Quick Takes: Inspire!

Last Saturday I shared my favorite movie [fictional] to get kids thinking about changes they can make.  I mentioned a book of true stories to follow up. Here are two more books that should be part of your home library or community library.  Borrow one and choose chapters that fit your particular child or children. Don't wait for them to read it.  Read a chapter to them.  Talk about it the next night at dinner. Maybe make it a weekly tradition this summer! Find things around your own community that your child can DO.  Help them see they can make a difference!

1. Real Stories, Real Kids, Real Change:
   Courageous Actions Around the World
   by Garth Sundem
  pub: Free Spirit Publishing,  2010

  Thirty true stories of teens and kids as young as 6 years old who through heart, stubbornness, and courage achieved significant change. Very current [including a story from the tsunami and other events the kids may recognize from the news] This is a GREAT book to own and to recommend.  Inspire your kids to believe that change and courage come in all sizes, all ages, all nationalities, all genders... and how might it be living in each of them?

2. Kids with Courage: 
    True Stories about Young People Making a Difference
   by Barbara A. Lewis
   pub: Free Spirit Publishing 1992 [but still cool!]

This is an older book, but its stories are still moving. It includes 18 individual stories of courage broken down into the areas of crime, social action, heroism, and the environment.





Image credits and thanks to: jacketflap.com, freespirit.com

Quick Takes: Operation Beautiful..Great News!

I have great news for anyone who has a girl between 8 and 14 on their gift list this Christmas or Hannukah!
One of my favorite books to share is coming out with a followup for adolescent girls! It will be titled:

Operation Beautiful for Best Friends  by Caitlin Boyle.
While it is not yet published, it is scheduled for release December 20, 2012 and I can barely wait! I have already pre-ordered one for each of the girls on my gift list! Consider it as a wonderful gift  for a girl you know and care about.


Caitlyn Boyle has compiled the story of an amazing campaign to transform the way we look at ourselves using nothing more complicated than a simple post-it note.  To get just a glimpse of this quiet revolution in the making---

P-l-e-a-s-e........Check out her website: operationbeautiful.com

Boyle's first book was:
Operation Beautiful:  Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-it Note at a Time

Order the book online, or used, or through your local library for free. But check it out!  Especially if you have daughters, but even if you don't.  All children today are bombarded with images of what they "should" look like, be like, feel, think, etc.  Reading [even browsing] this book will fill you with ideas for showing your children [and maybe anonymous people in your world] with more positive messages.

How long does it take to jot a post-it note?  Try it.... we can change lives!

Focus on Fostering: Share this Book!

I recently was part of a conversation about the book:
Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew

This book generally gets [and deserves] good reviews and I know many adoptive parents who have found the book helpful. However, in this conversation it came out that some parents find it discouraging.  The book is full of the fears and concerns experienced by adopted children and in the process includes many ways that parents unintentionally may make things more difficult or send unintended messages. One person I talked to said it almost dsicouraged them from choosing to adopt a child they had been considering, for fear they would not be able to make the child happy. NOT what the author intended!

Sadly, far less well known is Sherrie Eldridge's wonderful second book:

20 Things Adoptive Parents Need to Succeed..Discover the Unique Need of Your Adopted Child and Beocme the Best Parent You Can 

THIS book is far more PROactive than reactive. In it Eldridge focuses on the parents and provides lots of practical ideas for success.  This book is far more encouraging AND far more useful. 

While it focuses on adoptive children, I recommend it to foster parents and kinship parents as well.  ANYone who is attempting to raise children not born to them can learn specific ideas to help their challenges in this second book. 

So, readers.....

Spread the word. Get a copy.  Give it to a friend who is adopting. Give one to your local library or association.  Give it to a social worker or your child welfare department. Write the author with your feedback.  Best of all... write the publisher!! As a published writer myself I know how hard it is to get publishers interested in a book proposal, especially one that is targeted to a minority market. THANK the publisher for recognizing this segment of the parenting market. Thank them for the positive rather than exploitive nature of this book. Ask them for more books for this market!

And if you know someone who is considering this special kind of parenting......

Reach out....Share your successes. Share your expertise.  Share your stories!

Image credits and thanks to: lsmnj.org,

Read Across America... Day 6-- Authors

This is the last day of my celebration of March 2nd Read Across America. Each day I recommended a few favorites for different ages, stages, and situations.  If any of them fit your needs, I hope you will try them... check your library, interlibrary loan programs, online used books, and local bookstores.  Enjoy!!

[As an author myself, did you really think I could finish this week without a nod to authors???]

What Do Authors Do?
by Eileen Christelow
Pub: Clarion Books
ISBN0-395-71124-X

Having spent this week sharing books for children I decided to finish the week with a book about authors written for children.  While this is too long for really young children, it is an excellent look [with cartoon style illustrations] about how authors come up with books, write them, find publishers and illustrators, have them printed and distributed to readers. I especially like the fact that she includes [as a real part of the process] readers reading the books and reacting to them!

PS She also wrote and published a companion book What Do Illustrators Do?  also by Clarion. 

Remember, you can always search previous blog entries for some of my all time favorites that I have already bogged about. Check them out too! Search using "Recommended" and "Suggested Reading." And... watch for more books now and then to pop up!

Next week: Back to the regular blog schedule.

Read Across America... Day 5-- Dr. Seuss Quiz

Continuing my preparation and celebration of March 2nd Read Across America. Today is actually the anniversary of Dr. Seuss's birth, the date chosen for Read Across America, celebrated in elementary schools around the country.  So, to celebrate here is a quiz about Dr. Seuss.... see how well you know him.

1. What is the real name of Dr. Seuss?
a. Theodor Geuss Seisel
b. Theodor Geisel Seuss
c. Theodor Seuss Geisel
d. Theo LeSeig

2. How many published children's books did Dr. Seuss write and illustrate?
a. 37
b. 44
c. 46
d. 63

3.  What was the first children's book Dr. Seuss published?
a. "One Fish, Two Fish"
b. "The Cat in the Hat"
c. "And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street"
d. "Horton Hears a Who"

4. Before Vanguard Press accepted Dr. Seuss's first book, how many other publishers had turned it down??
a. 20
b. 27
c. 28
d. 29

5. What was Dr. Seuss's job before he became a published children's author?
a. pediatrician
b. advertising illustrator for Standard Oil
c. Saturday Evening Post cartoonist
d. Dartmouth College magazine editor


6. What was the last book Dr. Seuss published?
a. "The Lorax"
b. "The Butter Battle Book"
c. "Oh The Places You'll Go"
d. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

7. Which book did Dr. Seuss write to win a bet with his editor, Bennett Cerf?  [Bonus points if you know what the bet was!]
a. "Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now!"
b. "Green Eggs and Ham"
c. "The Cat in the Hat"
d. "If I Ran the Zoo"

Tomorrow-- How about the authors and illustrators?

P.S.  You can also search previous blog entries for favorites I have already written about.  Some of my all time favorites I have already bogged about. Check them out too! Search using "Recommended" and "Suggested Reading."

Answers:
1. c although he use d as a pen name for books he wrote that other people illustrated [Note: It is Geisel spelled backwards!] Seuss was his middle name, and his mother's maiden name.  2. b [although Geisel also wrote more books under other pen names]  3. c [a real street less than a mile from Seuss's boyhood home in Springfield, MA]  4. all of them [different numbers can be found in different sources, because Dr. Seuss often changed the number when he told the story!] 5. b, c, and d at different times [but never a doctor] 6. c [ published in 1990, before his death in 1991] 7. b [The bet was that he couldn't write a book using 50 words or less. Seuss won.. it uses exactly 50 different words.] Trivia...book "d" was the first recorded instance of the word "nerd."

Read Across America... Day 4- Special Issue Books

Continuing my preparation and celebration of March 2nd Read Across America. Remember each day I will recommend a few favorites for different ages, stages, and situations.  If any of them fit your needs, try them... check your library, interlibrary loan programs, online used books, and local bookstores.  Enjoy!!

Today:  Special Issue Books

Kids Wanting To Run Away:

I Was So Mad
by Mercer Mayer
pub: Golden Book Co
ISBN 0- 307-61939-7

With Mayer's familiar creatures. we follow as the "child" is angry with his mother, then father, then little by little everyone and everything and he decides to run away.  This book is a delightful look at that familiar childhood experience and feelings.

Constant Interrupting:

My Mouth is a Volcano

by Julia Cook  Ill Carrie Hartman

pub: National Center for Youth Issues


ISBN 978-1-931636-85-8

One in a series of books that address Children's Life Skills the Center has  created a humorous story that teaches children how to manage their thoughts and words without interrupting. This book has won awards and you can find lesson plans and activities to go with it online.


Little Kids Misbehaving in School: 

David Goes to School
by David Shannon
pub: Scholastic
ISBN 0-439-32171-9

This sequel to No! David follows David as he goes to school and gets in trouble for his antics in the classroom. The teacher eventually calls him to task, but he ends his day with encouragement and understanding.



Tomorrow-- Happy Birthday Dr Seuss

P.S.  You can also search previous blog entries for favorites I have already written about.  Some of my all time favorites I have already bogged about. Check them out too! Search using "Recommended" and "Suggested Reading."

Read Across America... Day 3- Acceptance

Continuing my preparation and celebration of March 2nd Read Across America. Remember each day I will recommend a few favorites for different ages, stages, and situations.  If any of them fit your needs, try them... check your library, interlibrary loan programs, online used books, and local bookstores.  Enjoy!!

Today:  Books about Acceptance

Accepting Others--

Splish, Splash!
by Sarah Weeks, Ill  Ashley Wolff
pub: HarperTrophy  [A My First I Can Read Book]
ISBN 0- 06-444282-9

This great little kids book about a bathtub that gets much too full, is a delightful way to start letting kids learn about accepting all kinds of people without judgment.








Accepting Life: 

Some Things are Scary
by Florence Parry Heide, Ill Jules Feiffer
pub: Candlewick Press
ISBN 0-7636-1222-7

This book takes the sting out of scary by showing all the ordinary reasons to be scared... like brushing your teeth with something you thought was toothpaste, but isn't  and the more serious fears.. like having your best friend move away. By the end readers realize that everyone feels scared, that it is an occasional but real part of life, and accepting that it is normal.



Tomorrow-- Special Issue Books  [running away, interrupting, misbehaving in school]

P.S.  You can also search previous blog entries for favorites I have already written about.  Some of my all time favorites I have already bogged about. Check them out too! Search using "Recommended" and "Suggested Reading."

Read Across America... Day 2 -- Feeling Different Books

Continuing my preparation and celebration of March 2nd Read Across America. Remember each day I will recommend a few favorites for different ages, stages, and situations.  If any of them fit your needs, try them... check your library, interlibrary loan programs, online used books, and local bookstores.  Enjoy!!

Today:  Being Happy with Who You Are

Good Thing You're Not An Octopus
by Julie Markes, Ill  Maggie Smith
pub: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN 0- 06-028465-X

With great humor Markes leads children to be grateful they are themselves by letting them see the potential challenges of being something else, learning that everyone and even every creature has its own challenges. 

It's Okay to be Different
by Todd Parr
pub: Little, Brown and Co.
ISBN 0-316-66603-3

This book with Parr's typical style and illustrations make it okay for all the ordinary differences in life from missing teeth to moods and feelings to saying no and many more.

P.S. For how different FAMILIES can be, check out Parr's The Family Book which is phenomenal on this topic!

Spoon
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal  Ill Scott Magoon
pub: Disney, Hyperion Books
ISBN 978-1-4231-0685-2

Spoon envies the life of fork and knife and chopsticks, thinking their lives better than his dull life.  But Spoons family helps him see the advantages of being a spoon, and leads to spoon being happy being who he is.


Tomorrow-- Books About Acceptance

P.S.  You can also search previous blog entries for favorites I have already written about.  Some of my all time favorites I have already bogged about. Check them out too! Search using "Recommended" and "Suggested Reading."

Read Across America... Day 1--Bedtime Books

For several years Read Across America has been held on March 2nd, the birthday of author Dr. Seuss. I am going to be away from Feb 29th to March 6th visiting my daughter on the West Coast. So, I decided to do my posts ahead and to piggyback with Read Across America as the excuse to recommend some of my personal favorite books for children that deal with situations that are common for readers of this blog.  Let the teachers and schools highlight "typical" reading.  I will highlight some special books for special situations.  They may not have won awards [though some have] but they have proved helpful for me and for mine.

So each day I will recommend a few favorites for different ages, stages, and situations.  If any of them fit your needs, try them... check your library, interlibrary loan programs, online used books, and local bookstores.  Enjoy!!

Today-- Books for Bedtime Challenges

I Don't Want to go to Bed!  
by Julie Sykes and Time Warnes
pub: Scholastic
ISBN 0-590-76345-8

A picture book about Little Tiger, who never wants to go to bed when Mommy Tiger says it is time for bed.

What's Under My Bed?

by James Stevenson
pub: Mulberry Books [William Morrow Co.]
ISBN 0-688-09350-7

Especially great for grandparents raising children because the heroes of the story, that reassure and comfort the child are the child's grandparents who have a unique way of dealing with and normalizing nightmares.

I Had a Bad Dream: A Book about Nightmares

by Linda Hayward, Ill by Eugenie
pub: Golden Books  [About Living Series]

ISBN 0-307-10397-5



Jason has nightmares but is comforted and reassured by his father and learns to feel safe.



Tomorrow-- Feeling different  [books about being happy with who you are]

P.S.  You can also search previous blog entries for favorites I have already written about.  Search using "Recommended" and "Suggested Reading."

Focus on Fostering: Bonding books

What are you favorite bonding books? All children love bedtime stories, but children in care seem to have a special need for books about connecting, books about unconditional love, and all the things they dream about.

The Kissing Hand and Love You Forever are two perennial favorites. 

My kids and I also like:
 
How Many Kisses Do You Want Tonight?  
[by Varsha Bajaj, Ill by Ivan Bates, pub: Little, Brown and Co., ISBN 0-316-82381-3]

When I read this book I follow along with the story giving kisses by the number each animal requests [1-10]... the kids are usually giggling happily by the time we get to the little girl who asks for a hundred. 

I Will Hold You 'Til You Sleep  
[by Linda Zuckerman, Ill by Jon J Muth, pub: Scholastic Press, an Arthur A. Levine Book, ISBN 0-439-43420-3]

This book starts with reassuring a child that you will be there to share the happy times, the rough times, the painful times, and the fun times. But it also goes beyond that to show that constant supportive love is not only a gift to your child, but from one generation to the next, both forward and backward by ending with a unique turnaround of comforting an loving presence.  


Send me your kids' favorite comfort books and maybe we can get a list going? 
There can never be too many bonding books to read to kiddos at night!

Parenting Tips: Get the Kids Talking

Do you ever feel like extracting teeth would be easier than getting your kids to talk other than arguin?  Do your dinner times conversations feel like they alternate between mini-interrogations and that your children withhold information with a skill spies would envy?

Shake it up a bit. Pick up any of the dozen or so versions of:

KidChat : Questions to Fuel Young Minds and Mouths
by Bret Nicholaus and Paul Lowrie
Pub: Questmarc Publishing
ISBN 0-9634251-6-1

I have used the 2001 edition [shown here] for years both at home and at school for writing prompts for my middle school students.  There are holiday versions, KidChat Extreme. etc. etc.  Each book has new and different questions to start a conversational ball rolling.  Some are silly, some thought-provoking, some teaching opportunities, and more, but all are safe and entertaining for kids roughly 7-13 [though I have used it for older also].

Great for imagination, discussion, and just plain conversation, I have found the book a life saver on long car rides, and even when a sleepover starts to lag a bit or needs a bit of calming down. Try some--

A Few Examples:

1. If snow could fall in any flavor, what flavor would you choose?

2. If you could be famous for anything at all, what would you want to be famous for?

3. If you could get out of school for a week but instead had to spend those five days helping an adult at their job, whose job would you want to help out with for that week?

4. If you were a king or queen, what is the first rule you would set for the people of your kingdom?

5. If you could ask the president of the United States [or your state governor] one question, knowing that you would get an honest answer, what question would you ask?

6. If you could be shrunk down to one inch tall for just one day, what do you think would be the most exciting place to explore? 

Parenting Tips: Kid's Books on Decision Making

Do you remembering any of the "Choose Your Adventure" type books?  At various points in the story you have a choice to make.  Depending on what you choose, you go to a different page in the book, over and over making each reading somewhat different.

There is a great series that uses this same approach but deals with moral decisions, peer pressure, etc.  At my last check there were 5 books in the series [$6-10 each], plus a leader's guide [$15] available for the whole series.

Each book is around 60 pages total, but depending on your choices, the actual story length varies. Great for readers 7-12 or a bit older if they struggle with reading.There are several different authors who contribute to the series and the topics are all situations that children face all the time. The same publisher also makes a similar [reader choices] series for ages 4-10 called Kids Can Choose, but I haven't seen any of those myself so can't actually recommend them yet.

The Decision Is Yours series:

Finders, Keepers :  What should you do with the wallet and money you and a friend find.

Making the Grade : More time on soccer than homework and a bad report card make a tricky mix.

First Day Blues : How do you make friends on your first day in a new school?

Bully on the Bus:  What do you do if an older kid in school threatens to beat you up?


Under Whose Influence? : To drink with friends or not?

Focus on Fostering: Anxiety Books for kids

Here are two books that help young kids understand and deal with fearfulness.

Don't Be Scared, Little Cub 
by Jillian Marker and John Bendall-Brunello
pub: Paragon Publishing
 
Cute little story about a lion cub and his father on a nighttime walk.  Frightened by the noises and shadows in the night darkness, Little Cub is reassured by the presence of his father. The story ends with the tables being turned and Little Cub being brave.

There's A Nightmare in  my Closet

written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer
Dial Books [Pied Piper series]

Fun story of a child who defeats the nightmares in his closet only to end up comforting them when he discovers they are more afraid of him.

Also available on YouTube in several versions, including a fun animated version narrated by Billy Crystal.

Holidays 101: #10 Bad Hair Days

This book is fun for any child who has ever had a bad hair day or wondered what to do with their hair.

What's Wrong With My Hair?
by Satoshi Kitamura
pub: HoughtonMifflin  copyright 2007

This tells the story of a lion who is trying to decide what to do with his hair.  The book has an oval cut out in the middle of the page to show the lion's face while each page frames his face with a different crazy hair style... everything from waves to spaghetti to bird's nests.  Finally on the last page the back cover has a hole so that the child can go to a mirror and look through the hole to frame his/her own face with the lion's chosen hairstyle.

Finally, on the back cover it shows the steps for children to make their own hair style frames to "try on" their faces.

All in all, this is a fun, interactive book that makes light of hair issues and gives a chance [if you want to be serious] to talk about all different ways that people wear their hair in different cultures or based on their own kind of hair.

Holidays 101: #4 Teen Inspiration

A inspirational gift for adolescents or teens:

Teens with the Courage to Give:
Young People Who Triumphed Over Tragedy and Volunteered to Make a Difference
by Jackie Waldman
Pub Conari Press    copyright 2000

This paperback book has 30 chapters, each telling the story of a remarkable teen.  Each chapter is short [between 3-6 pages] and is told from the viewpoint of each teen.  The teens tell their story, the obstacle they faced, how they got past it, and what they chose to do that gave their life direction and purpose focused on helping others.  These stories provide wonderful inspiration for adolescents and teens, especially those who feel that life has handed them a lemon or two.   Many of the chapters offer resource information and/or ideas for readers to pursue similar ideas.  20 pages of back matter at the end of the book provide discussion questions, action resources, suggested reading and more.

Holidays 101: # 3- Moods

Some of you may remember her from her movies, but her writing is a bona fide career now, and a field in which she has also gained great respect.

Jamie Lee Curtis  has written a whole series of books on kid friendly topics and feelings.  [See the list below. The illustrator [Laura Cornell] adds fun, colorful, slightly zany, whimsical illustrations. Today I recommend one of my favorite books of hers:

TODAY I FEEL SILLY & Other Moods That Make My Day

In this book Curtis uses rhyming lines that kids will enjoy following. She covers a wide range of emotions that children typically experience and why the moods might happen.  She is right on target every time without beating the idea to death. Kids will laugh, but they will understand and recognize the feelings. As with the "It's Not Fair" book I love that this book normalizes the range of feelings and moods for kids rather than see moods as something to "snap out of" or "fix."

My FAVORITE part of this book for some of my challenged kiddos was the back page where there is a pair of wheels to spin that change the eye and mouth expressions on a face.  As you change the expression the label shows up for the typical mood that face shows.  GREAT for teaching non-verbal cues and helping kids understand, explore, mimic, etc.


Other Jamie Lee Curtis books:
My Mommy Hung the Moon: A Love Story
It's Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel
I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem

Big Words for Little People

Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born
Is There Really a Human Race?
Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery 
When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth

  

AND:

Jamie Lee Curtis's Books to Grow By Treasury

Includes 4 of her stories [Balloon, Human Race,  Like Me, and Moon] plus songs and activities to go with each.

Holidays 101: #1 - Fair

Today one of several books I am recommending this year that are good for a wide range of ages:

It's Not Fair! 
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
pub: HarperCollins   copyright 2008

Every parent sooner or later hears the common wail: " It's not fa--a--i---rrrr" echoing through the room from an aggrieved child.  Even if you have only one child, you cannot escape from that eventual complaint.  This simple picture book, with short sentences takes a light-hearted look at the unfairness which surrounds us all.  Even the paper on the inside of the covers is used as a source for amusement for the parents reading the book. Book is for anyone over the age of 3.

There are other "It's Not Fair" books [titles cannot be copyrighted] but this is my favorite. Not because it offers solutions.  Because it shows that everyone and everything can sometimes feel that something is not fair.  That feeling it isn't fair is normal.  I am a great believer in teaching children that feelings are normal. That they come and go. That EVERYone has them.

Quick Takes: 365 Thank Yous

Today's quick take is an interesting book for you to consider checking out at your local library, inter-library loan, or bookstore.

Author John Kralik was having a really tough stretch and was buoyed in a dark moment by an unexpected thank you note he received.  As an experiment he challenged himself to sort of return the favor... every day for a year.  He set out to write a thank you note each day and every day for one full year.  The book 365 Thank Yous chronicles both the experiment and how the process changed him along the way.

I've toyed with trying the experiment with my kiddos next year.  Anybody else interested? Maybe we could collaborate? Let me know!

Image credit: hyperionbooks.com

Quick Takes: A Book Find!

Hey I found a great book... one that many others have discovered already as evidenced by the 9 awards it has won, including the Mom's Choice Award.

Have You Filled a Bucket Today?   A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids
by Carol McCloud  Illustrated by David Messing

This book has been out since 2007 and was originally self-published. [take note you writers out there!]
Using simple, but charming illustrations and plain language the book leads children to  see the joy THEY will dsicover when they are kind and thoughtful and loving as part of their daily lives.  They see not only how rewarding it is for others, but for the giver as well.  Using the image of a bucket gives a concrete sense to a more nebulous concept of kindness and warmth. After reading this with your kids you have an easy cue to remind them about "bucket filling" and "bucket dipping."

Her book has now grown into an array of books and other products, even a website.  Her program of bucket fillers is not in schools complete with wristbands, posters, car decals, and t-shirts for elementary and teens alike.  If you haven't seen this yet.  Get it!  [It also makes a great gift.]

Reminder: I am not paid or compensated to recommend ANYTHING on this site.  I NEVER recommend something unless I have personally used it and found it successful or useful.

Image credit: bucketfillers.com

Soapbox: Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning

I ran across this amazing article by Mario Vittone that includes CRITICAL information for every parent who takes or allows their children [young or old or grown] to water.  Everyone has a mental image of a person drowning but the problem is that the image is usually created from a TV or movie depiction. A mixture a chaos and commotion like that seen in "Jaws" is far from the common reality of drowning.

The full article is on the web and is going around a lot.  It was originally written for submission to a sailing magazine, therefore the intro about a skipper etc.  I understand that it is going to be in a summer issue of Reader's Digest in modified form so look for it there, clip it out, and save it.  I plan to reread it every summer to keep it in the front of my mind.

He quotes Dr. Francesco A. Pia's research on drowning that describes the body's "Instinctive Drowning Response." He has found that 1: our mental image of drowning may be accurate if a person is in "aquatic distress," but that 2: when they are imminently in danger of drowning and the body's self-preservation kicks in automatic reactions that may hide the danger to a casual observer. This presents a huge danger.

The key points are that [unlike our screen image of drowning]
       • Drowning victims CANNOT call out for help.
       • Drowning victims CANNOT wave or intentionally signal their distress.
He goes on to explain exactly why this is true, and what you are likely to see for behaviors instead of the expected cries or signals for help. Read a detailed description of this written for search and rescue personnel in this second article on page 14 of ON SCENE, The Journal of the Coast Guard Search and Rescue.

The first article also lists these other things that can be danger signs of drowning:

• Head low in the water, mouth at water level
• Head tilted back with mouth open
• Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
• Eyes closed
• Hair over forehead or eyes
• Not using legs – Vertical
• Hyperventilating or gasping
• Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
• Trying to roll over on the back
• Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder.

Please, please, puh-lease,  read one or both of the full articles!  It could save a life and prevent a tragedy.

Be safe!

Image credit: gjcity.org, casj.org.ar, on.fb.me/idrphoto