Karen Jacobs

We have 21 children’s books.

Here is an article published in The New York Lifestyles Magazine which describes the motivation for writing children’s books: http://www.newyorklifestylesmagazine.com/articles/2017/06/79.html

Here are brief summaries of each book:

How Full is Sophia’s Backpack? (Jacobs, K. & Miller, L.)

A grandmother and her two grandchildren, one who has autism are spending an afternoon taking a walk around their family pond. As they walk, they create an imaginary story about pirates and princesses and collect objects they place in a backpack. The story includes how to select, pack and wear a backpack correctly.

Three Bakers & a Loon (Boris, A. & Jacobs, K.)

A child with autism is visited by an occupational therapist in his home where they bake cookies of loons as a meaningful occupation for the child. The illustrations were created using collage.

All Paws In (Meltzer, J. & Jacobs, K.)

Using dogs as characters, the story is about the importance of being vaccinated.

Otter Awesome! (Gold, S., Gold, J., Jacobs, K.)

This is a book about a sibling relationship and friendship. The characters are otters, one who is blind and a whale, who no one, but the otter who is blind, can hear his song.

Soaring with Jimmy (Fleischer, S., Jacobs, K.)

Jimmy, is a child with autism who is at summer camp. He is working with an occupational therapist, who he calls his shadow. The theme is about being different and finding activities that are meaningful to each individual camper and how friendships are formed.

Sisters at the Beach (Haver, C., Smith, D., & Jacobs, K.)

Depicts a child with a disability engaged in meaningful occupations. The story illustrates similarities and differences between families with and without a child with a disability and demonstrates how occupational therapy practitioners provide adaptations to promote social participation and play for all children.

Danny’s New Friend (Lussier, S., Capili, V. & Jacobs, K.)

Danny is 7 years old, deaf and is adjusting to being the new student in a new school. Students in the class learn about deaf culture through Danny and his interpreter who comes to the class. The book contains images of American Sign Language words with each illustration. The complete alphabet to learn about this culture is included on the back cover.

Make New Friends (Delbert, T. & Jacobs, K.)

Patsy, born with cerebral palsy (CP), is worried about going on a field trip with her class. She is concerned about walking with her crutches and how she will be able to keep up on the treasure hunt. A friendship is formed when a classmate sprains her ankle and Patsy shares one of her crutches with her.

A Hand to Hold (Jacobs, K. & Kunisch, J.)

Ben has a new baby brother who was born premature and is in a neonatal intensive care unit at the local hospital. With the assistance of the occupational therapist, Ben learns how to help his brother get stronger by holding his hand in the isolette when he comes to visit.

Breakfast with Grandma Ruthie (Valasek, S. & Jacobs, K.)

Great-grandma Ruthie who has dementia who moves in with family members. With the assistance of the occupational therapist, the family learns what simple changes they can make at home to help Grandma Ruthie do everyday activities.

Art at the Aviary (Walsh, M. & Jacobs, K.)

Artie has a stutter and bright red hair. He loves to draw especially the birds at the aviary because they are different, too. However, Artie’s Grandpa thinks Artie should be playing baseball instead of always going to the aviary until he learns how knowledgeable he is about birds and how talented he is as an artist.

Charlie’s Sensational First Day (Sand, M. & Jacobs, K.)

Charlie is worried about his first day in kindergarten. He heard from a neighbor that the teacher was strict and might not understand that he has a hard time with loud noises and sitting still. He is surprised to find that kindergarten is not such a bad place when his teacher shares that there is a quiet corner any child can go to and that using a fidget is acceptable when we need to calm ourselves.

No Hippos at Hippotherapy (Menard, R. & Jacobs, K.)

Children are worried about riding horses and why doing so is important as one activity in occupational therapy. However, they learn that it fun, but also a way for them to make friends and build their confidence.

The Lunch Bunch (Lopez, M. & Jacobs, K.)

The lunch bunch is a group of students who receive occupational therapy services in their school. Each child has a different challenge who faces being bullied because of their differences.

Lilac Sunday (Jacobs, K. & Phelps, G.)

Today is Lilac Sunday, and Sophie really wants to go with her Mommy. But her mom experiences depression and anxiety and is reluctant to leave the house. Mommy’s occupational therapist and some people from her support group will be there, so mommy agrees to go for a short time. They take their dog, Sammy, to help Mommy deal with her anxiety. By using the strategies that her occupational therapist suggests, Mommy and Sophie enjoy their day smelling the lilacs, watching the juggler, drinking lemonade and having a picnic on the grass.

You Are So Brave (Kim A., Moldovan, I. & Jacobs, K.)

Ellie & her favorite toy, Leo the lion visit the doctor for their yearly checkup. They both feel nervous in anticipation of a vaccine, but are comforted by positive imagery, happy thoughts & supportive characters. Together, they learn how to be brave as they use mindfulness & understand that challenges are easier when you are with someone you love.

Let’s Dance Together (Teitelbaum, E.  & Jacobs, K.)

Let’s Dance Together is a children’s book for young readers ages 3-5 that teaches children about bullying and becoming more open-minded when developing social relationships. During a series of dance classes, children both with and without disabilities work together to create a dance piece while learning about the meaning behind occupational therapy.

I’m just like you! Kali’s story about living with epilepsy (Burke, E. & Jacobs, K.)

Kali is a koala living in Australia with her family. She enjoys drawing pictures and playing sports with her friends. She also has a disorder in her brain called epilepsy. Epilepsy causes her to stare off into space which makes it difficult to pay attention. Throughout the book, Kali describes the process of being diagnosed with epilepsy as well as how the brain works during a seizure. However, although Kali has epilepsy and her brain is different, she can still do the same things as everyone else

My Dad’s the Same but Different
Co-authors Karen Jacobs & Zoë Makowsky
Illustrated by Javonny Murphy

Feeling Your Best with Occupational Therapy: A Story for Children to Learn about Health and Wellness
Co-authors Vanessa Grijalba Illescas & Karen Jacobs
Illustrated by Vanessa Grijalba Illescas
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Wonderfully Wired
Co-authors Emily Scannell & Karen Jacobs
In this interactive book, readers learn a positive message about neurodiversity. In Wonderfully Wired, cartoon brain characters show that everyone has different wires in their brain! The story’s characters, Priya, Lou, and Jalen each have their own dance move because of these wires. They “speed hop,” “slow flow,” and “dynamic disco”. At school, different strategies help each of them be successful – Priya, Lou, and Jalen will show readers these strategies. Plus they will show readers what they are really great at doing. This book was written by occupational therapy practitioners. It is based on evidence-based school support and has incorporated feedback from people of a variety of ages, abilities, and backgrounds, as well as universal design for learning (UDL) principles.

For more information on how to obtain these children’s book contact me at kjacobs@bu.edu. They can all be found on Amazon.com