Positive Choices -

THE POWER OF THE WORD - The Island Of Empathy by Suzy Liebermann- Children's Ebook Review

I love the series of Hugo the Starfish. When I worked in the school system as a social worker I scoured the world for educational materials that would engage the children with thoughts of how their actions affected others.   This book has delightful colorful images of the ocean and the islands.  There are so many ways to present this book as a group or one on one. The discussion prompts are excellent.  Ms. Liebermann has an exceptional ability to relate to youth. 

Hugo learns that words can hurt because they pierce his skin with pointed arrows and those were the words he used against another that came back to hurt him. Likewise, when he used kind words they came back to him as kind words.

Here is a brief product description by Ms. Liebermann:

On the ISLAND OF EMPATHY Hugo learns about the power words can have and the fact that if he has nothing good to say he is better off not to say anything. Words are like arrows, once you let them go you cannot take them back and depending on how you use them they can hurt.

Hugo is a little starfish whose home is at the bottom of the wide ocean. He longs to visit the real world, and one day he decides to go and find it. Hugo's journey to happiness isn't quite as straightforward as he hopes though. He is sent to a series of different islands where he is taught important character lessons.

By the end of his journey, Hugo has visited fourteen islands, made many more friends, and, most importantly, learned how to be a better starfish.