Best Selling Books by Julia Cook

Norbert feels the full weight of unwanted peer pressure when his friends scream at him to go along with the class. Can he resist and make the choice he should?

I''m a blueloon. I''m supposed to be a regular balloon, but I''m just not having fun like the others. I''m kinda dull, and I''m kinda flat. My string is tied up in knots. I have a case of the blues...that''s why I''m a blueloon. I''ve felt like this for weeks! Meet Blueloon a sad little balloon who is suffering from depression. With help from the wise rock, Blueloon learns what he can do to "bounce back" to being the way he used to be bright, round, and full with a very straight string! Although clinical depression is often thought of as an adult disease, it can affect children, as well. Unfortunately, children may not have the maturity to understand what is happening to them, or they may feel powerless to change their situation, so they don''t speak up about what they are going through. It is up to adults to be on the lookout for signs of trouble, and recognize when a child needs help. Finally! A book on depression that works for Blueloons of all ages!

After much anticipation, Joanie Maloney finally gets her very own cell phone! Knowing that owning a cell phone requires responsibility and sound judgment, Joanie''s mom requires her to complete a Cell Phone Safety Course. "Mom, it''s a phone... it''s not a weapon!" Joanie exclaims. Along with Joanie, children will learn the six rules of cell phone usage which are designed not only to keep them safe, but also to keep them from being tempted to hurt others. By knowing the rules, children can become masters of their cell phones and avoid becoming a "Cell Phoney!"

Why can''t he see what he did to me - to our family? This book takes a unique look at the internal struggles with which a child of an incarcerated parent is faced. My dad says that drugs and alcohol made him choose to do the wrong things. But he could have said no to the drugs and the booze, then my life wouldn''t be what it seems. Why didn''t he love us enough to say no? Aren''t we worth it to him? He had a choice...us or drugs. He chose to let the drugs win. What Do I Say About That? creatively explores and validates the roller coaster journey of emotions that children of incarcerated parents endure. It also gives insight to the process of healing and coping.

"There goes Lester. Watch him fester. His ears start to fizz. He gets mad as a griz. His face turns red. He''s a Soda Pop Head. You just never know when Lester will blow. His cap will go flying. If it hits you, you''ll be crying, so you''d better stay away from Lester today!" His real name is Lester, but everyone calls him "Soda Pop Head." Most of the time he''s pretty happy, but when things seem to be unfair his ears gets hot, his face turns red and he blows his top! Lester''s dad comes to his rescue by teaching him a few techniques to "loosen the top" and cool down before his fizz takes control. Soda Pop Head will help your child control his/her anger while helping them manage stress. It''s a must for the home or classroom.

This quirky tale teaches young readers the difference between nice teasing and mean teasing. Laughing at someone (mean teasing) has a hurtful bite, but laughing with someone (nice teasing) is alright when it''s not done out of spite.

Cora June is back, and this time she’s learning a thing or two about doing the right thing – even when no one is looking! When Cora June half-heartedly cleans her room by taking a shortcut, Mom is quick to ask her about her integrity. Not really knowing what it means, Cora June assumes it’s probably hidden under her bed, or in her closet. She continues to school, where she cheats on a spelling test. “Impossible” is a hard word to spell, can you blame her? During her test, she finds that integrity pops up again. Again, it’s probably under her bed. Right? When Cora June learns what integrity means, she realizes that she can’t find hers! Fortunately, her mom is there to help her put the “I” (the “ME!”) in integrity. Follow Cora June as she learns about her integrity, and see if she can use it to right what she did wrong. Another hit for award-winning author and parenting expert Julia Cook, this book is part of The Leader I’ll Be series and will teach children in grades K through 5 the importance of self-reliance. Integrity is a collection of virtues such as honesty, honor, courage, authenticity, respect, responsibility, and restraint – included at the end of the story are tips for parents and educators to help reinforce these values.

Herman Jiggle feels like he’s different from other kids. His hair is too wild and spikey. His shoes are too slow and clunky. And his teeth don’t even wiggle! He wants to be like everyone else and will try anything to fit in. He will even try taking out his tooth the hard way if it gives him a hole like the ones his friends have. Before he tries changing himself again, can his loving mom teach Hermie how to love and celebrate his own unique spirit and talents?

Bertha Billingsworth (BB for short) is basically a happy person...until she has to take a test. To her, the word test stands for Terrible Every Single Time, because that''s how she does on them...TERRIBLE! "Whenever I see or hear the word test... The hair on the back of my neck stands up. My face turns as red as a beet. I start to sweat, my stomach aches, and I can''t control my feet! What if I get every answer wrong? And I don''t get any right. I just know I''ll get a bad grade on this test, so I don''t even want to try!" BB''s teacher comes to the rescue by inviting her to become a member of the Anti-Test Anxiety Society. She tells BB that TEST stands for Think Each Situation Through! She also ends up teaching BB the Dynamic Dozen (12 amazing test taking strategies), and convinces her to use her "GET TO" brain instead of her "HAVE TO" brain. Now when BB takes a test, she is calm and focused and thanks to her teacher, the Terrible now stands for Terrific!

A storm is brewing... Whenever Levi doesn''t like the truth, he kinda, sorta makes up other stuff to say. One day his mother explains to him that telling lies will damage the trust of his friends and make him very sad. Whenever you tell a lie, your inside sun goes away. Then a lying cloud forms, and glooms up your day. Each time you tell a lie, another cloud starts to form, and before you can stop it from happening, your insides start to storm. This book is a great resource to help children understand not only the consequences of telling a lie, but also how one lie can often lead to telling several more. It will help parents and teachers understand that lying can be a normal and sometimes healthy response for a child and offers tools to help guide children toward truthfulness.

Make Social Skills Learning Fun for Your Students! Help children learn the useful skills of asking for permission and making an apology. The activities and games in this book teach the steps to these skills featured in the Sorry, I Forgot to Ask! Storybook. Author Julia Cook gives teachers creative ideas using paper snowball fights, school litter hunts, role plays, and more. Kids have fun while practicing each skill and learn that there are things you shouldn?t do until you?ve been given permission, and that there is a right and wrong way to say you are sorry. Each activity includes: Instructions for each activity List of materials when needed Activity Sheets Homework ideas More than a dozen activities include reproducible pages and reward coupons in full color that can be used to recognize students who master and use the skills appropriately. Digital forms and worksheets are available to download. Use the creative ideas in this guide to encourage your students in grades K-5 to ask for permission first and make an apology when needed.

Meet Stanley...an energetic three-year-old who has not quite mastered using the potty. Stanley is way too busy playing to stop having fun. He would rather hop, skip and wiggle than get the job done. Then Stanley learns a new game called You and Me Against the PEE...and Me and You Against the POOP! Armed with a powerful secret for potty-training success and eager to play, Stanley proudly transforms into a Potty Expert. This fun and colorfully illustrated book will turn all kids into Potty Experts while providing grown-ups with an important reminder that potty learning can and should be a team effort.

Cletus and Bocephus are back! While working on their science fair project on mealworms, they learn to appreciate and understand each other''s strengths and weaknesses. Creativity needs structure and structure needs creativity...and Cletus and Bocephus BOTH need to know how to plan and prioritize! "You learn from mistakes and use what you learn, so you don''t make those mistakes again. Every time you play a video game, you plan and prioritize to WIN!" This storybook is the second in the Functioning Executive book series. It highlights the importance of planning and prioritizing. It also spotlights the unique differences and strengths that live in all of us. This book will help teach children to determine the necessary steps, in order, towards fulfilling a goal which is a vital executive function skill. Children who possess effective prioritizing skills can learn to manage not only daily responsibilities, but also how to prepare for future success. Planning and prioritizing are two of the most difficult executive function skills for people to master. Planning effectively is the thinking skill that helps an individual develop strategies to accomplish goals. It allows a person to think about completing a task before it is started. Life is all about making choices. Prioritizing effectively helps a person make the best choices possible. Time is a limited commodity. To get the most out of your time and accomplish all that you need to do, you have to be able to plan and prioritize both on a long and short-term basis.

A Book About Good Sportmanship. "But I HATE losing! GEEEEZE!" Wendell HAS to win at everything, and if he doesn''t, he whines about it. When Wendell has one of those days where nothing seems to go his way, his mom helps him understand that everything in life doesn''t have to be a contest and losing does not make you a loser. In fact, it can make you stronger! She also points out that although it feels great to celebrate a win, winning isn''t everything, and whining about things just makes it worse. "Whiners aren''t winners, and winners never whine. You can''t win at everything all of the time!" This creative story addresses two very challenging topics: winning and whining.

Herman Jiggle has something he wants to say. He doesn’t like recess anymore. And it’s NOT because he’s kinda sorta shy. Herman is frustrated because recess isn’t fun when other kids do things that make it not fun. Like, when you play tag, it isn’t supposed to hurt. Or when you play on the playground, you aren’t supposed to wind up getting woodchips dumped on your head. And it isn’t very fair when kids change the rules so that they are the ones who always win. Herman’s caring teacher decides to help all the children understand the importance of following rules and procedures – at recess and other places too. Will Herman see the value in getting fresh air and moving your body? Will he be able to find ways to have fun, not stress, at recess? Awardwinning author, educator, and parenting expert Julia Cook offers a story to which every Prek 5 teacher and student will relate. Remarkable illustrations by New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Michael Garland will capture and keep the reader’s attention.

When faced with danger you must DO something. The teacher at the Ant Hill School wants her students to be prepared - for everything! One day, she teaches her students what to do if a "dangerous someone" is in their school. "I''ll be your shepherd, and you''re all my sheep, so you must do what I say. Pretend there''s a wolf in our building, and we MUST stay out of his way!" "We need a great plan of action in case we start to get scared. The ALICE Plan will work the best, to help us be prepared." Unfortunately, in the world we now live in, we must ask the essential question: What are the options for survival if we find ourselves in a violent intruder event? I''m Not Scared...I''m Prepared! will enhance the ALICE concepts and make them applicable to children of all ages in a non-fearful way. By using this book, children can develop a better understanding of what needs to be done if they ever encounter a "dangerous someone."

Bully B.E.A.N.S. teaches children how to speak up when it comes to bullying. Bullying continues to be an ongoing problem for children everywhere. Children from every race, culture, and socioeconomic group are susceptible to bullies. Most children are unprepared for how to handle it when bullying happens to them or someone they know. Bully B.E.A.N.S. helps children identify bullying, and offers clear and impactful action strategies for both targets and bystanders. Maxine liked to pick on kids... especially Winston. Winston is the smartest kid in our whole school. Maxine made him do all of her homework and give her all of his lunch money. Maxine liked to make Winston cry... then she''d call him a crybaby. "If you don''t do exactly what I tell you to, I''ll knock you into next week!" Nobody liked the way Maxine treated Winston, but we were too afraid to do anything about it. Written by bestselling author Julia Cook, Bully B.E.A.N.S. reminds children of the power of their voice and how to use it effectively when standing up against bullying. Bullies Everywhere Are Now Stopped!

Take the "T" out of "CAN''T" and the "DON''T" out of "I DON''T KNOW!" Learning doesn''t come easy for many children. They struggle with schoolwork, have trouble focusing, and can''t make sense of instructions. Oftentimes, these challenges can cause children to internalize their struggles and question their abilities. In My Fantabulous Brain, Julia Cook helps children understand that everyone needs help sometimes, and there are people who can give us the tools we need to make our brains stronger! Wade doesn''t understand why things like math and spelling seem so easy for other kids but so hard for him. His brain doesn''t seem to work right, and he can''t focus with all the stuff going on in his head. He tries so hard, but feels like he stinks at everything! Just when he is about to give up, Wade''s Fantabulous Brain comes to the rescue. By using tools in his "Brain Tool Box," Wade learns how to give his brain a tune up, making it stronger and more efficient. He also visits a Brain Trainer, a special brain mechanic, who teaches him how to work smarter not harder. With a little time and a lot of hard work, Wade is amazed what he can accomplish when he and his Fantabulous Brain work together!

Embark on a captivating journey through the lens of a young and talented woman photographer as she unveils the untamed creatures of Yellowstone National Park. This stunning collection of wildlife photography is not just a visual feast but an informative guide to the 67 incredible creatures that call Yellowstone home. From the awe-inspiring battles of bighorn sheep to the social dynamics of a wolf pack, Wild Wonders provides you with a comprehensive understanding of, and deeper appreciation for, the wildlife you encounter. Planning a visit to Yellowstone? This book is your ultimate companion, providing insights into where and when to find these animals within the park. Whether it’s the Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley, or the shores of Yellowstone Lake, you’ll be equipped to witness these incredible moments. In addition to having a diversity of small animals, Yellowstone is notable for its predator–prey complex of large mammals, including eight ungulate species and seven large predators. Immerse yourself in the the world of Yellowstone with breathtaking photographs of animals like: Bighorn sheep Bison Elk Moose Mountain goats Mule deer Black and grizzly bears Red foxes Coyotes Pika Beavers And more! Take in the stunning images any time you need to reconnect with nature and experience the beauty of the great outdoors. Or, share the magic of Yellowstone’s wildlife with friends and family—Wild Wonders is a perfect gift for nature lovers, adventure seekers, and national parks enthusiasts.