Julia Cook is a favorite author of mine, as many of her books deal with the social-emotional dilemmas children face in their every day lives.
Our story this month focuses on why learning to wait our turn to speak is so important. As a social skill, conversational reciprocity is a necessity as children get older. It's the stepping stone by which we develop the nuances of knowing when to switch topics, or give others the chance to voice a differing point of view.
The story also does a nice job of acknowledging why it can be SO HARD to wait our turn to give voice to our thoughts, while emphasizing why it's important that we do so. The children articulated how it feels to be on the receiving end of an interruption or blurting out by others (annoying, disrespected, frustrated, angry). Teachers chimed in how blurting out also robs classmates of 'think time' and the chance to figure out an answer or solve a problem on their own.
Book Summary from Amazon:
'All of Louis thoughts are very important to him. In fact, his thoughts are so important to him that when he has something to say, his words begin to wiggle, and then they do the jiggle, then his tongue pushes all of his important words up against his teeth and he erupts, or interrupts others. His mouth is a volcano! My Mouth Is A Volcano takes an empathetic approach to the habit of interrupting and teaches children a witty technique to capture their rambunctious thoughts and words for expression at an appropriate time. Told from Louis’ perspective, this story provides parents, teachers, and counselors with an entertaining way to teach children the value of respecting others by listening and waiting for their turn to speak.'
