Jocelyn A Drozda

I Don't Want to (But I Will) Jocelyn A Drozda

Meet Xander. He is engaging and curious. He is also not perfectly well-behaved at all times, but carries the innocence of a child learning to navigate life. The resulting mishaps and natural repercussions of Xander's antics lead him to discover better ways of thinking about and responding to the obstacles and events he encounters. The story is told in first-person, with the not so grammatically correct, but fun language of a young child. The colorful text is humorous and recognizable to parents and teachers alike, and does not shy away from larger, interesting words with which our little ones often surprise us. Keen observation of the illustrations will reveal that they, at times, serve to further the story line and add an element of excitement as kids hunt to find Alex, Xander's pet duck, often hidden or strategically placed within them!) The intent of this series is to develop an awareness of how we think about and react to life's situations. This will open doors of conversation with children (and adults alike) to help them recognize and strengthen their mental and emotional processing skills and discover that healthy mindsets can be developed, but also need to be practiced. Consciously choosing how we think about things helps guide our daily decisions and choices in both low and high impact situations. This can lead to positive behavior patterns that improve both our overall mental and emotional health and our interactions with others as we journey life's path. In the book, "I Don't Want to! (but I will)," Xander learns to acknowledge that we don't necessarily have to like doing everything we are responsible to do, but we can choose to do them anyway. In doing so, we continue to grow toward reaching emotional maturity.