“Everybody’s Somewhere”
Cornelia Maude Spelman is the author of “Everybody’s Somewhere“, a book about perspective. It teaches the lesson that everyone is doing something, somewhere in the world. It includes people from different cultures, interests, and abilities, which introduces children to the bigger world around them.
I love the imagery in this book (Illustrated by Alea Marley), as well as the message. The art has a retro feel to it, and the message includes modern technology as a way of connecting to one another. My daughter can especially relate to long distance communication, because that’s how we keep in touch with my parents and friends who live elsewhere.
It also shows members of the military returning home to their families, something not usually addressed in children’s books. It’s a comforting feeling to know that even though you may be by yourself, you are never really alone – food for thought for children and adults alike.
Cornelia Maude Spelman is and award-winning author of more than a dozen books. With a background in social work and therapy, her books focus the importance of emotion. Below is a guest post, written by her about the importance of expressing feelings and doing/saying what is right, especially in today’s emotionally tumultuous climate.
Guest Post by Cornelia Maude Spelman
In a child’s view, the “world” is very small, composed of family, preschool, or school, and the places he or she goes with Mama or Daddy. Yet in reality, the world is very large, and composed of people who may look and live differently than does the child or the child’s family.
That everyone is valuable, no matter where they are or what they do that is different from what we are used to, is essential learning for children in today’s multi-cultural and multi-national world. We all share the same precious planet— “Everyone is somewhere under a star.”
In our current national environment, in which discourtesy, disrespect, aggressive and bullying actions in words and in deeds are exhibited by those who should be role models, how can we help our children to say and do what is “right” – that is, what is courteous, respectful, assertive, and compassionate? How can we help them learn that every person is valuable?
Our most important method—and responsibility—is to model right words and deeds ourselves. We, not society, are the most significant influences on our children, and so we can be grateful that we have this opportunity to raise respectful and compassionate children who will be citizens of this society. Do we speak and act towards our children and everyone in our own world in “right” ways?
We can also support our children in saying and acting decently to others, even in standing up for others if necessary. Sometimes all it takes is one person to say, “Don’t talk to my friend that way!” for others to rally to defend someone who is being disrespected.
Adults and children, too, have a lot of tumultuous feelings. We can encourage our children to express their feelings, whatever they may be, to us or to another trusted adult, but expressing feelings is only part of how we need to take care of feelings – we need to, first, know what they are—be able to name them (“I am sad” or “I am angry”) and we especially need to know what to do with them; how to manage them. We need to know that feeling something is different from doing something; so that “I may feel like saying something mean or hitting but I don’t do it—I can feel things without having to do things that will hurt others or get me in trouble.”
Everybody is somewhere in the world, and everybody is valuable. Our world is filled with people who may look and live differently than we do, but are like us in their human wishes for love, freedom, and connection to others. We help our children feel more connected to our world when we show interest and compassion in others, and when we show children through books and life experiences that others may be different in outer ways but the same inside.
Buy “Everybody’s Somewhere” and other books by Cornelia Maude Spelman
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Visit Cornelia Maude Spelman’s website at: www.corneliaspelman.com
Disclaimer: Westside Mommy received a review copy of “Everybody’s Somewhere” in order to facilitate this post. No monetary compensation was made for this post. All opinions are honest and my own. Opinions of the guest post are that of the author. Images provided by the book publisher and used with permission. This post contains affiliate links.
