I Move A Lot and That's Okay: Axel's Story

by Shermaine Perry-Knights

Overview

Named Best of the Best 2021 by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA).

Celebrate Military Kids with this Picture Book

I Move A Lot and That's Okay captures the ups and downs of what it's like to move as a military-connected kid.

Full of fun, and vibrant illustrations, the messages highlight all the things that military-connected children experience complete with family activities and ideas to make moves easier during PCS season. Inside you will find a diverse military family of different races and gender.

Moving with kids means a lot of social, emotional, and physical change. This book validates their experiences, feelings, and thoughts. Understanding more about their world helps children learn to handle feelings of loss associated with moving to a new home.

This book will encourage important conversations about:

• Moving
• Making new friends
• Anxiety
• Big feelings
• New environments
• Problem-solving
• Positive mental health
• Accepting each other's differences



Perfect for all children. 6 to 10 years old.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781953518101
Publisher:	Innovation Consultants of Dekalb
Publication date:	02/01/2021
Series:	And That's Okay
Edition description:	Large Type
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

Editorial Reviews

2022-06-06
A boy in a military family learns to accept moving to new places in author/illustrator Perry-Knights’ picture book.

Seven-year-old Axel’s mom is in the Army. One afternoon, she tells him and his dad that they’ll be moving to a base in Italy. It’s not the first time they’ve moved, and Axel describes his comforting rituals to make things feel “okay.” For instance, while in temporary lodging, Axel and his dad always order the same dinner: “As long as we have pizza, I’m okay with that.” When the family arrives in Italy, Alex notes that everything is different—but ultimately still good. Axel quickly makes a new friend, introducing himself by saying, “I move a lot, and I’m okay with that.” Perry-Knights, a former “military kid,” walks readers through the steps a family goes through when stationed somewhere new. She explains jargon and abbreviations in kid-friendly ways, such as permanent change of stationor PCS: “When I hear PCS, I know it’s time to leave our home and move again.” The full-color, cartoon illustrations are a bit unpolished, and younger readers may find the story overlong. However, children of soldiers will surely be glad to see their unique challenges represented. Axel and his family are illustrated with varying brown skin tones, and his mother has natural hair.

A valuable tale that military kids will find relatable.

Kirkus Reviews