Join In And Play

by Cheri J. Meiners, Meredith Johnson (Illustrator)

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. This book teaches the basics of cooperation, getting along, making friends, and being a friend. Includes ideas for games adults can use to reinforce the skills being taught.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School, Nonfiction

40 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Cheri has her master's degree in elementary education and gifted education. A former first-grade teacher, she has taught education classes at Utah State University and has supervised student teachers. She is the author of the award-winning children's series, 'Learning to Get Along', and the new series, 'Being the Best Me.' Cheri and her husband, David, have six children and three grandchildren.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend all of Cheri J. Meiner's books for toddlers and preschoolers. Such great social lessons for young children (and adults).

[Tysen]

Join In and Play is a book that teaches cooperation and playing fair. It follows a young girl who is taking us along a learning journey through the playground and takes us through many different ways we interact with our peers. It shows us how to kindly ask to play, how to respectfully play with others, and how to act if some people don’t want us to play with them. It teaches a great lesson about how to be a good classmate and how to be respectful to our peers.

This would be a great book to use in class at the beginning of the year or if you see that your students are having a hard time getting along. It can be relatable to some of our students that aren't fitting in or are having a hard time being accepted. I like the illustrations as well because they provide many different ethnicities and shows different representations so most students can relate.

[James Donald]

This book centers around a person who was looking to interact with others and make friends. The person put in a great amount of effort to accomplish the task of making friends. It was a rewarding venture that took some perseverance depending on the other person (Meiners, C. J., & Johnson, M. (2017). Join in and play. Free Spirit Publishing).

In my classroom, I would utilize this book for preschool to third grade as designated by Amazon. It has lots of pictures, covers an important concept, and is easy to follow along.

I would choose this book for my library because it covers many important values including respect, putting forth effort, and getting along. These are very good values to instill at an early age. These concepts can help students go a long way.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for helping a young child learning ways to join in group play and deal with things like taking turns, listening to others, and accepting when someone says no or you don’t get a turn at doing something. All kids benefit from these kinds of discussions, but a book like this can be especially helpful for children who struggle to read social cues.

[Harry Washburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like the book because it is good. it teaches kids how to be nice.
it is a good book. it is for little kids. but i like it. i give it 3 stars.
it is in a series. but that is the only one i have read.
i love the book. but it is not my favorite book. i like lots of other books.

[Layla Tarek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it

[Rainbow Room TOL]

Shelved with School

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4B's: respect

Gives cues for appropriate social interaction

[Gina Starling · Rating 5 out of 5]

PK-2


It’s fun to make friends and play with others, but it’s not always easy to do.

You have to make an effort, and you have to know the rules—like ask before joining in, take turns, play fair, and be a good sport. This book teaches the basics of cooperation, getting along, making friends, and being a friend.

Another good book to start the school year off, or read again if there are
clashes in the classroom.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of such obviously didactic picture books, but this is really well done for the 2-5 year-olds. Some little ones really don't know how to join in during independent play, and this book gives realistic, simple suggestions. Love that the protagonist is a cinnamon-brown girl with black curls, too, and that her dad reading a book on the front step while she plays.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was dedicated to me!!!! my mommy wrote it.

[Principle Based Learning]

(recommended by: Ashley B)
Click here for the full article on: More Than Just Fairytales

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to teach kids how to play with others. This is a great series.

[Naomi]

An excellent book to teach children how to ask to join play groups which are then partnered with exercises for practice. Illustrations are simple to support learning activities.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.