I Call My Hand Gentle

I Call My Hand Gentle takes a look at actions people take, and how we choose what we do with our hands. The book is unique because it simply states to children their physical responsibilities to our families and friends. Using something all children have experience with, the hand, helps children to really think about actions they might take, and also reflect on past experiences that they have had with choices they made using their hands.In the beginning of the book, the story describes what positive things can be done with hands, and include illustrations of each listed. For example, it discusses how the book can protect, carry, pick, hug, etc.and show people hugging, carrying things, and so on, so children can see visually what the words are telling. When it is established what can be done with hands that are beneficial, the book turns to things you should not do with your hands such as steal, push, grab, break, etc. In the end, the positive actions are retold so that the children are more likely to remember the nice things they can do with their hands.The illustrations in I Call My Hand Gentle are very contemporary. The colors are vibrant and hold children's attention. The words are very large on the page, and are easy to read. The only downside to this book is where the words are located on some of the pages. With a beginning reader, it is important that they understand that words and pages move from left to right. Some pages of this book contains print randomly placed on the page in relation to the illustration. This doesn't totally inhibit the reader from understanding the idea, but may cause a little confusion as to where they should begin reading and how they should continue to move through the book.Overall,this book is definitely recommended. Parents and teachers should have this book on hand, because not only is it easy to read and very eye-catching in the illustrations, but it is also building a good foundation of how to respect each other, and build safe communities in the classroom, which in today's society is very important.