Today we are showcasing an SEL author who has had a lot of influence in schools, homes, and workplaces across the country. His name is Tom Rath.

Rath’s first, and possibly most famous book is, How Full is Your Bucket?, which he wrote with his grandfather, Donald O. Clifton. It became a New York Times bestseller and an instant hit.

This book describes imaginary buckets we all have over our heads. Throughout the day, different things can happen that fill our buckets- like someone sharing a treat with you, you helping a friend, or getting a good grade on a test.  There are also things that can dip into our buckets, like someone calling you a name or you hurting someone else’s feelings.  This book gives children a concrete visual to motivate them to show compassion for others.

Rath wrote several follow up books after this one, including How Full is Your Bucket? Educator’s Edition.

“Organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket — already familiar to thousands of people — How Full is Your Bucket? shows how even the smallest interactions we have with others every day profoundly affect our relationships, productivity, health, and longevity.Co-author Donald O. Clifton studied the effects of positive and negative emotions for half a century, and he and his colleagues interviewed millions of people around the world. Their discoveries contributed to the emergence of an entirely new field: Positive Psychology. These same discoveries are at the heart of How Full is Your Bucket?”

-Source: http://www.amazon.com/Full-Your-Bucket-Educators-Edition/dp/159562001X/ref=pd_sim_b_11

In 2007, Rath wrote a book version of his online quiz, Strengths Finder.  This book applies the same theories of positive psychology to the workplace. Strengths Finder gives the reader tools to assess their strengths and knowledge about how to grow their talents into even fuller buckets.

In the video below, Rath explains the background behind his bucket filling philosophy.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What is your favorite bucket filling book? Please share with us in the comment section below!

Happy Reading 🙂

Today we will be looking at SEL books that have a focus on building active bystanders in students. A bystander, for this purpose, is anyone who knows that bullying is happening. Bystander Power is when someone takes action against bullying behaviors.

Our first book is for adults and it discusses how to use empathy and character education to combat bullying behaviors. “Emily Bazelon’s intelligent, rigorous “Sticks and Stones” charts the experiences of a few bullied children and synthesizes the scholarship on how to contain or prevent such harm” (NY Times Review).

Another great book for adults is, ‘Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls‘ by Rachel Simmons. This is a groundbreaking book that was one of the first to identify and acknowledge the dynamics of relational aggression that is often seen in girls. The newest edition of this book shares great strategies for managing these social interactions in person and online.

Now let’s look at some books for kids that can help build active bystanders and encourage prosocial behaviors.  ‘My Secret Bully’ by Trudy Ludwig is a helpful book for students to get them talking about relational aggression.  This book tells the story of Monica who is being excluded by her friend Kate. This book opens up the conversation about how to handle being excluded and how to be an active bystander.

‘Mr. Peabody’s Apples’ by Madonna is another children’s book that can help prevent bullying behaviors, in particular, gossiping. This book illustrates a beautiful metaphor demonstrating the power our words can have.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What are your favorite books about bystander power and addressing bullying? Please share with us in the comment section below!

Happy Reading 🙂

Today we will be looking at SEL books that have a teen focus.  The teenage years are ripe with opportunities to develop social and emotional learning skills. It is also often a time when communication between adults and teens can break down.

Our first book looks at building understanding in adults about how the teenage brain works.

The Primal Teen discusses the science behind the teenage brain and what these findings mean for our interactions with this vital group.  An excellent summer read for anyone who lives with or works with teenagers.

The next book is an interactive workbook for teens that uses art as a medium for developing SEL skills. It is written by Art with Heart, a nonprofit that specializes in books and programs that encourage therapeutic and artistic expression.

Check out this short video created by teens that explains how they use the book.

Have you used either of these books before? What did you think? What are your favorite books for teens? Please share with us in the comment section below!

Happy Reading 🙂