Review by atburly -- The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace

[atburly]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace" by Julie Penshorn.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace by Julie Penshorn is an excellent picture book that provides readers with a strategy for resolving conflict. Readers are indirectly taught the mnemonic STOP through the rhyming tale of barnyard animals expressing their grievances and finding a constructive way to work through their emotions.

The story is written for children from ages 2 and up. The book also includes pages with instructions for guided reading and teaching STOP to young children and mentors. This would most appeal to educators, workshop leaders, mentors, and parents who seek to promote positive conflict resolution strategies to children.

I would highly recommend this picture book as Jory Keith's colorful illustrations are beautiful and effectively accompany the story. Children who do not fully engage with words can understand the emotions portrayed by the different characters even though they are barn animals. Julie Penshorn uses a simple but effective rhyme scheme to develop the story's lyrical quality and musical appeal. In fact, sheet music is included at the back of the picture book to help children learn STOP through song. Though the music CD is only available through purchase on the publisher website, the picture book freely includes a Parent and Educator Guide section to assist caring adults in their instruction of the material. The guidelines are provided in a step-by-step lesson plan format and include instructions for how to teach mentors (aged 9 and up) to help younger children with the STOP concepts. There are even guided questions to help book leaders unpack the story and encourage readers to draw connections between their own experiences and those depicted in the text.

Rating: 4 out of 4

Self-regulation is a key skill that both parents and educators need to engender in young children. The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace by Julie Penshorn is a simple yet rich story that can be an effective tool in an adult's toolkit for raising children with this ability to reflect on emotions and think positively about ways to work with others. The illustrations by Jory Keith are visually appealing and engaging, effectively complementing the lyrical narrative and easy to remember (and repeat) steps for conflict resolution. I would strongly advise adults to invest in this text as it is a rich resource for teaching valuable life lessons and will remain relevant for years to come.

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The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace
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