My new children’s book

The Scruffy Dingo – Patricia Barden

 

A captivating Australian story about a dingo who is bullied by other pups in the pack for having a scruffy coat. Scruffy the Dingo is hurt by this behaviour and retaliates by chasing the other pups away from him. Whilst this seems like a solution for a period of time, one night he feels very lonely and sad, although he is surrounded by his pack. They are not kind and do not make him feel happy or loved, so he chooses to leave and go on an adventure of his own.

 

Scruffy goes on a long journey talking to many other inquisitive Australian animals about his pack, the animals provide him with advice along the way. Scruffy comes to a decision that he wants to return to his pack and that this time he is going to tell them how they made him feel.

 

Self-confidence and a strong understanding of the characteristics of a healthy relationship is vital in the growth of a resilient child. Children are often spoken to about bullying behaviour; and provided with advice on who to tell or to walk away.

However, we often miss out on the discussion about, how it could make them feel, maybe the child will be hurt, angry, sad, confused, embarrassed and/or frustrated, these emotions can often lead to retaliation. This retaliation can quickly be labelled as the bullying behaviour and the child is left feeling misunderstood and isolated. Without any solutions on how to move forward this relationship can be harmful for all children involved.

 

My new children’s book titled ‘The Scruffy Dingo’ is an early intervention resource written to develop children’s social skills, and to help parents and teachers support children to make good decisions when socialising with others.

 

There are various contexts in which undesirable behaviour can be displayed and if left unmanaged, can potentially be very harmful to young developing minds.

It is important to understand that conflict is a part of learning to socially interact with others, to either gain attention, to gain peer acceptance or to gain a desired outcome. We need to support children to manage their own behaviour, communicate their feelings and create opportunities for apologies.

 

The Scruffy Dingo is an engaging story that will support children to see the above principles applied in a story. It is a great opportunity to have children reflect on situations that they have seen or been a part of.

 

Asking them questions such as:

-       How do you think Scruffy felt when he was being teased?

-       How do you think the pups felt when they were being chased?

-       Why did he feel lonely when all of his pack was right there with him?

-       Why do you think he wanted to go back to his pack?

-       What could the pack do differently next time?

-       What could Scruffy do differently next time?

-       What does a healthy relationship look like to you?

-       What does an un-healthy relationship look like to you?

 

These types of questions will provoke conversations that will create reflective learnings for the child, and hopefully inform their choices when in or bearing witness to a bullying situation in the future.  

  

I hope children enjoy reading the story and learn the importance of treating others with respect and kindness.

 

 

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