George thinks rules are silly. When Jenny comes to babysit, George refuses to keep to the rules. But that can make playing dangerous and not fun at all! Can George learn why rules are important?
Ages 4 and up. The story of a sister and a brother who tries to rebel against every rule the babysitter sets: crossing the street safely, taking turns, bed time. The babysitter ultimately explains to him that adults have to follow rules, too, using her job as an example. A universal childhood lesson whose protagonists are children of color.
But Why Can’t I? When Jenny came over to babysit Noah and his baby sister Rosie they were given a set of rules by Noah’s mom. They had to be in bed at 7 o’clock and listen to Jenny. They had to follow the rules. But Noah didn’t want to follow the rules because it thinks rules are silly. He refused to look both side of the crossway when crossing the road to the park, he wouldn’t take turns playing a board game and when it was time to go to bed he wanted to stay up late. “But why can’t I? Jenny explained that adults follow rules too. And that rules are important to follow to help keep people safe and healthy. Jenny also went on to explain why she had to follow rules at her job (my thought: That example wasn’t relevant to a child as young as Noah as he is too young to know about the rules Jenny had to follow at her job).
We know how hard it is for children to follow rules. But this book shows the important about talking to their children about why rules need to be followed. A great example was given at the last two pages of a picture story about a girl Emma dropping her can of drink on the path and a boy tripping over it and fell. What did Emma do? I highly recommend this book for parents and classroom teaching.
In my opinion, "Our Emotions and Behavior" series are a good choice for parents to use with their children because of the positive message they bring! I highly recommend this book for parents and classroom teaching.
The illustrations are simple and show each of the character feels and emotions about what is happening in each story.
Ages: 4 – 8 Pages: 32
FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from free spirit publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.
Children sometimes find it hard to follow rules. This encouraging book joins Noah and his babysitter, Jenny, who shows him how rules help keep people safe, healthy, and happy. But Why Can't I? is part of the Our Emotions and Behavior series.