*Bibliotherapy and Cinematherapy

Parents and educators share the goal of supporting children's growth so they become autonomous adults. The essential work of building self-esteem and self-acceptance, however, is not given much attention during the school day. One way parents can help at home is by providing children with books to help them think about who they are through the lens of literature. In more complex terms, bibliotherapy is "the process of helping the reader learn about and cope with any social or emotional struggles or developmental needs by identifying with a character in a book who shares a similar struggle or need" (Fisher, 2009). Fiction offers children a way to explore dealing with perfectionism, searching for identity, feeling different from others, and experiencing positive outcomes while staying true to themselves. Biographies provide knowledge about the trajectory of a successful person's career path. Reading helps children process their emotions through these stages: identification, catharsis, reflecting and application (Hébert & Speirs Neumeister, 2011). The process in general terms is that the reader makes personal connections with the main character's thoughts and actions, experiences emotional scenarios, gains insight into their own lives, and possibly makes decisions based on what a character has done. Therefore, below are some website links to reading lists which provide support to gifted children's cognitive and social/emotional development. The inclusion of the Common Sense Media site is to help parents determine if a book that fits a child's reading level also fits their family's values for the child's age.

In the case a parent wants to talk to their child about a book, the following questions, developed by Fisher (2009), may facilitate a thoughtful conversation.

• Who in the book do you identify with and why?
• What situations/events/problems do you identify with and why?
• Do you agree or disagree witht he significant decisions the main characers(s) made? Why?
• How did being figed impact the charcter's life? (in positive and negative ways)
• What do you think are the messages the author is trying to send with this book?
• Do you agree or disagree with the author's message?

Enjoy!