Turning Cartwheels: When Trying to Fit in Leaves You in a Spin

Description

Turning Cartwheels tells the story of Emma's desperation to join queen bee Carly's Cartwheel Club, who show off their acrobatic tricks in the playground at lunchtime. Week after week Emma lines up for a try-out, only to be told by Carly that she hasn't made the cut. When Emma is finally accepted, she finds that Carly's rules and requirements take all the joy out of cartwheeling, and that being part of the gang isn't as awesome as she expected. The book explores themes of determination, persistence and self-confidence, but has a central focus on bullying - in particular, the subtle, underhanded social bullying often experienced by primary school-aged girls. The character of Carly represents the 'frenemy' that many young girls encounter - a strong, popular girl who seems to be their friend, but whose behaviour is often actually manipulative and mean. While girls often gravitate towards 'frenemies', preferring to stay on their good side and remain part of their social group, Turning Cartwheels introduces the idea that there are alternatives, and that children should choose their friends based on kindness, and having fun together. A sensitive and compassionate guide to finding true friendship, this story will help any young person struggling to find friends who make them feel like they belong.

Amy Adeney is a teacher with a special interest in Literacy education in the early years. She writes books, hosts Storytime and runs workshops as part of her mission to inspire in children a love of reading. Amy Calautti loved to draw from a young age and often made up games based around drawing to entertain her younger brother and cousins. Amy now lives with her small tribe of humans who inspire her every day.

"An empowering story about finding yourself and encouraging others to do the same." -- Sunday Telegraph 'she decides to create a Club of her own, the Can-Do Club, a place where everybody not only belongs, but also gets a voice and choices of their own. Now doesn't THAT have your heart doing cartwheels?' -- Barbara, Corner on Character "Emma is desperate to join Carly's Cartwheel Club, who show off their acrobatic tricks in the playground at lunchtime. But when Emma is finally accepted, she finds that being part of the gang isn't as awesome as she expected." -- Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators "A pleasantly illustrated, hard cover picture book to read with ages 6+." -- School Days Magazine "A story with a warm heart, with illustrations to make you giggle, with challenge, with friends and with an important message. Be yourself." -- Louise Ellis-Barrett, Armadillo Magazine "This is an energetic story about choices and not staying in situations that don't work for you." -- Buzz Words "An excellent addition to your collection and lessons about what friendship and bullying is, taking the reader into the realm of how friendships change as children get older." -- The Bottom Shelf "A sweet book with colourful and animated illustration about how exhausting it can be trying to fit in and the joy of being and individual." -- Dr Tanya McDonnaugh founder of TMC Psychology writing for Motherdom "Many children yearn to belong to a group, to show their friends that they too are capable and worthy. This little story touches on many themes in a light-hearted way and can lead to insightful discussions about the perils and benefits of being in a group." -- Reading Time "Sadly bullying, cliques and fitting in are perennial issues for kids and they seem to be taking hold at an increasingly young age. This charming read will be accessible to young kids (early primary) and help them navigate this often thorny problem ... I can see it inspiring young kids to start their own Can Do Clubs. This would be a great resource in the classroom as well. Highly recommended." -- Heather Gallagher, GoodReads "A wonderful story about finding your own strength, stepping away from those who make you feel bad, or put you down, and making goods things happen yourself." -- What Book Next? A book about trying to fit in and find belonging and acceptance into the school group. I suggest this book is helpful for primary and intermediate aged school children who are struggling to find a group of friends where they fit in and belong, who need the encouragement to discover their own identity, strengths and to take the initiative to find ways to meet their needs free from peer pressure. -- Hazel Prickett * New Zealand Association of Counsellors magazine * "Turning Cartwheels is a wonderful way of showing children alternative ways to solve problems" -- Blue Wolf Reviews "Turning Cartwheels is an excellent book to read to school aged children to start a discussion on how to be more inclusive of everyone despite their differences in abilities." -- Educate. Empower. "Turning Cartwheels is an excellent story for exploring the desire to belong and the subtle bulling and exclusion children can feel. I can envisage it being used to discuss how children treat one another in the playground." -- Linda's Book Bag This book, as you'll have gathered, covers the issues of social bullying, peer pressure, manipulative behaviour, and what real friendship is (and is not). It will be a great resource for both schools and homes, especially useful when discussing navigating the social terrain of school. It shows the value of resilience and emphasises that we can make our own personal decisions about how we act in society. * Kids Books NZ *