Prevent Violence With Groark

What can children do with their anger? Not bottle it...that only leads to further problems down the road. But how about "taking it out on a lifeless thing" like a pillow (as opposed to, say, a brick wall)? That's one of the useful suggestions that puppeteer and ventriloquist Randal McGee and his dinosaur friend Groark explore with elementary-school aged children in Groark Learns to Control Anger, the opening volume of Live Wire Video's outstanding five-part series on preventing violence. Each episode contains a mini-play intercut with a lively discussion between kids, Groark, and McGee on various options and smart choices. In the opener, a frustrated Groark slams his lunchbox into his best friend Nubbs' model airplane, shattering the plane and sending poor Nubbs' blood pressure into the danger zone. The rub, for Nubbs, is that Groark is more concerned about his spilled lunch (which took all of 10 minutes to make) than Nubbs' model airplane (which Nubbs invested several hours in creating). After some name-calling, the pair agree to meet after school to settle the matter in the time-honored fashion of an adrenaline-pumped flurry of fisticuffs. When it comes right down to it, however, the last thing that most kids really want to do is actually fight. Groark learns that it's braver to walk away, proffers an overdue apology to Nubbs, and maintains both his friendship and his face (and is a little wiser to boot). In each of the other titles--Groark Learns to Work Out Conflicts, Groark Learns to Listen, Groark Learns About Bullying, and Groark Learns About Prejudice--Groark learns a new lesson. A great violence prevention series for children was long overdue....with Prevent Violence With Groark the gap has been filled. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Ages 4-9. (R. Pitman)