Illinois Authors

Magination Press 2017

This sweet story follows Blossom the possum as she learns to overcome her shyness to make friends, share her skills and interests, and participate more fully in her life. Blossom wants to speak up in class, and she wants to spend time with friends at lunch and at recess. She also loves to jam on her flute, make glitter glam headbands, and recite poetry...but you might not know that, because Blossom is also very shy.She wants to participate in school and with friends, but whenever she tries, she freezes up and plays possum instead. And playing possum is not the best way to make friends.With some gentle encouragement from her peers and her music teacher, Blossom learns that taking risks usually isn’t as bad as she fears, and can have a big payoff. She might still be shy, but she’s getting better at putting herself out there and having fun.Includes a Note to Parents and Other Caregivers by Julia Martin Burch, PhD, with more information on the cognitive-behavioral strategies Blossom uses to cope with shyness and ways to encourage your own shy child.

Magination Press 2018

When Pig's peaceful, feel-good kind of day is interrupted by a Pesky Fly, he has to figure out what to do. Can he get his feel-good feelings back, and maybe even make a new friend along the way?Includes a Note to Parents, Caregivers, and Professionals with more information on helping children deal with frustration and build positive relationships.

Magination Press 2019

This book teaches children how to to ask for help even when they feels the task is something they should be able to do alone, and explains how important it is that children acquire the skill of asking for help and how parents can help accomplish this.Gary Giraffe is so excited to finally turn six—now he should be able to reach the acacia leaves all on his own! When things don’t go exactly as he’d planned, Gary is distraught. He tries and tries to get to the leaves himself, but he’s just not tall enough. The other giraffes can do it—why can’t he? Gary doesn’t want to have to ask for help, but his friends convince him that everyone needs help sometimes. And that’s OK!Includes a Note to Parents & Caregivers with more information on help-seeking and independence in children.

Magination Press 2015

What to Do When Mistakes Make You Quake guides children and their parents through the emotions underlying a fear of making mistakes using strategies and techniques based on cognitive-behavioral principles.Explorers investigate places they have never been before. These explorers might take a while to make their discoveries. They might have trouble understanding their maps. They might make wrong turns. They might need to start their expedition all over again! If explorers could not accept their mistakes and keep going, they might never make any discoveries! Does this sound like you? If you have trouble accepting mistakes, if you try to be right all the time, or if you worry about being less than the best, this book is for you!It’s natural to be afraid of making mistakes. You may be afraid of saying the wrong thing during a meeting or getting lost when traveling in a new city, for example. Kids can think this way, too. In fact, some kids are so afraid of making mistakes that they may hold back from challenges and blame others for their errors. A kid may forgo an activity for fear of not excelling. Or a student may fail to complete assignments on time due to erasing too much, rewriting, or overdoing the task in some way. Kids who worry about being wrong or making mistakes may try to control situations to ensure their success, blame others for their failings, see themselves in a negative light, or be critical in general. They may have trouble making decisions for fear of making the wrong one. It’s exhausting trying to avoid mistakes—for you and for your child.This interactive self-help book is the complete resource for educating, motivating, and empowering children to cope with mistakes — so they can explore new territory without fear! Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:Emphasize effort more than outcome.Let your child make mistakes—don’t do your child’s work for him.Model self-acceptance and lose gracefully.Comment on why you’re okay when you make a mistake.Demonstrate a sense of humor.Balance work with play.Let your child’s achievement be his own—don’t measure yourself by your child’s accomplishments (or mistakes).This book is part of the Magination Press What-to-Do Guides for Kids series and includes an Introduction to Parents and Caregivers. What-to-Guides for Kids are interactive self-help books designed to guide 8–12-year-old's and their parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in the treatment of various psychological concerns. Engaging, encouraging, and easy to follow, these books educate, motivate, and empower children to work towards change.

Magination Press 2017

Hot air balloon pilots have wonderful adventures, where they get to see things they have never seen before and learn all about the world outside.Flying a hot air balloon sounds like a lot of fun to some kids. But for other kids, the idea of flying off on their own, away from their parents or homes, doesn't sound like fun at all. If you feel scared when you do something alone or away from your parents, this book is for you!What to Do When You Don't Want to Be Apart guides children and their parents through the emotions underlying separation anxiety using strategies and techniques based on cognitive-behavioral principles. This interactive self-help book is the complete resource for educating, motivating, and empowering children to overcome separation anxiety — so they can become the confident pilots of their very own hot air balloons!

Magination Press 2016

What to Do When You Feel Too Shy guides children and their parents through the emotions underlying social anxiety and uses strategies and techniques based on cognitive-behavioral principles to address the issue. Circus clowns perform tricks and make us laugh. They wear bright colors, big shoes, and all kinds of wigs and colorful hats. They seem to like people looking at them and laughing at them, but many people—including children—feel shy when other people notice them. And some people are incredibly uncomfortable being in the spotlight. Does this sound like your child? If he feels too shy or nervous often or if he misses out on cool activities and fun because of it, this book can help. This interactive self-help book is the complete resource for educating, motivating, and empowering children to overcome social anxiety—so they can join in the circus of fun and friends! This book is part of the What-to-Do Guides for Kids series and includes an “Introduction to Parents and Caregivers." What-to-Guides for Kids are interactive self-help books designed to guide 6–12-year-olds, and their parents, through the cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in the treatment of various psychological concerns. Engaging, encouraging, and easy to follow, these books educate, motivate, and empower children to work towards change.