. My Sibling This book offers activities to help kids get along with their brothers and sisters. Kids think that they are expected to love their brothers and sisters unconditionally, but sibling relationships can be really complicated. My Sibling covers jealousy, fairness, sharing, the parent-child relationship, and tons more. It helps kids find a common ground with their siblings if things get too fraught or upsetting. Young readers will figure out how to navigate frustrating situations, understand their sibling's perspective, talk about family dynamics

Magination Press Family Learning At Home: Activity Books to Explore Feelings Isabelle Filliozat 2020-08-12T19:32:38-04:00

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