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“Teddy Bear’s parents give
him everything but he’s still grumpy.
His friends try cheering him up with boyish activities, but it doesn’t
work. Finally he turns to Grandpa,
who introduces him to a new idea: ‘Happiness comes by helping others.’
Teddy decides to try this tact, coming up with several ideas on his own.
Soon he is the happiest bear around.
Sommer guides young readers ages 4 to 7 to the moral without
preaching or condescending. Teddy
is shown beaming with joy as he cleans his room and rakes the yard, a scenario
many parents will be happy to present to their own children.
The tale is crafted so it doesn’t appear Teddy is simply doing what
Grandpa told him to; he is being kind because it really feels good to make
others smile.” “We had an assembly at
school the other day about character education and it was a good springboard for
reading and discussing your books. I read Can you Help me Find my Smile?
We discussed the moral afterward and then talked about how we could apply it to
our own lives. I am happy with the results so far! One student was eager to
share with me that she made her bed this morning to make her mother happy. I
overheard another one say, ‘Making other people happy really does make you
smile.’ How great is that?” “This is a great story with life lessons on doing
the right thing and helping others. Teddy is a little bear and sometimes things
don’t go his way. This makes him sad, and feels like he has lost his smile and
can not find it. Sometimes it would come back for a short time but as soon as he
felt sad or grumpy it would go away. After a visit at the farm with his Grandpa,
Teddy realizes that he can get his smile back when he helps out someone else and
then he feels good about it. His friends also like being around him more when
he’s not so grumpy. I like the title and the pictures are fun and bright. Would
be great to see it in paperback. Recommend.” “I found the story line [Can You
help Me Find My Smile?] and the pictures very meaningful and enjoyable. I
shared the story with my three-year-old grandson and he was quite attentive and
very concerned about Teddy’s lost smile. He spent time alone re-reading
the book later in the evening, which indicates that the story was meaningful to
him. "I’ve just
finished reading the Carl Sommer’s, “Sommer Time Story Books,”...The lessons are
all so simple but powerful. They are, without a doubt,
the best children’s books I have ever read.
Today I read, “Can You Help Me
Find My Smile?”, to my three year old.
He loved it!! These six
books will be enjoyed by all children two to ten years of age--as well as
adults. The adorable color
illustrations convey amazing depth of emotion that speaks to every child in
vibrant color." (Bold is in the
original newsletter.) The title,
"Can You Help Me Find My Smile?," says it all in this favorite children's book
by Carl Sommer. Teddy is in search of happiness. Where can he find
it? Many give advice, but his wise grandpa leads him in the right
direction. In our "Me-first world" more literature should be available
discussing the joy of helping others. Thank you for this teaching aid.
I can't wait to use this story with the children at my school. Librarian Endorsements At the
Texas Library Association convention in San Antonio we gave librarians a copy of
Can You Help Me Find My Smile? by Carl Sommer. These are some of the
comments we have received. “I
really like the theme of the book, and children respond very well to the
message.”
“I think it sends a wonderful message to the kids.
We need more books like them.” “I just
think its a wonderful book because it helps us teach children there is hope in
the world without really having to lecture at them.
It give our students the incentive to keep trying. “We
found this title to be a charming book and a worthwhile addition to our library.
We are always looking for books that promote values.” “I
thought it was really cute.
It has a good message, and it’s very positive.” “It was
really, really good,” reported a counselor to Donna Hill.
The counselor was interested in getting the whole set of these books. “We are
planning when we have more funds for the children’s section to add more to that
collection.
We have some older books that don’t come across as well.
We enjoyed it.” “I
thought it was really good.
I definitely will be looking at your other series to buy next year.
We need more books like that.” |