This month at MCL, we’ll be highlighting some resources to promote families’ emotional and mental well-being. Today, we’d like to introduce you to our new, easy-to-use directory of Conversation Sparks books. These books deal with various topics that can be hard to talk about with children – topics like divorce, grief, hospitalization, moving, and so much more.

In Manheim Community Library’s Parenting Section, you may have already noticed a shelf labeled “Conversation Sparks.” To go along with this collection, we’ve added a laminated topical directory which includes some books from the Parenting Collection, as well as some books that can be found in the EZ Readers and Picture Book bins. We hope this directory will be a valuable, easy-to-use resource for families!

Adoption                                        Financial Difficulties  

Anger                                              Gender Identity  

Anxiety/Worry/Fears             Hospitalization/Serious Illness  

Bullies                                            Moving 

Death and Grief                         New Baby 

Divorce/ Separation                Avoiding Sexual Predators 

Disabilities/Differences        Trauma  

When young children are going through a new or difficult experience, books help them to identify and name their emotions, to see their own experience and feelings reflected on the page, and to know they are not alone. These books will also pave the way for conversations you can have with your child about how you are both feeling as you work through a challenging experience, and many come with discussion questions, prompts, and further resources.

If you need further resources or assistance, we’ll be happy to help!