No Shrinking, Violet: A Teaching Resource About Exclusion

When Violet wants to join in and be friends, to play with a group of girls at school, they are mean to her. They exclude and ignore her. Violet's feelings are hurt, making her cry, and she questions her value and self-worth. A wise owl helps her learn about the kindness that others have shown, to include her, and she understands the value of true friendship.

This is a universal theme of relationships for all ages: feeling excluded, focusing on those who reject us, and then learning how to look inward for our self-worth.

Vivian Pinner is a family counselor specializing in children's and adolescents' therapy. No Shrinking, Violet was "hatched" out of her twenty-five years as a principal and school counselor, to address difficult friendships and exclusion. Vivian is a sought-after speaker and consultant on numerous topics related to the health and welfare of the family. She has two grown children and lives by the sea.

Illustrator Barbara Stroer has been an art teacher for more than twenty years. She is retired from teaching and is currently a full-time artist, painting mostly in acrylics and watercolors. Barbara lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with her husband Bill. Her home backs up to a small pond where she can observe wildlife firsthand, especially ducks!