Pocketful of Sads

Name: Pocketful of Sads
Author: Brad Davidson

A story that explores friendship and opens a conversation with your child.

★★★★★ Loved by families

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♥ This book teaches: Friendship. showing up for someone else.

Before, During & After Reading

Guiding Questions for Parents.

Definition: A friend is someone you like spending time with because they make you feel happy and special, and help you when you need it. In short: Build bonds that last forever. Summary: “ My heart feels heavy like my pocket’s full of sads,” says Bear to his friend Rabbit. Rabbit tries many different ways to help his friend Bear feel better. He shows Bear advice from the internet, “Five Steps to a Happier You”, and they try all five steps, but nothing works. Finally they give up and just sit and sit and sit. Somehow, that makes Bear feel a lot better. He tells Rabbit that he didn’t have to do anything after all - “I just like having you close.” That was enough! Lesson Objectives:

Young children often find it challenging to work out friendships with their peers and they need encouraging words to help them. This story will give them some ideas about how to help a friend (or anyone) who is sad.

Guiding Questions:

Does Bear ever tell Rabbit why he has a pocketful of sads?
Rabbit wonders why Bear is so sad. What are some of his guesses?
What are some of the things Rabbit does to cheer Bear up?
Why does Rabbit get so discouraged when he tries to cheer Bear up?
At the end of the story, Bear isn’t sad anymore. What happened?
Can you think of one or two things that make you sad? What are they and why do they make you sad?
Do you have a friend who will try to help you when you feel sad? If you don’t, could you ask someone to be a friend when you feel sad?
Do you have a friend that you will help when they feel sad? Who is it? What will you do to cheer them up?
Is it okay to just sit with a friend or family member and do nothing until you feel better, like Bear and Rabbit did?
Have you ever tried some of the things Bear and Rabbit did to make the sad feelings go away, like eating something you really like, exercising, doing some artwork, singing a song, dancing, talking with someone about it, or just sitting with a friend or family member? Next time you feel sad, try one or more of these activities and see if it helps.

🌿 Virtue Connection: Friendship means showing up for someone else, consistently.

About the Story.

This guide is part of the Values & Virtues library, a free collection of 400+ book guides and activities organized around 12 core virtues for children from pre-K to 6th grade. Each guide includes Guiding Questions designed to open a real conversation with your child in 10 minutes or less.

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Friendship · Family Discussion Guide

Pocketful of Sads

by Brad Davidson

Guiding Questions

Young children often find it challenging to work out friendships with their peers and they need encouraging words to help them. This story will give them some ideas about how to help a friend (or anyone) who is sad.

Guiding Questions:

Does Bear ever tell Rabbit why he has a pocketful of sads?
Rabbit wonders why Bear is so sad. What are some of his guesses?
What are some of the things Rabbit does to cheer Bear up?
Why does Rabbit get so discouraged when he tries to cheer Bear up?
At the end of the story, Bear isn’t sad anymore. What happened?
Can you think of one or two things that make you sad? What are they and why do they make you sad?
Do you have a friend who will try to help you when you feel sad? If you don’t, could you ask someone to be a friend when you feel sad?
Do you have a friend that you will help when they feel sad? Who is it? What will you do to cheer them up?
Is it okay to just sit with a friend or family member and do nothing until you feel better, like Bear and Rabbit did?
Have you ever tried some of the things Bear and Rabbit did to make the sad feelings go away, like eating something you really like, exercising, doing some artwork, singing a song, dancing, talking with someone about it, or just sitting with a friend or family member? Next time you feel sad, try one or more of these activities and see if it helps.

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Pocketful of Sads

Guiding Questions for Parents.

About the Story.

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Pocketful of Sads

Guiding Questions