Judge Judy Sheindlin's Win or Lose by How You Choose

I bought several copies for teachers and school libraries. Judge Judy is one smart cookie. I would recommend this book for all parents.

By looking at the cover I was under the assumption that the pages within Judge Judy Sheindlin's Win or Lose by How you Choose! would be similar to the illustrations depicted for the cover. This is not the case as the illustrations by Bob Tore are black and white. Although this was a disappointment at first, I think it draws the readers away from distractions so they can focus on the situation presented on each page. There are four choices for each dilemma with no set answers, meant for discussion. Encourages parents and children to talk through the presented situations while exploring choices and examining the resulting consequences. I chose Judge Judy Sheindlin's Win or Lose by How you Choose! for my son to assist him in social dilemmas that would require some thought. Children with autism are literal thinkers and lack in social situations, so having a book to go over before any of these challenges took place was the key factor in the purchase. It is somewhat similar to a social story many high functioning autistic children use to assist in the learning process as well as a stepping stone for promoting further socialization. By knowing the situations beforehand my son can reflect on these pages throughout the structure of his day. There are no page numbers inside Judge Judy Sheindlin's Win or Lose by How you Choose!. We jumped right into the book going through the scenarios until my son was ready for a break. The recommended age group is seven to twelve. With my son being at the bottom of this age bracket, I wanted to make sure we did not go through the entire book in one sitting, thus gradually making our way through the sequences of events profiled in the pages. There are several situations that could have more than one correct response. Judge Judy Sheindlin's Win or Lose by How you Choose! helps parents and children communicate which decisions fit the situation and discuss the outcome via these methods. These are everyday occurrences that involve not only children but adults and people that are going about their daily lives when they are confronted with a child or situation that needs to be rectified. The illustrations do not give away any answers, but do capture the confusion some of these dilemmas bring about. This would also make a good classroom book for a teacher to make copies of pages and give as an assignment and to utilize as a discussion forum. Parents will be enlightened by the responses their children make and know when their children are ready for more challenges ahead. This will encourage better understanding of social situations and offer some perspective on what they face on a daily basis. Judge Judy Sheindlin's Win or Lose by How you Choose! was a big confidence booster for my son. He enjoyed the discussions and laughed at some of the answers. These challenges brought new questions for him to explore and help him maneuver through the social mazes he encounters. Another bonus is going through the book a few weeks

The book is a total enjoyment from first page to last. But my six year old gets an exceptionally big kick out of the illustrations. The characters are so unique; not like the pictures you typically find in kids' books. Mr. Tore packs so much dry, subtle humor and expression into each drawing that my son is forever reminding me, "Don't turn the page so fast, Mommy! I'm not done looking at the picture!" Draw more, Mr. Tore! My little guy is so content to just sit and flip through the pictures that I'm getting more housework done than I have in years!

Judge Judy has done the children of America (and the adults too) and HUGE favor! One hopes that children exposed to this book will learn to make good moral choices. Don't look for preaching here. This book is formatted in such a way as to let the child come to the conclusion of what is right. Maybe this book will help all of us be a little less self-centered and enable the growth of peace instead of violence in this new century.

Judge Judy's book has helped enormously to teach my child the difference between right and wrong. It also helped me, as a father, to learn what my child thinks and would do in these realistic senarios. I would recommend this to parents who have children at the age where they would like to become a bit more indipendent or for those who want to teach their child morals instead of letting schools do it for you.