Being Bree: Bree and the Nametag Worries

by Christine Sromek Laforet, Lisa Rush (Illustrator)

Six-year-old Bree Wilson thinks she needs a nametag to make friends on the first day of school. She worries she won’t make any since the class is too busy going over rules and reading baby books to share nametags. Belly breaths and counting help Bree calm her worries until her nametag mysteriously disappears at recess and her extra one falls apart. Bree has a meltdown, but, with the help of her Gifted Instruction teacher, she learns friendships are formed with kind words and actions –not just nametags.

122 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2017

Reviews

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that helps children deal with the anxieties and stresses of school, friends and allows the reader to learn ways to copes with those stresses. Bree is likable and one that kids can relate to. This book allows kids to relate to others in difficult situations. A book I highly recommend.

[Chantal Ostroske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bree and the Nametag Worries is a charming story about a 6-year-old gifted student who feels out of place and struggles to make friends. She uses "calming down strategies" to help her anxiety. It will appeal to young gifted students who worry about making friends.

[Julia Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six year old, Bree Wilson, is plagued by first day of school anxiety. Will her classmates like the name tag she has created? Will she make friends? These “worries” are further compounded by Bree’s active imagination and her learning differences. As a gifted child, Bree is over excitable, curious and often misunderstood by classmates. Despite some first day mishaps, Bree discovers other children with whom she identifies and a new friend.

For gifted children who struggle with anxiety and with fitting in Bree and The Nametag Worries by Christine Sromek Laforet is an ideal book to ease children through these authentic school transitions. Told through the eyes of Bree, Laforet gracefully and humorously handles the issues that arise when overexcitability and worries get in the way of Bree making friends, and through Bree’s belly breathing technique, Laforet offers proven stress coping strategies to calm nerves.

As a Gifted Intervention Specialist and parent of a gifted child, I have met many children like Bree, and I found Bree and the Nametag Worries to be heartwarming and believable. It is the perfect start of school year book for the young gifted child.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last an author for young children who are gifted! Christine has captured all the worries and anxieties of being gifted in a very well-written, humorous and heartwarming tale about something all kids, gifted or not, can find worrying -- wanting to fit in, wanting to make friends, and wanting to be accepted for who they are. It's also great that the author includes the tips Bree has learned about how to calm the anxieties and worries in her head -- tips any parent can teach a child with worries. Ending pages include activities, too, that kids can do!

[Bonnie Sweebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bree can't wait to go to school and make new friends. Her first assignment? Make a nametag. Bree is convinced that the nametag is the way that she will make new friends. So, the nametag must be perfect. When the teacher tells the students to, "Use your noodle!" Bree takes it literally and the fun begins. You'll fall in love with little Bree, the gifted child who sees the world differently and is often misunderstood.

[Jason Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being Bree is a fun story that depicts the realities of grade school and being a gifted student who faces anxiety very well. Kids will identify with what Bree faces with losing her nametag and the social consequences that come with it. Not only does the book tell an entertaining story, there are special activities included that kids can do to help relieve their stress.

[Shelley Kinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Bree is a very relatable character who is academically gifted and has some worries about school, which certainly isn't uncommon in children. The classroom and playground situations that occur are realistic and will keep kids reading. Highly recommend!

[Sandra Sutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this chapter book, and particularly the voice of main character, Bree Wilson. Bree has a different way of looking at things that makes it difficult to settle in on her first day of first grade. Losing her special name tag doesn't help either. Or maybe... it does.

[Tonya Calvert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bree is 6 and nervous about school. This is an adorable chapter book with wonderful illustrations. Short, fast paced chapters are perfect for young readers who will surely relate to Bree.

[Raven Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christine Laforet has written a terrific book which would benefit many children who have concerns at school. Parents, get this one for your kids!

[Bonnie Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beeing Bree is a very funny book with a good message. The main character, Bree, is a gifted child who is struggling with anxiety before the first day of school. It would be an excellent read for gifted children and children who struggle with anxiety. Any child, however, would like the humor in this book. I read it to my daughter while she was a kindergartner and she laughed the whole time!