MBC: What Does it Mean to Appreciate Something?

This Thanksgiving, consider books that highlight the concept of appreciation.

All of these books can be used year-round - you may already have at least one of them in your bookshelf. These selections will help your child orient with sensitivity towards appreciation of the everyday.

Someone Builds the Dream, by Lisa Wheeler and Loren Long, is an important book to consider sharing with your child and discussing with care. It puts a spotlight upon the fundamental significance of effortful work - and the individuals who bring concepts to life in concrete ways that are often overlooked and underappreciated.

After Reading: Consider the work that happens everyday, all around you, and that makes your daily life possible. Can you be more attentive to noticing and valuing the work of others? Who can you call more attention towards appreciating?

A Tree is Nice, by Janice May Udry and Marc Simont, brings attention to a living entity that your child likely sees or engages with on a consistent basis. A tree certainly can be nice, for many reasons (yet we aren’t typically taking the time to say so with our children!).

After Reading: Think of even more ways that a tree is nice with your child. There are also ways that an experience with a tree may not have been positive; you can discuss those, too, as appropriate.

Saturday, by Oge Mora, is a book about appreciating time spent with a loved one, even when it isn’t what you hoped it would be (sound familiar?). When all plans go awry for a mother-daughter duo, they come to appreciate the simple fact that they are sharing the day, together.

After Reading: Recall a time when a day didn’t go your way, yet you still made the best of it by appreciating your company.

The Happy Owls, by Celestino Piatti, is somewhat allegorical without being fantastical. Two wise owls resist the squabbling and dissatisfaction of their animal peers, and instead find fulfillment in the changing of seasons and the natural world around them.

After Reading: Appreciate the seasonal changes you’ve noticed, like the owls. Consider if you have any people in your life who may often overlook the good and communicate complaints, like the other birds in the book. Discuss with your child.

My Heart Fills with Happiness, by Monique Gray Smith and Julie Flett, is wonderful for younger children, aged 2 - 3 years. This book conveys the sentiment of genuine happiness in the small exchanges of life and is an example of taking in the good.

After Reading: Discuss some of the small exchanges that bring you and your child joy.

Now, by Antoinette Portis, is a refined meditation on fulfillment in the present moment.

After Reading: Aim to appreciate the specific moment you are in - out loud and with your child - as modeled in the book.

We hope these books can support you in cultivating a practice of appreciation with your child.

Enjoy!

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Weekend Wonder: Book Edit

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Five Minute Favorite: Feeling Thankful