I recently purchased The Good Egg by Jory John as part of a promotion at Barnes and Noble and I am so glad that I did! Just a few pages into the story I realized what a gem this book is!
The Good Egg sends such a positive message about self-care! While written for kids, it is obviously a great message for adults, too!
The first thing I noticed about this book are the illustrations by Pete Oswald. The muted colors are so calming. I love how the illustrations are not too busy- his style is so fun. It is amazing how he can convey the emotions of the eggs through his style. And the eggs are SO CUTE!
While the illustrations are the first thing that I noticed, the MESSAGE in this story is what really shines! Helping children understand how to deal with their feelings is such an important job for parents and teachers. Sharing stories like The Good Egg will help open the discussion with kids about what we can do to take care of our mental health.
Most kids understand how to take care of their physical health- eat nutritiously, sleep, wear a helmet when biking, cleaning a scraped knee and putting a bandaid on, etc., however, we don’t teach kids how to take care of their mental health.
In The Good Egg Jory John gives real examples of things we can do when we feel pressures weighing us down causing “cracks” and “scrambling” our heads. Discussing self-care strategies for kids and creating a class anchor chart to leave up in the room would be a great idea after reading!
I have included a book extension activity that you can download for FREE here…
The Good Egg FREE Extension Activity
This writing craft has three different options that you could choose from. Students will create their own EGG and then complete the writing activity.
Option 1:
“When I Feel Anxious or Overwhelmed I Can…”
Students will write or list different things that they can do to find peace when they are feeling stress.
Option 2:
“Test Prep Strategies”
This one would be great during this time of year. Test stress is a very real thing. Students can list different strategies for feeling calm and confident during testing.
Option 3:
I have left this one with just handwriting lines for you to use any way you would like!
This activity would make such a cute bulletin board!
I have not yet read The Bad Seed, also by Jory John, but it is on my list to read now!
Hope you have a great week!
2 Responses