About the Book
I Am Pawso is the purrfect book for children, showing them how to use their inner resources and talents to reason and make choices that will turn their frown into a grin. Adults love that their children become confident and capable of navigating a stressful world.
Through photographs of Pawso the cat, colorful illustrations, and a rhyming story line, Pawso takes children and adults, too, through daily life activities that stress him and make him question his self-worth. Pawso's feelings overwhelm him when everywhere he goes no one can say his name right. Sometimes Pawso is the victim of bullying and peer pressure, other times he is misunderstood. At first he wants to argue, claw, and hide until he learns how to care for his feelings inside. With every challenge, Pawso shows how our minds and bodies are connected. Every stressful situation provides an opportunity to build resources, learn, trust, and grow. As Pawso realizes he can reframe a negative situation using his mind and body, he feels empowered that he can turn a bad situation into a better one!
Recommended by a Psychotherapist and written with parents, teachers, therapists, and caregivers in mind
The key to building resilience is understanding how to use our strengths and inner powers to calm down, expanding our view, and learning how to feel in control even when the rest of the world is not.
I Am Pawso is a collection of easy-to-understand Pawso Practices that expand children's coping skills, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, self-esteem, social skills, and mind-body connection.
Relationships: Pawso meets cats along the way who teach him about diversity, friendship, communication, kindness, forgiveness, acceptance, and being open-minded
But for a moment, my mind starts to churn. I can change my thoughts with a shake and a turn!
Use of Mantras/Repetition: A fun mantra and verse teaches kids new habits through reminders and behavioral reinforcements. Pawso encourages children to create their unique shake n' turn activities to calm down and empowers them to use positive thinking and make healthy choices
Social-emotional learning: Building self-Awareness, social-Awareness, and relationships. Pawso models how to stop, reflect, take personal responsibility, evaluate choices, and influence goals. Through insight and empathy, Pawso improves his social skills
Mind-Body Integration: Pawso connects his thoughts and feelings to movement. As he rewires his thinking, he relaxes and regains control
Mindfulness: Problem solving by noticing body signals. Pawso reinforces neural pathways by practicing and attuning to how choices affect his mind and body
Emotional Intelligence: Pawso teaches self-regulation skills making kids adaptable and self-reliant. His mistakes grow his empathy and help him understand different perspectives
Self-Talk: Positive affirmations affect feelings & behavior
Strength-Based Resourcing: Discover how to use gifts and talents to cope with stress.
Vocabulary: Choose language that encourages self-advocacy
More Topics: Diversity; Bullying; Safety; Peer Pressure; Boundaries; Self-reliance; Kindness; Gratitude; Communication; Assertiveness; Self-Care; Values; Imagination; Play; Problem Solving
Early intervention is key. When we teach Pawso Practices, we lay a foundation for lifelong resilience
www.CaseyHersch.com
About the Author :
Casey Hersch, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker, animal rescuer, and health journalist. She uses holistic and resilience-based models to help children and families cope with trauma, stress, and illness. She lives in California with her husband, Scott, and cats Pawso and Samba. For more information visit www.CaseyHersch.com Scott Hersch is a licensed general contractor, guitar builder, artist, and illustrator. While working for Paramount studios, he built custom projects for actors such as Johnny Depp and Kevin Costner. The windows with which tourists marvel in the Las Vegas New York, New York resort Scott Hersch built. When he is not serving his loyal community with household repairs, he builds amazing cat trees and towers for his rescue cats, Pawso and Samba.
Review :
Pawso tells the story of a young cat with a name that people often mistake. Pawso first reacts with hurt and anger, then he invokes a reframing technique to shift his mood and find a positive meaning for each misnaming. The humor, pacing, and narrative structure make the story enjoyable, and the illustrations are a bright, distinctive style. But Pawso's trick for reframing is the key takeaway, making the story useful for readers who need to learn how to shift out of negative feelings. It also gives readers tools for standing up for themselves. Casey Hersch brings her long experience in counseling, her lyrical skill, and her love of her own cat Pawso to each page. Pawso is reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin's Catwings in drawing the reader in while gently relaying valuable lessons -Amy Clarke, PhD; UC Davis: Award winning emerita faculty of literature and writing; Designer of an award-winning course in children's literature;
I Am Pawso follows a thoughtful cat as he faces life challenges. While children will enjoy the colorful pages filled with pictures of real cats and rhyming words, parents and teachers will appreciate the option of reading it aloud for fun or using it as a tool to talk about hard situations, big feelings, and strategies children can use to get through tough times. I Am Pawso encourages all of us to think about how we can face our problems in positive ways. -Lindsey Nenadal, PhD; CSU, Chico Assistant Professor in Child Development;
Weekly research shows the relationship between stress and wellbeing. The challenge is converting science in a way that is accessible to young people who struggle with anxiety and stress. Casey Hersch uses engaging storytelling featuring a foster cat named Pawso and colorful illustrations to highlight basic stress management principles for children aged 3-10, their caregivers, and teachers as they navigate the rocky road of challenges and threats that interfere with becoming a resilient young person. This book is a playful and useful educational resource for understanding the different aspects of anxiety - physical sensation, behaviors, thoughts -- and tools to offset it. Providers will find it a useful starting point for engaging youngsters seeking help but struggling to articulate the complexity of their problems or their impact-Jeffrey Lackner, PhD; University at Buffalo Professor and Chief; Division of Behavioral Medicine;
Children are flooded with fast paced images. I Am Pawso provides an opportunity for children to slow down and reflect, allowing a starting point to explore emotional development skills. I Am Pawso highlights the types of concerns children face: name calling, teasing, not being heard, and being misunderstood. This book not only provides examples of how it is ok to be scared or mad, and that we all have strong emotions, it also shows the rewards of facing fears and how to be mad without lashing out. I Am Pawso emphasizes how children have the ability to learn how to change how they think to successfully handle a situation. These skills empower children by teaching them to build confidence to face challenges and thereby grow into healthy and flexible individuals----Christopher Radziwon, PhD. University at Buffalo Research Assistant Professor of Medicine; Licensed Psychologist; Certified School Counselor.
