As a teacher of health, says Janice Loschiavo, I buy a lot of books with ideas to enhance my lessons. As a caring parent, I also read everything I can to do a better job of discussing sensitive topics with my own kids.

It became apparent to her that children listen and learn from stories, not from lectures. Storytelling comfortably opens dialog so a child can think and discover good solutions to everyday problems they face. Life’s Lessons for Children provides all you need to get children to start thinking about issues like bullying, gender identity, sexual abuse, and behavioral problems. Character development is introduced, and core values of respect, compassion, honesty, fairness, and trustworthiness are dramatized. Each child’s story offers an age-appropriate scenario with an easy-to-follow, simple to implement, detailed lesson plan. Thought-provoking questions are included, as well as teaching strategies, correlating activities, evaluation means, and suggested further readings. Each lesson is linked to a National Health Education Standard, allowing adaptation into any health curriculum. Consider this book a tool to help you become a better teacher, parent and advocate for the child of today.