It's Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel

I actually found a book my grandson will sit down and read. He older brother has a passion for books. So I was thrilled when I found one this grandson likes.

I just have to say that there are no little boys flipping any "middle fingers" in this book, as was mentioned by a previous reviewer. The illustration shows the boy holding a hand out at a crosswalk, as if he is telling the car to stop - he's not making an obscene gesture. Yes this book is busy, but my 5 year old is busy and he loves to find new things every time he reads the book. I like it too - "the fifth Beatle," "Five Easy Pieces," etc. Not all five year old's are the same -- some definitely have control issues (mine does!), some do not. If your little one does, this is a great book for them!

There are few books that I can say my 5-year old daughter sits through without blinking an eye or wiggling around but all of Curtis and Cornell's books have completely captured her! Although my daughter LOVES to read, there is something about these books she is amazed by and so far, we have all of them. The books speak to kids but entertain parents, the fun little "stickers", "mood wheels" and other things just add more to what are already wonderful books to have. They not only entertain her, but they also take me back to my childhood and make me smile. You absolutely can't go wrong with any of them...we can't wait for the next one!

Yet, we have another exceptional book from Jamie Lee! She has such compassion for her craft of writing books for kids. I just bought several copies for family, as I cannot have children. But I do remember the problems with waiting in line, pushing, and the first day of school for my foster children. It can be a fearful transition for a child. Buying this book which explains everything decreases that fear. In nursing school, we are taught about the importance of teaching plans. What about the kids? They need it too!What I learned in nursing school and foster parent training about development and the many obstacles that tag along with it, is explained on a child's level in this book; therefore, I highly recommend it! Jamie- you get a A+++ for this one!

"It's hard being five!" is my daughter's favorite lament, so when I saw a review of this book I had to get it for her. She howled out loud with laughter at the pictures, and loved the rhymes (perhaps because some of them are a bit awkward, which makes them kind of fun). The illustrations are wonderful, with lots of little sight gags for parents as well as kids. Highly recommended.

This is not just a fun book to read as it acknowledges the feelings about the "hard stuff" that happens to both boys and girls who are 5---It serves as an outstanding teaching tool that engages five-year-olds in the learning process of gaining "self control" over their actions. Jaime's concept of a control panel is extremely helpful as it gives the children a concrete visualization that will enable many of them to literally "switch on and off" to more apropriate behavior. The lively, colorful illustrations are a perfect match to the text and portray with empathy, clarity and humor a number of tough spots fives find themselves in daily. I love the "bigger than life backpacks" that for me symbolize the "load" these little kids sometimes carry around with them. As a preshcool teacher, I highly recommend this book to read with the children. I would also like to recommend "The Pocket Parent" to moms and dads with five year-olds for more ideas regarding hard stuff with fives. The author feels reading a picture book with a young child can often get a point across to the child in just the right. Pocket Parent has an annotated list of over 100 books relating to children's feelings and misbehaviors. It recommends one of Jamie's other books called "Today I Feel Silly" as extremely helpful in assiting a child to be able to name and identify his or her many feelings.