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Kindergarten Books > Supposing

Supposing

By: Frances Thomas, Illustrations: Ross Collins

Supposing you woke up and the house was on fire and there was a big black hole in the floor beside your bed and you fell in and a spider fell in on top of you … In this skillfully sensitive book about nightmares, that is just what a little monster’s nightmares are about, until his mother soothes him and lays all his fears to rest. Her stories of pancake breakfasts, country walks and buying balloons soon reminds the little monster that his worries were just bad dreams

Family Activities

The little monster had a terrifying nightmare! The house was on fire, he was falling into a black hole, and there was a large spider chasing after him. But the monster’s mother was near him, helping him to overcome his fears, and reminding him of all the happy things they could do together.

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Dear Parents,

Many young children have different fears, such as a fear of darkness, of being separated from their parents, of insects and animals, or of imaginary creatures. These fears are part of their normal process of growth and adaptation to the constantly occurring changes in their environment, as long as it does not paralyze them or affect their daily activity. By embracing our child and understanding and talking to them about their fears, instead of denying them or mocking them, we, as adults, help the child overcome those fears and pass this stage peacefully.

Family Activities

  • We can talk to our child about the book’s title: What does it mean? We can think together about other verbs that have the same meaning, such as “imagine” or “presume,” to emphasize to the child that these events are only imaginary in the mind of the little monster.
  • We can go over the events that gradually escalate in the monster’s nightmare with our child, and talk with them about other things which we can add to the story that the monster may be afraid of.
  • Writing our own story: We can encourage our child to begin their story with “supposing,” mentioning what might be frightening, and trying to figure out what we can do together to make our child feel safe and have fun. We can also take turns!
  • We can draw our fears on paper, or make them out of paste or clay.
  • After reading the story, we may wish to spend a day with the family at home or outside! Children enjoy choosing the places and activities they love, and this gives them a sense of agency and responsibility. Encourage them to get involved in the planning and preparation. Here we go!
  • The beautiful illustrations of the book won several international awards. The illustrator was able to depict the monster beautifully (which is supposed to be frightening), and he succeeded in conveying, with small details, the atmosphere of a warm relationship between the mother and her child. We can look at the illustrations together and talk about what we like about them.
  • Enjoy your reading and activities!

المربّية العزيزة،

المخاوف جزء طبيعيّ من مسار نموّ الأطفال العاطفي، ما دامت لا تسيطر على الطّفل وتشلّه وتعيق نشاطه اليوميّ. لعلّك تلاحظين أنّ العديد من أطفال البستان يختبرون مخاوف مختلفة، مثل الخوف من الانفصال عن الأهل، أو الخوف من الغرباء والأصوات العالية، وغيرها. إنّ توفير الفسحة والدّعم للطّفل للتعبير عن مخاوفه، وتقبّلها وفهمها هي الخطوة الأولى في مساندة الطفل في التّغلّب عليها، ثمّ مساعدته في استكشاف مجالات نشاطٍ تمنحه الشّعور بالأمان.

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