Little Gem For Helping Kids – My Book Review

Kids do have it harder nowadays with many things that life throws at them. Much more so when social media is thrown into the mix. Even in the small town, I live in bullying occurs quite often in schools. Even on a recent nature hike, one girl walked back to me sighing loudly, almost crying. When I asked her if she was okay she said no. She said the group of three girls in front of us wouldn’t allow her to join them.  She hung her head as she kicked the dirt. I held out my hand and I said that’s okay she could walk with me. She brightly smiled soon forgetting about the other girls. Kids’ emotions can run the full spectrum.

In comes this little gem of a book by Author Seema Desai Connected Discovering Your Inner Guides which helps kids find ways to deal with their life’s emotions.

She takes readers on a journey to help them understand how to maneuver around the emotions of “Guards” or “Guides”. Guards are anger, fear, and other negative emotions, and guides are positive things like curiosity, creativity, or empathy.

Is this a stand-alone book for kids to read by themselves at first? I would say most likely not. A parent or an adult should read this book along with their child or student. By reading along a kid will have a better ability to grasp the concepts presented, especially if given examples from the adult reading the book. Then the kids can go back and revisit key concepts on their own.

There are discussion questions that lead the kids along the way to handle their emotions. One important helpful trick is Tapping Out Your Frustration. While I do not tap my chest, I have learned to pat my chest to mimic a heartbeat above my heart to calm me down during a difficult situation.

The black and white illustrations by James Ballance complement the core of each concept presented.

This little gem Connected Discovering Your Inner Guides will help parents help their kids in this often confusing world get a hold of their emotions and most importantly help them understand what they are experiencing and how to handle it.