Books published by publisher Magination Press

Neon Words is a book that will illuminate the writer in you. By using the tools and activities here, you’ll connect the word-organizing part of your brain with your free-ranging imagination—and you’ll love what you’ve captured on the page! It’s an exciting, confidence-boosting, and deeply satisfying experience. Whether you want to be a writer, or just want to explore what it’s like to create with language, you’ll discover that playing with words can help you be more present in your life and, best of all, it’s lots of fun. Who knew writing could be so enlightening?

Pig was having a feel-good kind of day. Pig was just hanging around, thinking about his favorite things. Sunshine, rainbows, and the feel of cool mud on a hot summer day. Then out of the blue came a Pesky Fly, That Pesky Fly buzzed around Pig’s nose. He buzzed around Pig’s ears. Suddenly Pig’s peaceful, feel-good day wasn’t so peaceful anymore. Pig needs to figure out the best way to handle it, instead of yelling or swatting… that wouldn’t be kind! Fly needs to figure out how to better interact with his friends and respect Pig’s space, and decides Pig is a good friend to have! Pig and Fly work through their problem and move on to having a feel-good day…together! Includes a Note to Parents, Caregivers, and Professionals with more information on helping children deal with frustration and build positive relationships.

Chicago Public Library's 2017 Best of the Best Books List for Teen Nonfiction! Welcoming and inclusive of all self-identified girls, GIRL: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You is an uncensored, unbiased, and fantastically relevant guide, jam-packed with what you want and need to know. A growing-up guide for the 21st century, GIRL covers what everyone is talking about—healthy sexuality, loving relationships, and gender fluidity, as well as thornier subjects such as STIs, consent, and sexual assault. Plus you’ll find self-reflection quizzes, cool resources, and must-read real-life stories from girls like you! From the Introduction:The language around sex and sexuality is so important. There are a lot of words, from anatomy to psychology to culturally evolving words. If you don’t know the definition of a word, don’t let this intimidate you. Many of the chapters start with defining words that are important to that particular topic; if you come across a word that you don’t know that isn’t defined in the book, just do a quick Internet search for it. The language around sexuality, particularly as it applies to identity, is changing quickly. If there are words about identity that feel outdated, replace them with words that resonate for you.

A NEW YORK TIMES AND #1 INDIEBOUND BEST SELLER A Little Free Library Action Book Club Selection National Parenting Product Award Winner (NAPPA)Emma and Josh heard that something happened in their town. A Black man was shot by the police."Why did the police shoot that man?""Can police go to jail?"Something Happened in Our Town follows two families — one White, one Black — as they discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children's questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives. Includes an extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers with guidelines for discussing race and racism with children, child-friendly definitions, and sample dialogues. Free, downloadable educator materials (including discussion questions) are available at www.apa.org. From the Note to Parents and Caregivers:There are many benefits of beginning to discuss racial bias and injustice with young children of all races and ethnicities:Research has shown that children even as young as three years of age notice and comment on differences in skin color.Humans of all ages tend to ascribe positive qualities to the group that they belong to and negative qualities to other groups.Despite some parents’ attempts to protect their children from frightening media content, children often become aware of incidents of community violence, including police shootings.Parents who don’t proactively talk about racial issues with their children are inadvertently teaching their children that race is a taboo topic. Parents who want to raise children to accept individuals from diverse cultures need to counter negative attitudes that their children develop from exposure to the negative racial stereotypes that persist in our society.

Sherman Smith saw the most terrible thing happen. At first he tried to forget about it, but soon something inside him started to bother him. He felt nervous for no reason. Sometimes his stomach hurt. He had bad dreams. And he started to feel angry and do mean things, which got him in trouble. Then he met Ms. Maple, who helped him talk about the terrible thing that he had tried to forget. Now Sherman is feeling much better. Children who have witnessed violence or other traumatic incidents are at surprisingly greater risk for committing violence in the future than are children who have actually been involved in such events. The event might be a car accident, domestic or school violence, suicide, or a natural disaster such as a tornado, flood, or fire. Regardless of the type of incident, child witnesses often react by trying to forget or ignore the experience. When their feelings are pushed underground in this manner, these children may begin to feel bad in ways they don’t understand, and become angry as a result of feeling bad. It is this anger that can give way to violence. Caring adults can make all the difference by helping children talk about and understand the experience. This gently told and tenderly illustrated story is for children who have witnessed any kind of violent or traumatic episode, including physical abuse, school or gang violence, accidents, homicide, suicide, and natural disasters such as floods or fire. An afterword by Sasha J. Mudlaff written for parents and other caregivers offers extensive suggestions for helping traumatized children, including a list of other sources that focus on specific events.

Before you were born, I imagined touching you, holding you, kissing you. You were born early, and right then—at that very moment—I wanted to touch you, to hold you, to kiss you. But I learned that both of us needed to wait. So as we wait, here’s what I’ll try. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) isn’t what you expected and neither are the doctors, nurses, and machines that are now part of your baby’s life. But look around. Everything you see—from the doctors and nurses to the machines that beep and hum—is there to help your child. These moments are yours to share and experience. Reading and talking to your baby about where you are and what you see will help your family be together and connect, and may even make the NICU feel a little less overwhelming. The Moment You Were Born is a gentle and soothing story for you and your baby as you share moments in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Includes a "Note to Parents and Caregivers" with more ideas about sharing the NICU experience and staying close to your baby.

Sometimes kids use hurtful or ugly words to put down other kids, whether they mean to insult or are just going along with the group. These hurtful words often carry a deeper meaning that many children aren t aware of. Ouch Moments shows kids who is affected by these words: the target, the mean kid, and bystanders. Includes a "Note to Parents and Caregivers."

Healing Days is a sensitive and reassuring story intended for children who have experienced trauma and covers the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that many kids have after a bad and scary thing happens. A useful book to read with a parent or therapist, Healing Days emphasizes that children are not to blame for what happened, and that they can get help and look forward to a happy future. Kids will begin to understand their response to the trauma and learn some strategies for feeling safer, more relaxed, and more confident.

Fitting in to school and social life can be the single most challenging task when you have Asperger's syndrome Asperger's Rules! can help.Packed full of information, this book covers common school situations and the uncommon challenges that they can present to a child with Asperger's. Kids will find the how-to for understanding and communicating with peers and teachers, standing up for and taking care of themselves, setting realistic goals, and making friends.Asperger's Rules! belongs in the backpack of every kid with Asperger's and is an essential resource for getting the most out of middle school.

Meet Jetty. She is just starting fourth grade. Jetty likes: karate, cartwheels, reading, and cookie dough ice cream. Jetty dislikes: girlie girls, anything pink, and writing in complete sentences!Jetty writes about these things as well as her recent ADHD diagnosis in her diary. Although starting fourth grade with ADHD is tough with new rules, more schoolwork, and new classmates Jetty is able to see the bright side as she works with her parents, teacher, and doctor to find a happy medium where she can feel like herself!

Gold Medal,2018 IPPY Awards Silver medal, 2017 Foreword INDIES Awards *“Pitman does an excellent job of making complex topics understandable and relatable while providing tips on actions people can take to bring more equality to the world. A great purchase for both public and high school libraries.” —School Library Journal Starred Review Dive into Feminism From A to Z for an accessible primer on history, current events, and essential issues through the lens of feminist theory and perspective. Not only will you learn something about yourself, your community, your people, and your world, you will discover kick-ass call-to-action suggestions and resources to take your feminism to a higher level!A book for all teens — no matter what gender you are — about feminism: what it is, what it means, and how to do it...from A to Z. Written by the author of the Stonewall Award-winning book, This Day in June, Feminism From A to Z is an alphabetical primer on feminism for teen girls. Each chapter examines a topic that offers call-to-action exercises incorporated into each lesson. Includes an introduction to readers on how to use the book and an alphabetical list of ways to take feminist action. From the introduction:So many girls and women don’t have easy access to the tools of feminism. In fact, if we learn about feminism at all, it probably won’t be until after we finish high school. And that is a shame. Imagine how different life would be if, at the age of 13 and suddenly faced with casual sexism for the first time, you had a strong grasp of feminist principles and a hefty feminist toolbox at your fingertips? Let’s be more specific. Here are some situations where feminism can be really helpful:If you’ve ever felt “fat.”If you’ve ever been pressured to do something you didn’t want to do, or that went against your values.If you’ve ever been afraid to speak up.If you’ve ever been bullied—or been a bully.If your confidence has ever felt shaky.If you’ve ever felt unwelcome because of who you are.Feminism can help you navigate all of these scenarios—and then some. That’s why I wrote this book. Because I believe that feminism will change your life.

The games, puzzles, activities, articles, and resources in this exciting collection from the newsletter BRAKES offer more than 50 ways for kids to handle the challenges of ADHD. Along with practical tips for solving problems and getting organized, boys and girls can also read about real kids like themselves. And they can discover a wealth of ideas that make life more manageable—and more fun! From the Introduction:Welcome to 50 Activities and Games for Kids with ADHD! This book is a treasure trove of activities and information for kids with attentional disorders who are between the ages of 8 and 13. Originally published in our newsletter Brakes, we felt they were just too good to keep to ourselves! The more than fifty information-packed feature articles, games, puzzles, and letters from real kids offer the helpful suggestions and solutions to everyday problems involving homework, getting along with others, and becoming better organized. Kids, teachers, counselors, and other professionals all share their great ideas in five subject areas: school, sports and recreation, friends, feelings, and families. Enjoy these pages in any order you like. If you're working with a counselor or in a group, you might like to do some of the activities together. No matter how you used this book, you'll learn a lot about yourself and about how to make the most of your many talents and abilities—while having fun! We hope you'll find many new ideas and helpful hints to make life go more smoothly.