It's Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel

Five is such a big number, and to turn from a pre-school age to kindergarten age is a very big deal. Do you remember your first day of school? I remember some children crying and I remember a lot of noise. To be able to talk about your feelings is a very big deal, indeed.The author, Jaimie Lee Curtis has written a book that identifies a great many of the feelings that our four year olds, soon to be five year olds are feeling. It is very difficult to be in control of our feelings at this age. Passing from our nursery school, pre-school age to that of a school aged child. They must learn how to control their feelings, instead of yelling for Mom, how do they learn to deal with situations on their own? I remember a story my sister, a first grade teacher told. On the first day if school,mat noon time, a young boy went to get his coats when asked where he was going, he said home, tge school day was over. My sister told him he was now in school, and he would be going to school all day. The young boy looked shocked and said, ”No one told me!" We really need to help prepare our children for their new lives.This is a wonderful story of being five, and what to expect,mand how to help our children. Sitting all day in school without being able to run around is new, and this is discussed. The illustrations by Laura Cornell are bright, vivid and joyfull. They depict all the variations of instances and issues that a child of five might run into. Parents/teachers and the children they read this book to will have fun talking about the situations, and what they all mean. The lessons learned will be very useful in their young lives.Highly Recommended. Prisrob 04-24-14

My 5 year old has been giving me such a hard time lately. When I saw the title of this book in the library, I checked it out and brought it home. I was not expecting much because I am not a big fan of the actress, but when I read it, I started to cry! It gave me a completely new perspective of my little girl's behavior. I realized the stress that this big transition in life is putting on her. Besides the character being the opposite sex, he was experiencing the exact problems of my daughter. He even had a baby sibling like she does. She related to him right away, and both of us felt much better. That night, she was giving me a hard time, so I scolded her. She told me, "Yes, I know, Mommy. But it is SO00 hard for me to be 5!" I couldn't help to laugh!The only problem I have with this book is the wording. Some of it is hard for a 5 year old to understand. For example, "At five I hear no and don't - I can't win - when balls bowl inside at my ten juice-box pins." But the content of the book was so amazing, I still had to give it 5 stars!

This book was perfect for my 5-year-old son. Why? When I read it to him, you could almost see him nodding. That's how he felt! It helped him to put words to his emotions of starting full-time kindergarten to having a younger sibling. Made him feel normal and hopeful that things he was having trouble with, friends, temper, school... would get better, and because being 5 is great! The illustrations are awesome, because while you read the book or after, you and your child can look for the small details within the illustrations to discuss. Overall, this is the book that I would buy again and again for a 5-year old!

As a new kindergarten teacher who'd taught second and first for three years running, I was really having a hard time understanding the minds of my new students. This book, told from the kids' perspectives, was a godsend.Jamie Lee Curtis does a great job in getting down how kids talk and think. The art work also adds to the story.Early in the year, when my students were having a hard time sitting still and learning to focus, I read this to them. It really clicked with them and helped them see that other 5 year olds felt the same.

I bought this daughter when I realized how anxious she was to turn 5 and start kindergarten. The book is sweet and silly and deftly turns an acknowledgement of their fears into a celebration of all the great things they get to do now that they are 5. We found it especially entertaining because the boy in the story has a baby brother - something my daughter relates to well. The page about how his "brain says one thing but his mouth does another" is especially funny too. I highly recommend this book because it acknowledges their anxieties without making kindergarten seem overly scary or giving them more things to be scared about.

My 5 year old Grandson loves this book.

My son has been having a hard time adjusting to being in Kindergarten and all the rules, expectations, and challenges that go with it. This book was really, really well done!!! I think it spoke to my son in many ways, and helped him to feel OK that it's normal to have a tough time. I actually have seen his behavior improve since we started reading this book. It also helped me, as a mom, to remember how hard it is to be 5 and have more patience. I would recommend for EVERY child who maybe struggling or unsure about starting school or being in school for the first time! Worth every penny I spent on it!

I bought this for my son who started kindergarten this year. It's an okay book, but I didn't feel like it had a strong enough message, for him, on how to make good choices. It never really appealed to him, either. We read it a couple of times and then it's gone by the wayside.