Administrators & Teachers
Jackie Burt, Founder of Orsch, a Fabulous School and
Educational Philosophy, CO
Orsch
Flustered Without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated is a beautiful reminder to source inner peace, which is often easier said than done. It offers a variety of options and go-to solutions that heal and calm in times of need. This is the type of book that can be read over and over again, and continue to serve with its messages of true mindfulness and loving energy. A book for all ages and all humans.
Susan Conroy, Ph.D. Administration, Principal & Music Teacher
Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated sets a stage for discussion with ‘kids’ of any age – 1 to 100. While the clever topic of mustard on a hot dog is quite simple, discussion on the range of reactions is not simple. Finding ways to resolve conflicts causing anger or frustration are as important as reading and math, for if emotions are not successfully mastered, success in academics will be hampered and relationships will struggle. Thank you for your creative ways. You are a treasure to the world of ideas and solutions.
Sonia Fuderer, MA Education, Literacy Interventionist, KY
In a time when mindfulness is making it’s way into classrooms around the world, Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated shows kids the tools they need to handle varying emotional situations, in a kid-friendly, beautifully illustrated book that will foster beneficial classroom conversations.
Nan Gaylen, Ph.D. Educational Administration & Policy Professor of Education, IL
Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated could be used as a wonderful teaching tool in facilitating a discussion with young students regarding how to personally respond to situations we find stressful in our world today. There are so many possibilities for use in a classroom, only some of which may be writing, telling, painting, singing, or acting out our own ways of showing kindness, calmness, and inner strength.”
Minda Morren López, Ph.D. in Culture, Language, & Literacy, Associate Professor of Literacy, Texas State University, TX
Minda Lopez
Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated is a wonderful book with beautiful illustrations that can be used by parents and educators alike to build empathy and support socio-emotional learning. The first part of the book takes an extremely relatable event from various perspectives and gives readers a way to respond to disappointment that is healthy and intentional. The second part of the book expands outward to broader themes and experiences that all human beings can relate to while providing ways to center ourselves, take responsibility for our own behaviors, and respond positively to challenging situations. The practical suggestions for calming breaths could be used by all ages in a variety of contexts. As a mother, teacher, and teacher educator, I will use this book as part of guiding children through understanding and naming emotions, and responding in healthy ways to the messiness of life as we go through it. Thank you, Barbara and Mary Ann, for a wonderful book that is a welcome addition to children’s texts that support mindfulness and socio-emotional regulation and health. We need more books like this that support such important work.
Kelly Piccaro, MA Education, Kindergarten, CO
Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated is a wonderful book that speaks to any age. We all have those days and those moments when something unexpected happens, something not up to our standard or our liking. It is how we choose to respond and how we treat those people around us that truly shows our character. This book helps us see how people identify with their problem and choose to react. Personally, and professionally as a Kindergarten teacher, I love the specific emotions and colorful words used in the story, as this new language helps children identify and grapple with their own feelings and develop new skills for moving forward as they negotiate their own world.
Becky Thornburg, MA Administration, Teacher & Principal, CO
How many times have you been disappointed when you were expecting some mustard, and there was none? Life is a series of challenges and reactions. Barbara, author, and illustrator, Mary Ann, have shared a lively story of how various hot dog shoppers reacted to bad news. She offers an abundance of ideas, which suggests that being loving and positive may indeed outnumber and be of greater benefit to all concerned than the alternatives. Each choice is worthy of discussion between parent and child or teacher and students. Don’t stop with discussion. Encourage activities: art, posters, dramatics, and more writing.
Whether it’s mustard or custard that is missing today.
You can be mad, sad, or refuse to play.
Or maybe, if you remember this tale.
Other actions more calming and kind will prevail.
Artists
Dale Payson, Professional Artist, NY
I have to say I LOVE the illustrations in Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated! They are so honest, delightfully childlike, and heartwarming. I truly believe the art is wonderful and people of any age will connect favorably to it!
Authors Imelda Almqvist, International Teacher of Sacred Art and Northern European Shamanism, author of Natural Born Shamans: A Spiritual Toolkit For Life (using shamanism creatively with young people of all ages) and Sacred Art: A Hollow Bone for Spirit (where art meets shamanism), UK
Imelda Almqvist
Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated is a fun fable for kids and adults that shares some great insights on how to cope with anger and frustration by tapping into our inner light and strength. This would make a great introduction to meditation and mindfulness for kids (and maybe some adults too). It is certainly a welcome tonic for our world today as we strive to teach children kindness, and how to get along with each other despite our differences.
Barbara Haas is one of the most gifted and inspiring educators I know. She is positively electric! The child in her sings and dances with all children, and ex-children, who cross her path. She makes learning fun and her book Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated offers positive ways of dealing with tricky situations, an art all human children need to master! In my mother tongue, Dutch, Haas means “hare” and I can’t help seeing delightful glimpses of a hare hopping all over the globe delivering this book to the children and families who need it! I urge you to read this book and dance with Barbara “Rhubarb” Haas!
Kathleen T. Pelley, Children’s Author, The Giant King, and Inventor McGregor, and Magnus Maximus, A Marvelous Measurer, . . . CO
Kathleen T. Pelley
Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated is a fun fable for kids and adults that shares some great insights on how to cope with anger and frustration by tapping into our inner light and strength. This would make a great introduction to meditation and mindfulness for kids (and maybe some adults too). It is certainly a welcome tonic for our world today as we strive to teach children kindness, and how to get along with each other despite our differences.
Counselors Sophie Bloch-Miller, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, OR
Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated captures the range of emotional and behavioral responses that individuals, young and old, have when met with disappointment and frustration. This book does a lovely job of introducing and modeling coping skills for managing emotions, while considering the harmful impact to self and others when we simply react, rather than self soothe and regulate our emotional response. Barb provides examples of somatic coping skill such as deep breathing, as well as social and cognitive coping to help redirect ones focus from the distressing event to more positive points of focus. This book is a great resource for the classroom, the therapy office, or the home, a tool to help children normalize their own emotional experiences as well as the range of choices they have to build healthy character and emotional well being.
Sara Lamar, Licensed School Counselor, CO
As a middle school counselor, I am always looking for new and creative ways to advocate for and support my students. The moment I finished reading Flustered without Mustard: Finding Calm When Angry or Frustrated. I knew that I had found a gem that will be in my toolbox for many years to come! We all have those days where unexpected challenges could derail our hopes and our goals, and we all react to stress in different ways. I love how Barbara has provided multiple coping strategies for calming down and Mary Ann’s wonderful illustrations allow all types of learners to connect with the teachings embedded within the book. It shows that we can all make mistakes and overcome them with positivity, growth, and resilience. This is a wonderful book for all ages, and I will definitely be incorporating it into my school counseling curriculum as well as reading it with my family!
Former 5th Grade Student Whitney Schmidt Amaral, Television & Film, Production Designer & Graphic Designer
Mrs. Haas influenced me greatly as an elementary school student, and had a profound impact on the creative person I am today. It’s inspiring to see her put her talent and passion for teaching into a book that helps students of all levels learn how to cope with the challenges life brings. This delightful and insightful book will leave a positive impact on all who read it.
* Parents, children, students, teachers, and counselors, I’d appreciate hearing from you! , Would you like to share your testimonial? Please send your comments to:
RhubarbWisdomBooks@gmail.com