Speak Up, Wonder Pup: A Kid's Guide to Standing Up for Yourself (Self-Regulation Series)

If you want to teach your children how to stand up for themselves with confidence, this is the book for you! What a great teaching tool that clearly outlines 3 simple steps to learning what is called the "I Message". On top of that, the book touches on eye contact, body language and voice volume which is a great jumping off point to teaching these skills.My almost 4-year old son enjoyed the rhyming, colourful illustrations, and of course the silly parts (like when Zane farts in class and blames his brother and when another dog sniffs his bum). I love how the book shows two wrong ways to use the "I Message" (too shy and too aggressive) and then the right way (with assertiveness).There are also teachable moments in the book that can be expanded on if the adult wants to. For example, the mention of adoption. I shared this book with a family who has two adoptive children, and she said the children LOVE this book because they too came from different homes and "they are now where they belong". There's also the mention of private parts in one of the scenes. That gave me the opportunity to talk to my son about what private parts are and how in the book it is silly because they are dogs - and in real life it is extra important to use the "I Message" if this situation were ever to come up (and to tell an adult).Since reading the book, the "I Message" has become common language in our home. My son didn't start using it RIGHT away, but after modelling (saying it out loud to my husband and son) and reading the book over and over (because he keeps asking for it) he is catching on! I predict that once he starts Kindergarten he will have the words to stand up for himself with confidence!I can't wait to see what comes up next in this series!

I bought the 3 books for my great niece. She absolutely loves them. They are easy to follow and she has absorbed the material because of the easy to follow delivery of the context. She loves the images. She often has one of three books with her.

I am an elementary teacher, and my students and I read this book together in class. It was a big hit with my students! They fell in love with the characters and the story. They enjoyed learning how to use the "I message" to stand up for themselves and to speak up when something is wrong. This book has such a powerful message and valuable strategies. It is especially helpful to my students who usually struggle with speaking up. Equipping them with the language to do so and presenting it in a kid-friendly, engaging story worked incredibly well in my classroom. I am extremely grateful to have come across this book and highly recommend it to all educators and families!

My kiddo was lost on what to say or do when it came to standing up for herself. I'm trying to teach her how to handle these things better than I have in my own life, so I went searching and found this. It does a great job of providing a format for the kid to use in order to craft their own response to bullies or unwelcomed attention. My girl was so proud of herself the first time she stood up for herself - she came running to tell me all about it. Definitely recommend this book.

Great book for teaching little ones confidence and the ability to stand up for themselves! In a world where children can be mean to one another it is Imperative we equip them with the proper tools to stand up for themselves. This book is one of the tools! Read daily. Have them practice the steps out loud to you to familiarize them with how to handle the situation. We love this book!

My 6 year old daughter loves this book! Perfect reading and comprehension level for her. The storyline is relatable to situations she has already had to deal with in kindergarten, and it’s a nice way to teach how to handle herself. It’s our go-to bedtime story right now!

Wonderfully and thoughtfully written about a topic kids need to learn about. I could see this in every classroom but especially in the younger grades as kids are just beginning to navigate this uncertain and unpredictable social world. This is a resource that is much needed!!

I purchased this book hoping to help my son find a good way to speak up and share how he is feeling. He also loves dogs, so I took a gamble. It wasn't the right fit for our needs.I read it as soon as it arrived because I wasn't sure of the context. It is very colorful, with fun ilistrations. The wording is fine.As a dog owner, I could read this book and chuckle because of some of the dog specific situations. Nevertheless, my intent is to read this to my son.I was disappointed when I came across the page that said in an Angry voice "Don't sniff my private parts!" Funny as a dog owner because they do that; however, I failed to see the relatability from a child's perspective on the playground. Furthermore, when the dog was corrected for saying that agrily, I had to disagree. If my child is being "sniffed" or touched on those areas, he has every right to say it angry and loud. My son would take this literally, in the sense that there was a right way to verbalize himself in even this situation, which to me is a very serious one.The remainder of the book is about him learning to say "please stop" in a calm loud voice, with eye contact and body language. The other situations include teasing and bullying. As a side note, it doesn't really go into what the correct body language is.I think there are certain situations and particular families where this could be a good fit. The general message is good, so are the 3 steps. I felt it needed further explanation for a child to understand. But for some it could open the door for discussion.

Bought this to read to my children to help ensure that they know how and when to stand up for themselves/ speak up.I wish my parents had done the same for me when I was a child!Highly recommend.

I had the pleasure of reading this book with my grade 1 students today for the first time and they loved it! We had a fantastic conversation throughout the book about how they may have responded to their friends just as Zane did and how with practice, they too can stand up and use the "I message" effectively. I could see in all my students eyes that they could relate to Zane as they might have responded poorly to their peers when they asked them to stop doing something. My students loved the humour in the book such as when Zane puked on Drapers head, passed gas and the butt sniffing! They loved how Draper was the teacher too! They were so proud of Zane! I can not recommend this book enough in an Elementary classroom! I am excited to start the new year in September with my grade 1 students and teach them through this book all about self regulation. This book needs to be in every school, library and bookstore!

Amazing book. I'm so excited and inspired to implement the "I message" into our family culture. This is a must have for all parents and teachers.

The students in my class loved this book. The story is written in an engaging and sometimes humor tone. Using an I-message is such an important skill and I love that this book explains it so clearly. I also appreciate that this book talks about the importance of being assertive and not aggressive when using an I-message.The illustrations are great and I highly recommend this book!

When I bought this book for my daughter, I immediately told her preschool about this book as a recommendation, but they had already heard of it and had it on order! That shows its popularity and usefulness. We have read this book many times and my daughter practices what this book teaches in 'real life'. Even last night at bedtime, she was telling me about an incident at school and what her response was. She implemented the Speak up lesson that is taught in this book by saying, "Name, I don't like it when you pinch me. Stop." I love that this book teaches you to stand up for yourself in a way that is assertive, but does not use further bad behavior in doing so. These really are examples for adults too...correcting behavior in a simple and direct approach. Thanks Angela!