Stacey Coolidge Fancy-Smancy Cursive Handwriting: A Positive Growth Mindset and Fine Motor Skills Book for Kids to Build Confidence and Self-Esteem

The Adventures of Everyday Geniuses

by Barbara Esham, Mike Gordon (Illustrator)

The Adventures of Everyday Geniuses is meant to demonstrate various forms of learning, creativity, and intelligence. Each book introduces a realistic example of triumph over difficulty in a positive, humorous way that readers of all ages will enjoy!

Stacey Coolidge is the best at handwriting. She hardly ever uses her eraser. But Carolyn isn't doing as well. Carolyn has been practicing cursive handwriting every day for weeks, and not only is she not going to get to play with Frederick, the class guinea pig, but her handwriting is also not much better than a guinea pig's. It's a good thing that her teacher, Mrs. Thompson, is able to turn her frustration into confidence!

This simple and humorous story reinforces the idea that practice always helps but that the end goal is not always perfection!

Praise for the series:
"This is a wonderful book series. Each story shows children that success is about effort and determination, that problems need not derail them, and that adults can understand their worries and struggles. My research demonstrates that these lessons are essential for children." --Dr. Carol S. Dweck

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens, 2nd Grade, Juvenile, Realistic Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2008

Reviews

[Aly Engaged]

super cute

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blessed are they who learn to write in cursive

Granted, this quote may not be in the Beatitudes, but really, if you got to learn cursive, it was a blessing for you.

This book was published in 2008. By now many American children no longer learn cursive in school. For the rest of us, this picture book celebrates the triumph, the tribulations, the difficulties of learning a lifelong skill.

Beautifully written by Barbara Esham and cleverly illustrated by Mike and Carl Gordon, this picture book is a tour de force. So inspiring for those of us who have had the blessing of learning this difficult skill.

A favorite quote:

"... I just don't know what to do about my handwriting. It's the worst in the class.
I look at Stacey Coolidge's perfect cursive handwriting,
then I look at mine. Mine is terrible,"
I said with my shaky, "about to cry" voice.

FIVE STARS OF ADMIRATION AND GRATITUDE

[Emily Monda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that can serve as an encouraging reminder to students that they may be better than others in some areas or others may be better than them in some areas however, they need to focus on the important aspects of writing; ideas, creativity, opinions.

[Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book to introduce cursive or to keep kids plugging along while you teach. It is great also to discuss persistence as well as diversity in talents. The only issue is that these kids are learning cursive in 2nd grade, who does that?

[John Jeng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolyn is clearly not a genius like her classmate Stacey Coolidge. Can she overcome her fear of failure and earn the right to play with the class guinea pig?

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolyn is an excited young second grader. She is learning to write in cursive. Like many kids she is really struggling to make her writing look right. If she finishes early she can play with the hamster or on the computer. Unfortunately it takes her forever to complete her handwriting and it is not good. The teacher hangs their papers on the board to show how much they have improved. Carolyn is sad her writing has improved but is still not very good. Her teacher notices this and explains to her how proud she is for all of her hard work. She knows that people learn at different rates and are great at different things. She points some of those things out to her.
What made this so great is that the teacher didn't get made because she couldn't do something to "Her" standards. She praised Carolyn for the progress she made, for where she was. This is what all good teachers should do.

[Diana (Bever) Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of me wants to go back to university to study "learning disabilities" and "gifted and talented" programs. My children, myself, my siblings--a great many people I know and love--struggle or have struggled with feelings of worthlessness because we can't do things the same way others do. I love this book and this series. It empowers those of us with "limitations." These books remind us that handwriting, memorization, etc. are tools of learning. If one tool doesn't work for you, at least you've tried it, and you can pick up another tool that will carry you through to success and a sense of self-esteem, looking forward to brighter days to come. What hope and joy are in these books for those of us who don't fit societal modes of traditional learning. Highly recommended for parents, teachers, administrators, and persons with disabilities. READ the ENTIRE series!

[June Pecchia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I teach cursive handwriting to children privately, because schools seem to have mostly given up on this skill, I heartily agree with the message from a wise teacher-character in this engaging and helpful book: "Cursive handwriting is something we need to practice. It is just a tool for our learning toolbox. If we have difficulty with one of our learning tools, we just find a different tool to work with."

This well-written book that aims to help children gain cognitive and emotional health, is part of a series that I now want to look into further.

http://www.theadventuresofeverydaygen...

[Babies to Bookworms]

This fantastic story is part of the Adventures of Everyday Geniuses series. Carolyn is a young girl who is struggling to learn cursive writing. She practices and practices, trying to be as good as Stacey Coolidge, but she just gets more frustrated. Her wise teacher sits down with her and reminds her that everyone excels at different things. Carolyn also learns that she doesn't have to be perfect, as long as she tries her best, and she shouldn't judge herself based on the work of others. The lessons in this story are abundant and easy for kids to understand and relate to. The illustrations are also bright and colorful and often entertaining!

[Shelby Rose Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a cute story about Carolyn and her struggle to master the art of writing in cursive. I think that the author did a great job writing it on a child's reading level, and the characters all had great personalities! I would use this in the classroom to talk about stregnths and weaknesses and how everyone has some of each.

[Christine Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subjects

Learning Styles -- Juvenile fiction.



Penmanship -- Juvenile fiction.


Creative ability in children -- Juvenile fiction.


Anxiety -- Juvenile fiction.


Self-esteem -- Juvenile fiction.


Learning disabled children -- Juvenile fiction.


Cognitive styles in children

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Mrs. Thompson and the world surely needs more teachers like her.

The following quote of Mrs. Thompson speaking to a students summarizes the main idea of the book:
"Cursive handwriting is something we need to practice. It is just a tool for our learning toolbox. If we have difficulty with one of our learning tools, we just find a different tool to work with."

[Sarah Winters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great book to read when working on handwriting, especially if some students are struggling. A very good book with a great lesson that students could relate to. Recommended for first to third graders.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cute book that could relate to anyone. In the book Carolyn would get frustrated because she could not write in cursive. The teacher reminded her that it is important to never give up. You should keep trying until you get it right!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

abby loved it. she's an 'expert at regular handwriting' but wants to wait until 2nd grade for this cursive stuff.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes it's okay to not have the talents of anotherh person.

[Terry]

We love all of the books in the Everyday Geniuses series and Stacey Coolidge is no exception.