For this month’s Third Thursdays at ThorpeWood storytime, we chose two books on the theme of dealing with tough emotions. We thought it was a fitting topic as kids are going back to school – which can be difficult even in the simplest of times. We started with one of our farm stories, The Worry Stone (read it here). In this story, the main character uses a worry stone to rub away his tough emotions and helps another child find a worry stone of his own. After reading the story, we went on a hunt for our own worry stones to take home. After strolling through the arboretum, around the pond, and back again, we settled in for another story.
The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, was our second selection for the day. In this story, the little raccoon is headed for his first day of school and needs some comfort. Luckily, his mama knows just what to do. She stores a kiss right in the center of his palm for him to enjoy again and again. Our young attendees were riveted by this idea – while their moms melted at the story. Before sending everyone on their way, I encouraged the families to use both techniques – the worry stone and kissing hand – to deal with tough emotions.
This was our last storytime for now as the farm is getting quite busy with field trips and programs of all sorts. We hope you check out these books and find some comfort in their messages!