What to Do When the News Scares You

Short, interactive lessons about media tactics and source reliability are interspersed with exercises to help kids cope with the strong emotions that can accompany exposure to “scary news….” Children are invited to become investigators, with the book providing spaces for them to jot down observations each time they learn a new aspect of reporting, including camera angles, opinions versus facts, and the famous W questions…. From knowledge comes power over emotions. * Kirkus Reviews *This very timely book should prove enormously helpful to parents, teachers, librarians, and especially children. Designed to be shared between a trusted adult and a child, the book deals with topics like identifying and investigating scary news to figure out what’s happening, understanding different types of news, understanding how reporters make news sound more exciting, identifying viewpoints offered, determining the reliability of sources, and asking questions to make sure your ideas are accurate… In these times of climate change, infectious diseases, and political unrest, a book that focuses on helping children deal with their thoughts and feelings about news is welcome and much needed. Though purchasing books with fill-in sections isn’t the norm for libraries, this work’s content and usefulness proves the exception to the rule. * School Library Journal, STARRED review *

Jacqueline B. Toner, PhD is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years in private practice working with children and parents. She earned her PhD from University of Virginia and serves as Chief Facilitator for a medical resources project with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Toner has co-authored books with Claire A. B. Freeland, PhD, including the What to Do Series for Kids as well as Depression: A Teen’s Guide to Survive and Thrive and Yes I Can: A Girl and Her Wheelchair. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Janet McDonnell is a writer and illustrator whose characters populate many books and magazines for children. She has both taught and written for children from preschool to high school. She lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois.