September 08 Book of the Month

Announcing Planet Silas' September Book of the Month:

Hands are Not for Hitting by Martine Agassi ; illustrated by Marieka Heinlen.

This is a board book we've checked out from the library several times. Not only does Silas enjoy it, but we enjoy the advice it gives us in how to constructively redirect Silas from hitting when he gets overly excited or is in pain due to teething. It's easy to get frustrated when he hits or pinches or twists or squeezes. This book has been a lot of help in dealing with this. Now we tell him "Silas, hands are not for hitting. What are hands for?" And we can use an example from the book, or most often, start clapping our hands and get him to clap along. Seems much more constructive than just yelling "Nooo" at him.

Like many of the books that make the Planet Silas Book of the Month list, this book works for us because it's interactive. I've posted a few images as examples.

Below, the picture shows that hands are for "keeping safe." Silas is signing the "parent" sign (all big people are parents). And then signs "baby" for the little girl (all children are babies to Silas). And to top it off, there is a car in the picture. "Car" or "cah" is one of Si's most frequent vocal words, at the moment, and he'll be sure to point that car out to you. "Cah, cah, cah."
You can't really see it, but Silas is giving me a hug, just like the little girl in the picture. So sweet.
Hey Happy Camper, that's a good book, huh!
And our Honorable Mention is:
Teeth are Not for Bitting by Elizabeth Verdick ; illustrated by Marieka Heinlen.

See a theme here? I don't have any pictures of this one, but thought it worth mentioning. Similarly to Hands are Not for Hitting, this book helps toddlers and parents alike cope with the frustration and pain of teething and the behavioral issue (biting) that can result from that pain. This book is from the same series. I have a feeling we may be checking out other titles from that series in the near future. For instance, there's one called Tails are Not for Pulling. Hmmm.