Jul 9, 20232 min read

It Takes Less Energy to Be Kind

Ultra-Modern Book Review of What Happened to Me? written by Ashley Molnar and illustrated by Austen Tarabay

What Happened to Me? written by Ashley Molnar and wonderfully illustrated by her sister Austen Tarabay is a creative rhyming book that encourages children to identify their emotions and explore what to do when somebody upsets them. This book is about choosing the power of kindness over hate. It is an excellent introduction to treating people how you would like to be treated and how one act of kindness towards another can make everyone feel good. The main character, Laney, was bullied out of her favorite toy truck while at preschool. She goes through a range of emotions. She expresses sadness and confusion. Laney walks away upset, leaving Ollie with the truck. Laney does not argue, and she does not fight. Instead, she chooses to identify how he made her feel and realizes she never wanted to make anyone feel the way Ollie made her feel. The book offers questions and options to help children learn to make decisions. For example, The next day, when Ollie confronts Laney with the truck again, what will Laney do? Will she:

1. Tell the teacher that Ollie is trying to take her truck again,

2. Push Ollie to the ground,

3. Share the truck with Ollie and play together, or

4. None of the above

What Happened to Me is a fantastic book because it teaches children how to identify their emotions along with the emotions of others. Understanding how you feel, how they feel, and how they make you feel about yourself is a valuable social skill to possess in society. Children will enjoy “What Happened to Me?” because they can relate to the story. Parents may find this book resourceful because it contains questions that will help children develop empathy by teaching them how to identify their feelings and the feelings of others. Lastly, teachers would adore this book because being kind should be one of the class rules and is a skill you would like to develop early.

Ultra-Modern Book Review: 5/5