Tell Me A Story

All TMAS books touch on two main themes of Positive Psychology: resilience and optimism, while some of the books directly address certain issues, such as deployment. The books below were selected for their strength in supporting the four major components of TMAS:

1. Fostering connections between military-connected children and their parents with a strategy of starting conversations using literature as a springboard to discuss the story, characters, and to talk about their own stories and experiences.
2. Providing academic opportunities for educational success.
3. Inspiring optimism among families
4. Stimulating creativity in children.

Book	Book Synopsis
	Ada Twist, Scientist — Ada is speechless until she turns 3. But once she learns how to break out of her crib, there’s no stopping the kinky-haired, brown-skinned girl. When she does start speaking, her favorite words are “why,” “how,” and “when.”
	Change Sings — In this stirring, much-anticipated picture book by poet and activist Amanda Gorman, anything is possible when our voices join together. As a young girl leads a cast of characters on a musical journey, they learn that they have the power to make changes ó big or small ó in the world, in their communities, and most importantly, in themselves.
	Click, Clack Moo, Cows that Type — The humorous story of Farmer Brown’s cows and what happens when they get their hooves on a typewriter. The cows use the typewriter to communicate the changes they want made in the barn. Duck serves as the neutral party to mediate the demands of the cows and the farmer.
	Courage — Bernard Waber’s book shows young readers the many faces of courage. Some are obvious ó firefighters entering a burning building, mountain climbers scaling the heights ­ó involving people and actions that youngsters find heroic and larger than life. However, with this book children will discover that ordinary, everyday actions also require courage.
	Giraffes Can’t Dance — This is an inspirational story that creates a positive message for children showing that all people are different and special in their own way. It celebrates and embraces the fact that we are all different, and sends a message that nothing is impossible.
	How to Bake an American Pie — A poetic story that takes us on an adventure across America to learn about the founding principles of our nation.
	Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot — The true story of a young German girl living in Berlin during the Berlin Blockade. The story tells how an American pilot brought hope to this one child through a simple act of kindness.
	Night Catch — This is a story about how a father and son plan to stay connected by playing catch in the park, one of the family traditions, and turning it into a game of catch with the North Star while the father is deployed.
	The Remarkable Farkle McBride — Farkle McBride is a gifted child who struggles with his musical genius. He can play several instruments but is not satisfied until he learns that his real talent lies in making them all work together.
	Verdi — Verdi is a classic Peter Pan story. Verdi does not want to become green (grow up). Through his misadventures, Verdi learns that growing up is not such a bad thing and you can still be yourself on the inside even when things change on the outside.
	The Word Collector — Jerome, a young boy, is a fastidious collector. But rather than collecting bugs or coins or comic books, Jerome collects words. Words that are new to him, words that sound fascinating to him, words that delight him.
	The World Needs More Purple People — What is a purple person? A purple person always asks really great questions. They bring their family, friends, and communities together, and they speak up for what is right. They are kind and hardworking, and they love to laugh! And, there is a purple person in each one of us!