Over thirty years ago, Pat Palmer and Louise Hart met at their first graduate school class in Greeley, Colorado. At the time, Pat was the founder and director of the Assertiveness Training Institute of Denver; Louise was a “displaced homemaker” pursuing a career. Pat’s penchant for speaking her mind came as a shock to Louise, who had never before met an assertive woman. Pat took her under her wing, and gave her a scholarship; it changed her life.
Pat’s dissertation, on teaching assertiveness from an early age, was published as two children’s books—Liking Myself, and The Mouse, the Monster and Me—that became international bestsellers in six languages.  They were hand lettered, uniquely designed, and charmingly illustrated on traditional elementary school paper. Then, ten years ago, these powerfully written favorites went out of print in the U.S. Many were upset that these beloved books were no longer available for children and grandchildren, students and clients.
Now, Dr. Louise Hart is republishing Dr. Pat Palmer’s two important books. If you follow me you will know that each of my kids have VERY different personalities and my approach for one child don’t work with the others.  Jasmine My Middle child is truly is dealing with the middle child syndrome. A few weeks ago we got to review 2 great children books. I really had to beg her to read them but when we actually read them together she loved them and so did I.
The first book was Liking Myself. This book offers advice on how to handle oneself when feeling depressed, upset, or overwhelmed. Topics include: liking yourself, feeling talk, allowing, letting go, and body talk. This was the perfect book at the perfect time! Jasmine will be 10 March the 20th and we are dealing with a lot of these issues right now. I have recommend it to everyone I know that has young children who are dealing with low self-esteems and I have found that they are more 10 years old dealing with this then I thought. I even let the Jasmine’s teacher read it to her class and she was even impressed.
The second book was The Mouse, the Monster and Me.  This book is meant for readers ages 8 and up, teaches healthy, non-violent conflict management skills that are more vital than ever in today’s increasingly interdependent society. This was another book that came in perfect timing! We are currently working with the kids on Conflict management skills with not only each other but with peers at school.  As my 2 oldest children are getting older I have noticed that we are seeing more conflict with peers then we did before. This book was great! I liked that it teaches them how to stand up for yourself, but not be aggressive.
I highly recommend both books for anyone! Not only will it help your child but help you as a parent when dealing with these issues. The Kids really enjoyed the book and it also allowed them to open up more to me and talk about the issues that they are dealing with.
About the Creators
Dr. Pat Palmer, now 81, is author of many books for children, adolescents and adults. A clinical psychologist and former Director of the Assertiveness Training Institute in Denver, Dr. Pat Palmer continues to write at her home on Maui.
Publisher Dr. Louise Hart, 71, is the author of two highly regarded books, The Winning Family Increasing Self-Esteem in Your Children and Yourself and On the Wings of Self Esteem. After presenting workshops as far as Heidelberg, Moscow, Tokyo, and Okinawa, she continues to write and give workshops for parents in the Bay Area of California.
Illustrator, Betty Shondeck, 71, a retired elementary school art teacher living in Denver, dusted off her pens and updated the handcrafted books for today’s youngsters.
