Harrison P. Spader, Personal Space Invader

by Christianne C. Jones, Cale Atkinson (Illustrator)

Overview

Harrison P. Spader sat a little too close. Shook hands a little too long. High-fived a little too hard. And hugged a little too much. Harrison P. Spader was a personal space invader. But that all changes when he learns the Space Saver rhyme: Arms out front, then out real wide. Now place your arms back by your sides. Author Christianne Jones uses humor and relatable situations to teach early learners about self awareness. This entertaining picture book in the Little Boost series will tackle a much-needed topic for teachers, parents, and librarians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781515827238
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	08/01/2018
Series:	Little Boost Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Christianne Jones is an award-winning author of books for younger children. Her picture bookLacey Walker, Nonstop Talkerwon a 2013 Gelett Burgess Award and was a Midwest Book Award finalist, and Hello, Goodbye, and a Very Little Lie was listed as one of the 100 best children's books by popular parenting site babble.com. Christianne lives in Mankato, Minnesota, with her husband and three daughters.

Interviews

* Addition to Little Boost, a set focusing on social skills for our youngest readers * Perfect readaloud

Editorial Reviews

2018-05-23
Harrison P. Spader, a pale-green hippopotamus, has personal-space issues.Harrison has a very poor sense of just how close he should come to all of his friends, among them, a dog, a rabbit, a bear, and a moose. Lively illustrations and a couple of sentences of text per page neatly summarize his issues; he doesn't just sit too close, but also hugs too much, high-fives too hard, and shakes hands too long. Facial expressions clearly depict his victims' dismay and his innocent, exuberant misapprehension. His parents finally provide him with some tips for determining how close he ought to stand to his friends (although they don't ever address his other problems, such as the high-fiving and hand shaking). Although didactic by intention, this effort is easy to digest. Atkinson's illustrations display just enough hyperbole to be funny, and Jones' text captures Harrison's common-enough problem without mocking his youthful enthusiasm for personal contact. The solution Harrison's father offers, "the Space Saver," involves Harrison's defining that nebulous concept of appropriate space by standing "Arms out front then out real wide." Although this movement does create a socially acceptable space, it could get little children into a bit of trouble if an area is too crowded (just as Harrison discovers).Altogether a useful and attractive story with an often needed lesson. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

This book has been an absolute life saver this school year. We have had to do so many extra social skills lessons on personal space with our kindergarten kiddos. This was definitely a favorite and has such great concrete examples. . . .we are also now able to remind kids to not be "space invaders" thanks to the language in the story. I highly recommend this one!

Books That Heal Kids

Whether or not young readers actually recognize and apply the book's "lesson", Harrison P. Spader, Personal Space Invader is still a fun read, one greatly enhanced by Atkinson's cartoon-like illustrations.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials