JLE Resources for Raising Healthy Children

[1] Raising healthy children is not only a familial concern. This concern also has communal and societal implications and reflects the kind of values we hold true. It is not an exaggeration to emphasize that local communities, and society at large, also assume a significant role in raising healthy children.  We cannot say we value children if we do not promote policies that validate ethical, responsible and compassionate principles and values. Parenting is an ethical concern that involves the promulgation and promotion of strong moral values, as well as ensuring the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of children. Prioritizing the needs of children is essential to creating responsible and caring adults. Prioritizing the needs of children also embodies the kind of society Christ intends–one that cares compassionately and prioritizes the needs “of the least of these.”

[2] What follows is a list of resources, categorized broadly by the topics discussed in this issue. The list was compiled with the suggestions from teachers, and the librarians at my university. This is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive list. What follows represents the most effective tools used by educators as they seek to empower healthy children.

Raising Healthy Children:

• The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, Annick Press, Toronto, Canada: 1980
• The Squirrels Who Squabbled, by Rachel Bright, Scholastic Books, New York, NY: 2019
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, Harper Collins, New York, NY: 1964
• My Magical Choices: Teach Kids to Choose a Great Day with their Choices! Free Kids Press, Toronto, Canada: 2019
• Kindness is my Superpower: A Children’s Book About Empathy, Kindness and Compassion by Alicia Ortego, Slickcolors Inc., Wilmington, Delaware: 2020

Further Resources on Lead Poisoning:

• Happy, Healthy, Lead-Free Me by Gail C. Gettens, Pint Size Productions, Amherst, NY: 2021 (available online https://cribsforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/HappyHealthyLeadFreeMe_DIGITAL.pdf )
• Lead Is Not Your Friend by Rev. Darrick Wade Sr., AMZ Book Publishing Services, Dallas, TX: 2024.

Children’s Books about illness:

• A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan, New York: NY: 2010
• How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? By Jane Yolen and Mark Teague, The Blue Sky Press/ Harper Collins, New York, NY: 2003
• The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach, Scholastic Books, New York, NY: 2019
• How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear? By Vanessa Bayer, Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, New York, NY: 2019
• Ellie The Brave, Bald Fairy: A Cancer Story for Children by Mardie Caldwell Christenson, American Carriage House Publishing, Nevada City: CA, 2023

Children’s books about grief:

• The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr, Little Brown Books For Young Readers, New York: NY: 2015
• Duck, Death, and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch, Gecko Press, Wellington, NZ: 2016
• When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death  by Laurie Krasny, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, New York: NY (1998)
• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst, Little Brown Books For Young Readers, New York: NY: 2018
• Why Do I Feel So Sad? A Grief Book for Children by Tracy Lambert, Callisto Kids/Simon & Shuster, New York, NY: 2020