When Push Comes to Shove: A Tale of Three Goats' Lives

“When Push Comes to Shove” is a highly entertaining and engaging animated work that teaches children how to constructively solve problems and manage change in their lives without violence through the lives of three goats who lead their herds in very different ways. Told in rhyme, the story shows children how to balance their natural fight or flight impulses when confronted with everyday problems we all face. This transformative masterpiece is greatly needed in these times when even children and teens face ever-increasing depression, bullying, and mass violence. “When Push Comes to Shove” is pure fun that also carries important life messages. Through his artful words and colorful images, Dr. Murray delivers the teachings and incites of over 25 years of child psychology experience in a manner that children, young adults, parents, school administrators, and policymakers alike can easily translate into real world lessons and action plans. “When Push Comes to Shove” is a must-read work!

Edward L. Murray III, Ph. D., has recently published a book, When Push Comes to Shove: A Tale of Three Goats Lives, which is available at Amazon.com. This book was developed over the course of 20 years of experience working as a clinical psychologist with children and their families. It is designed to address some of their most important developmental cognitive and emotional needs. This semi animated work is written in rhyming verse and is an engaging and delightful story, as well as a teaching tool for middle and high school students. With wonderfully scintillating illustrations, it presents a story about dealing with crises, change, or challenge, while featuring three distinct personalities embodied in the main characters of the story: one that is impulsive, one that is avoids dealing with issues, and one that is a critical thinker or problem solver. The book teaches crucial life skills in a very entertaining fashion, but also provides substantive fodder for an English literature class. Appendices offered at the end of the book provide learning formats for parents, educators, and counselors to inculcate these lessons. This book is creative triumph and helps shape young people into winners! A strong case can be made that were this work included as a core part of any educational system of any country, it would over time, categorically uplift that country in a very favorable fashion.