Art for Therapy: The Benefits of Unleashing Your Creative Side

In the last little while, art has been gaining more traction in contributing to society on a significant level. I don’t just mean paintings or sculptures the likes of Rothko, Degas, Kahlo, Matisse, Savage, Morrisseau or Carr, in galleries that people ooh and ahh over, but a myriad of art pieces created by non-professional artists like you and I. Now, some people might shy away from being branded an artist, and that’s okay because we might not necessarily subscribe to the pressure associated with being a creative person. However, by the very nature of creating something resembling art (and I know the word “art” can be interpreted very loosely depending on your perspective), would that not make you an artist? Or at the very least creative?

Artists are special people; their minds work in different ways. Creative people in general have the ability to look at things from different angles, and maybe this flexibility in perspective is what renders the therapeutic aspect of art. It can act as a catharsis for the stresses of this life, and I know this first hand because I am at my happiest when I am being creative: making something with my hands or mind. This making could be the creating of a meal or a crochet project, greeting cards or sketching, photography or even colouring. Yes, colouring, that thing we did with those bright and pointy nibs when we were younger. It has been making a comeback lately, and the marketing suits have a solid reason to push it. Psychology is on their side.

Colouring books adorn the shelves at Indigo, Chapters and Coles. And there are various themes for whatever you’re into: Harry Potter Fan? Animal Enthusiast? Japanese Pattern Lover? There’s something for everyone. Including me! I was at Costco the other day and until now, I haven’t tapped into the colouring frenzy, mostly because I haven’t found a theme that appealed to me. And then, voila! On a neatly-stacked line of books, there was this:

The Shine: Color your life beautiful theme is teeming with Biblical quotes that provide hope during trying times. It is resplendent with nature motifs that seek to calm your nerves as you fill in the colours from your mind’s eye. I had a very trying week, and one day I made it a point to choose and colour a page (below). An hour and half of uninterrupted colouring later, I felt different. I felt like I had taken a power nap and woken up energized and clean of my mental stressors.

img1463620800613.jpg

Now, colouring might not prove therapeutic for the non-artist, but I do think there is something in the very action of repetition (rubbing a pencil crayon back and forth across the paper), concentration (making sure the colour doesn’t come out of the lines) and un-pressured creative choice (the opportunity to pick whatever colours and shades you think best suit the picture before you) that makes colouring a strong contender in the realm of Art Therapy. I’ve seen the same stress-relieving benefits to crocheting; the looping of the chain with the same single and double knot motion through the entire piece to create something functional and noteworthy.

Specifically, I think engaging in arts and crafts has the ability to unlock the shackles to our day-to-day must-dos. For awhile, it pulls us back into a state of suspension where our creativity is activated. And that creativity, which utilizes a different part of our brain, can allow for us to tap into our happier selves.

Would I then recommend colouring as a form of relieving stress? Yes, but it doesn’t just have to be colouring. I would recommend any form of art, including the pillar of this blog post: writing.

 

© books ‘n’ nooks. All Rights Reserved

“Words Are Not for Hurting”: Teaching Children to Be Kind with Their Words

“I don’t like you.”

“You talk funny.”

“Your hair looks weird.”

These days some children use their words to cause pain. They throw around harsh syllables strung together with absolute thoughtlessness. They are exposed to a barrage of media and other mediums that make them believe it is okay to spit out whatever they wish, without taking any responsibility for the consequences their words may have. They are not taught otherwise, so really, how can we blame them?

Words Are Not for Hurting by Elizabeth Verdick does a fantastic job of laying down the law around how to use words to help and not hurt. This book is essential in Kindergarten classes and homes of 4 year-olds everywhere. This culture of being rude and unkind willy-nilly is an epidemic that needs to be curbed. As teachers, often we are in very influential positions when it comes to how our students grow up. We can steer them towards being respectful and considerate, generous and tactful. And while it is important for students to learn the basics of Math and Science and Reading, it is more important for them to learn how to be good citizens of the world.

In her book, Verdick systematically charts out how words are formed, with letters, and then maps out what kinds of words there are, then seamlessly seguing into hurtful words versus kind words. She offers scenarios to explore feelings and play out different alternatives to addressing the pain caused by hurtful words. This book makes for a clever read-and-think-aloud. Students will pick up poignant details in the illustrations that display body language and facial expressions showing a range of emotions. They will bounce off ideas and deliver very clever and sensitively-thought-out reflections that will warm your heart, because really, there is goodness in all of us that just needs a firm foundation to build on.

So, add this book to your list of MUST-HAVE read-alouds, if you’re a kindergarten or even higher grade teacher. Sometimes, we all just need a little guidance to be a better version of ourselves.

© booksnnooks.org All Rights Reserved

 

 

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Rating: 4.5/5

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is a delightful read. It takes on the ambitious task of narrating a story from the vantage point of 7 women from 2 different generations, and cultures, and in most cases it delivers. The book, with its 288 pages, is divided into 4 sections, each section dealing with a grouping of mothers or daughters. In this way it offers symmetry in relationship to a Mahjong game table, with its 4 sides.

Tan is a writer sensitive to the voices of her protagonists. Sharing their cultural background (Chinese-American), she dexterously weaves traditional elements to bring forth the strong voices of Suyuan and Jing Mei Woo, Lindo and Waverly Jong, An-Mei Hsu and Rose Hsu Jordan, and finally, Ying-Ying and Lena St. Clair. Each character is teeming with complexities that Tan conveys with literary aplomb: from Jing-Mei’s diffidence to Suyuan’s staunch dutifulness, from Lena’s subservient nature to Ying-Ying’s wisdom, from Rose’s growing self-efficacy to An-Mei’s crushing grief and ensuing courage, and from Waverly’s arrogance to Lindo’s pride. These characters are raw and tangible with their faults and growing strengths. They are women of cunning and women of generosity, women who gossip and women who sacrifice almost everything.

What I love most about this book is the richness of  Chinese culture that Tan astutely delivers; be it words in Mandarin and Cantonese or traditions such as the proper way to eat Lobster and make dumplings. Tan’s pride in her heritage is evident through the characters of mothers, and then gradually through the characters of the daughters, as they discover themselves and come to a place of understanding who they are through their mothers’ lenses. This is a joy to behold for mothers and daughters looking to read a book they can both enjoy. It explores the relationship between a mother and her daughter; the intrinsic one that many mothers maintain for life, the one where they know their daughters inside and out before their daughters know themselves.

It deals with generational conflict as each daughter rages against her mother’s lifestyle and principles, only to come to a place of deep respect and appreciation of the family bond that in most cases, cannot be broken. It deals with the loss of loved ones and the loss of self, and the epiphanies that come with each.

For all the praise I could shower on Tan, I felt that the final chapters of the book left me wanting. I was at times confused because certain character’s lives were left in a state of mishmash. Granted the book ends beautifully with the reunion of Jing-Mei Woo with her half-sisters, the last surviving remnants of her deceased mother’s legacy. However, the characters of Rose Hsu Jordan and Lena St. Clair leave me hungry for more development. Jing-Mei’s character develops the best of the 4 younger women (the daughters), and Waverly’s character maintains at an almost static rate. Rose’s character shows a lot of introspection and self-acceptance, as well as courage, as she finally stands up to her divorcing (and possibly cheating) husband, while Lena’s character makes me ache with a need to see her emerge from her shell of insecurity and unawareness.

Still, praise is definitely due to Tan in plenty for her ability to make me (and likely alot of her readership) feel a kinship with all her characters.

Would I recommend this book then? Absolutely! Not just for older women or younger women, or mother-daughter readers who want to enjoy a book together, but also for men who want to understand the Female Chinese Perspective, while also delving gently into the psyche of women, both young and old.

© booksnnooks.org All Rights Reserved

Enabling Children: Self-Acceptance, Finding Yourself and Courage

Much of what children have to grapple with in the real world today are issues around self-acceptance, finding themselves and courage during trying times. And if you are a teacher, you are in a unique position to help enable your students to develop some of these very valuable life traits.

A very simple way to introduce these topics before making practical activities that students can then use to apply in their lives, is through read-alouds. Read-alouds are a fantastic way to get the conversation started. Students truly love them!

Below, are 4 different read-alouds that teach one of the beautiful lessons of self-acceptance, finding yourself and courage.

20160428_145152 In ish by Peter H. Reynolds, young Ramon loves to draw, but one day his older brother’s harsh criticism dampens his will to develop his talent. That is, until his little sister reveals the value of her perspective. This book deals with the delicate theme of finding your true talent and learning to shut the haters out while keeping your mind open to different perspectives and possibilities.

 

20160428_145228[1]

The Paper Bag Princess is easily my favourite by Robert Munsch. Young Princess Elizabeth shows her courage in rescuing her betrothed prince from a dragon, only to find that he cares more about her appearance than her courage. This classic shows children that courage is ultimately more important than how well you dress, because courage shows character and cannot be bought. It also puts your female students in a unique position to imagine themselves as individuals capable of saving others and making a difference, and not the damsels in distress that alot of our society champions.

 

img1463534056804

 

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is about a little mouse who grows up to love her name, until the harsh bullying of her peers changes her mind. Can she learn to love her name, and herself again? Henkes adeptly touches on the subject of bullying, but chooses to focus on the person being bullied as the victor, not the victim. Self-acceptance is at the heart of this book, and so is the courage to be different.

 

img1463534016094

 

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon paints an intricate picture of a young girl, Camilla Cream, who suppresses her love of Lima beans because she does not want to stand out. Can she learn to feel good about being herself? With generous illustrations that tease the imagination and have students gasping when they see the different forms our protagonist takes, this book is sure to leave your students standing up for what they truly believe in.

Collectively, these books offer students the opportunity to understand that like Ramon, Princess Elizabeth, Chrysanthemum and Camilla, situations that call them to accept themselves and show courage can occur to just about anyone.

© booksnnooks.org All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helaine Becker: ‘Ode to Underwear’ Star

So, I organized an author visit at school today. It was the perfect Spring day for a very lively author with a lot of funnies up her sleeve. And Helaine Becker delivered. Born in the United States and now calling Canada her home, this eccentric and easy-to-get-along-with author gave both teachers and students something to chew on. Ms. Becker delivered a very thoughtful and interactive presentation on the merits of the writing process and how the following elements are fundamental to any good writing. Teachers everywhere, take note!

  1. Good punctuation, so your audience can understand with clarity what it is you are saying.
  2. Good writing techniques, such as rhyme and alliteration to create interest in the content and keep the work flowing well.
  3. Good use of rich vocabulary. Helaine stressed that a rich vocabulary comes from a lot of reading. Reading anything, anytime and anywhere. Cue “I told you so” from book-lovers everywhere…
  4. Good descriptive words to allow your audience to paint a vivid image of the world you are creating for them. “Lovely weather, eh?” vs. “Have you checked out this colourful Spring day with blossoming buds and delicious cool air all around?”
  5. Revise. Revise. Revise. Any author or blogger, or writer of any sort knows this to be the trick of the trade. You can’t publish something you hammered out in seconds and haven’t proofread. It just isn’t done.

Author of over 70 different genres of books (adventure books, humour books, quiz books, science books, fact books) spanning various reading levels (picture books, chapter books, junior novels), Ms. Becker is an award-winning writer and for good reason! Her books are dazzlers! Which is why NOT buying her books was not an option. Below, 3 of Becker’s titles that are a must-have if you’re a primary teacher (Grades K-3).

img1463439312298
This book is particularly classy because it is a treasure trove of poetry that young kids can have fun reading and performing. Replete with humour, rhythm and well-imagined characters, this is a good choice when introducing your students to the genre of poetry. Best for: Grades 1-4
img1463448246067
What a fantastic Canadian version of this timeless Christmas rhyme! You’ll find a mention of all things Canadian: Mounties, Beavers, Loons, and yes, even the Toronto Maple Leafs! Best for: Grades K-2
img1463448286656
This is my favourite title from the selection! In a hilarious bid to make you appreciate your underwear, Becker does the unthinkable, she exposes the tush-covering fabric! Best for: Grades K-2

© booksnnooks.org All Rights Reserved

An Exercise in Praise of Rainy Days

It rained yesterday, and I love rainy days. They are best for sleeping in and reading a good book and sipping some hot cocoa as you while away a little more time under your warmest blanket.

However, rainy days get a bad rep because they are a nuisance when you want to enjoy time outdoors, they cast this feeling of doom and gloom as the sky darkens and those gray clouds hover over ominously. People seem to always like bright and shiny things and therefore sunnier days are always touted as the best days of the year. “Bring on all that glorious golden sunshine!” If only there were gold in sunshine, we’d all be rich on the sunniest of days. No, I’d take rainy days over the sunny-heat-blazing ones any day. That nostalgia that hangs in the air as you walk under an umbrella amidst the wet tips of green grass blades. That inhale and exhale of air that is both cool and soothing and gentle on your lungs and can only be described as “fresh”. Rainy days are an exhilaration; a chance at renewal. Now, I don’t mean to get all philosophical here, but they are in many ways a chance for births and life to spring forth. Sure, there is the biology behind all living beings needing some quantity of water with which to survive and thrive, but water pouring down from the sky also is a religious motif, the stuff of blessings and starting overs. Sure, when the rainfall is heavy, we are accident-prone in our vehicular contraptions, rushing around with fancy tires so as to stick a middle finger to Mother Nature and tell her that her droplets of water in abundance can’t slow us down.We fight the outpouring of condensation, but why fight it? Why rush through it? Why arm ourselves with umbrella and poncho and a myriad of other keep-the-rain-at-bay paraphernalia? Why not just step out into a dust of generous water and lift our faces to the sky? Why not feel the cool, and sometimes gentle drips on our lips, our eyelids, our cheeks? Why run through it from shelter to shelter? Why not embrace it? Let it soak our hair and then rush home and climb into another rain shower of a different temperature?

I remember when I taught in Finland, there was this one day of the year in about May when the sky opened up and poured with coveted grace all her moisture. She poured and poured on the brown earth with love all day. I remember I rode my bike into work that morning. A commute that took about 40 minutes if I pumped my legs to their maximum capacity with consistency. When my neighbour who had driven her 4X4 to our shared place of work, saw the torrent of water coming down on us when it was time to head back home, she offered me a ride. My bicycle would ride in the back of her truck, and I, would ride dry in the passenger seat of the warm and dry cabin, beside her. Her consideration was touching, but my feral love for the rain had been unleashed in me as a child, and I saw this as the perfect moment to reunite with Mother Nature. To embrace her “blessings” as they poured forth with wild abandon. I hopped on my bike and raced through the rain back home. Of course, I promptly lit a fire upon entering the warm hearth and hopped in for a hot shower, but that is besides the point. I relished those 30-40 minutes with the rain beating down on me. The steady and calming rhythm as if Mother Nature was whispering soft secrets to me. Secrets that I could not hear in warmer, sun-dried weather.

I grew up in a rain-prone country in South Asia so the “summers” were heavy with steady water falling passionately from the sky. And it was on these days that I would venture out with cousins or friends, partners in crime, as we biked through muddy and water-clogged paths.The rain spoke to me. It held me captive with its beauty and agility to come down heavy on humans and the land, but with a gentleness that left us feeling  blessed. Water ebbs and flows with spirituality, with calmness, with abundance and with life. So, rainy days, while they might prove a nuisance on the surface with their mud-sloshing, traffic-heaving side effects, are days to be enjoyed. Days we can embrace our spirituality and our naturalness. Days to bathe in with the rest of creation.

© booksnnooks.org All Rights Reserved

My Adventures in Crocheting: A Bed Throw

It’s the weekend! I thought I would post something that isn’t a book; y’know, for the “nook” portion of this blog. 😉 So, segue into crocheting…

I first discovered crocheting 4 years ago. I was on assignment and living in Finland, and I am all about trying new things, so when the local art centre advertised free classes to try various art and craft projects, among them crocheting various useful items, I was game! My life revolves around different productions of art, so crocheting, I took to it immediately. And it was easy! The same single and double knot, after the initial chain, for hours on end, and in the same or different direction, depending on what it was. I was hooked – no pun intended! And the best thing about crocheting is that it is so forgiving; you make a mistake and starting over is not a forehead-smacking catastrophe.

Of course, when I returned home, crocheting took a backseat to the humdrum of my busy life, until I allowed myself to venture back there earlier this year. I must say, and this is one thing I almost forgot from the first time, crocheting is a very calming and therapeutic process. It is in the repetition and the making of something useful with your own hands, I think, that the therapy occurs. It gives you a sense of purpose and contributing agency in a world where your purchasing options are dictated by what is available on the shelves of the ubiquitous Wal-Mart. So, to start off small, even though I had big aspirations, I resigned myself to making a Bed Throw. A simple rectangular piece of the most colourful yarn I could find at the local craft store. Et voila!

© booksnnooks.org All Rights Reserved

Bone & Bread by Saleema Nawaz

Rating: 3.5/5

BONE & BREAD is Saleema Nawaz’s debut novel, and given that it was also on the shortlist (like my previous post) for CBC’s Canada Reads 2016, she has done quite a good job. This book was particularly poignant because it speaks to readers from various backgrounds. Beena, the main character, comes from a mixed marriage in Montreal, and deals with questions around her identity. She has to sift through her coloured (pardon the pun) past to make sense of her future; a future that is riddled with constant big changes. I do think Nawaz could have told this story in three-quarters or less, of the pages she took to write it, a total of 445, but the story is a seamless read from start to finish. It moves along with a heightened sense of getting to the point where Beena can find peace. When the book opens, Beena has lost her sister,  and now she must wade through the dust and memory of her past to be able to see her reflection more clearly and understand who she is.

Nawaz is able to convey intense emotions through her writing style. She uses short and crisp sentences to transmit Beena’s incredible regret over things done and not done before her sister’s death. Nawaz has carefully crafted a character speared with self-doubt and confusion, but a character bound by love and duty. Through the delicate relationship between Beena and her sister, Sadhana, Nawaz skillfully weaves in the harsh reality of depression manifesting as anorexia and bulimia. Nawaz shows an educated understanding of this strand of mental illness and I am grateful that she uses her talent to bring awareness to such an important issue. As an artist, I do believe one is in a privileged position to educate the world on various societal and individual elements that plague us. This book also does kind justice in handling Beena’s teen pregnancy and her ability to raise her son while caring for her sister who suffers from depression. It shows her courage to finally free herself from her sister’s hold and move away to live her own life, but also her familial loyalty to always come back to her sister, in Sadhana’s times of need. While many may perceive Beena as a static character who remains passive, her role is incredibly reactionary in a world where everything just seems to happen to her. And this is not too far removed from the reactionary reality that many of us live, with a constant lack of control over our lives. The plot charts Beena’s growth from a girl stewing in self-loathing to a woman who can reach out to forgive and make peace with the ghosts of her past. Nawaz wields her talent with vivid imagery, adeptly crafted similes and poignant phrases that deserve to be branded on T-shirts! Poignant phrases from which I will end with my favourite:

“And the work of getting closer, of loving harder, is the work of a whole life.”

-Beena (BONE & BREAD by Saleema Nawaz)

© booksnnooks.org All Rights Reserved

Birdie by Tracey Lindberg

Rating: 4.8/5

This book was one of 5 shortlisted for the CBC Canada Reads for 2016. In my frantic ambition to read the titles before I attended the event, I purchased this title by Tracey Lindberg. It was the second book I read from the list, and even though it isn’t a lengthy book, it stalled me. For a  good 5 weeks. The first 100 pages open with a very unfamiliar narrative structure. Lindberg is writing from her native Cree traditions and incorporating a lot of that stylistically and structurally into her narrative.

The story starts off with Birdie, our protagonist, on a vision quest, and a lot of the descriptions are easily construed as confusing until about mid-way through the book. The timeline ricochets back and forth and the reader is left exhausted trying to rally her/his concept of plot progression. Still, tarry awhile dear reader, this book is a rewarding read, because once you have crossed that 100-page mark, it flows faster and with fierceness. You will find yourself hungering for the end of the book. You will glide along with Birdie and experience her agony as she gracefully narrates her harrowing journey of sexual abuse, homelessness and abandonment. Lindberg adeptly explores the concept of being lost and making a concerted effort to rally one’s strength and find oneself again. The vision quest is an excellent motif that leads the reader, and Birdie, through this journey of self-and-other discovery.

I adore this book because it gives a voice to our Indigenous relatives that is easily lost amidst a sea of other voices vying for our attention. This book is written with great attention to detail and the use of Cree words and phrases, even if the reader does not understand them thoroughly, is an enriching addition to our understanding of this rich and diverse culture. I was moved by the calm narration of often horrifying events experienced by Birdie, and several other female characters. There is no lace or fluff to this book, no attempt to dramatize events to leave readers raving and make a bestseller list somewhere. No, Lindberg is true to the modesty of her culture. She is true to the peace and kindness that emanates from her kind, and this is why this book needs to be read and celebrated. Along Birdie’s journey, you meet 3 strong women who comprise her family. These women are picked for their oddities, and like Birdie for their strength, and meshed together to create a beautiful mélange of love, compassion, kindness, courage, tenacity and above all, grace.

Should you choose to read this book, and I would recommend that you do, be prepared for the time it takes (it is a very hard read when you start), but also prepare yourself for the rewarding feeling of peace and kinship with our Indigenous female relatives you will feel when you are done.

© booksnnooks.org All Rights Reserved

 

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Rating: 4.2/5

So, I’ll be honest here, had I seen this title in a stack of books, I wouldn’t have picked it out. No, I am more into realism; the kind of writing that makes you ponder deeply and consider the questions and truths inherent
in the mundane activities of our day-to-day existences. However, this book was on a reading list for a book club I had recently wanted to join, so I thought, why not try it? After all,you can’t really judge a book by it’s cover, right? 😉

This book is written from a dog’s perspective; a perspective that I found myself drawn toward. Now, I acknowledge animals as beings worthy of love, care and respect, and I am aware of the science behind a lot of them being quite clever. However, Stein has written this book with a poignant sensitivity that left me emotional. I found myself cheering for Enzo’s (the dog’s) character throughout the 336 pages. I saw the world that we humans inhabit through the eyes of a non-human who strangely enough, imbibed human-like qualities without seeming at all far-fetched or pretentious. Stein takes a beautiful story of an ambitious race car driver and his family and infuses elements of tragedy, mystery, forgiveness, compassion, tenacity, wisdom and triumph, all while staying true to his characters. Stein has obviously done his research quite well, to the point where he has seamlessly been able to allow the reader to relate to Enzo with his heightened dog-senses-and-sensibilities. The metaphors and race-car analogies have been carefully adapted to both acknowledge the reader’s ability to grasp complex information, without sounding too uppity, and at the same time, successfully educating the reader.

A must-read if you’re looking for a light book that is sure to cheer you up.

© booksnnooks.org All Rights Reserved