Book guide: Nice fint, Therese!
QUESTIONS ABOUT EMOTIONS, ANXIETY AND PREPARATION
1. Therese puts off telling her friend Björn that she is moving. Why do you think she does that? Have you ever done that? What happened then?
2. Björn's mother encourages Therese when she is afraid to finish. Have you been encouraged by someone? What happened then? Have you pepped up someone else? How did it feel?
3. Therese tries to think positively. What does it mean to do that? Have you ever done it? How did it go?
4. Therese is worried about starting a new class and a new team. Have you ever been new to anything? How did it feel? How can a group make someone new feel welcome?
5. Therese has gone from being very nervous to feeling more expectant before matches. What do you think she did to make it so? Have you ever felt really nervous? What happened then? Have you ever felt expectant?
6. In the new team, they prepare with peppy music. Why do you think they do that? What would you do if you needed to cheer yourself up?
Exercise! Have all children stand in a victory position with their arms in the air for one minute. Research shows that the brain believes the information the body sends out. By letting the body signal to the brain that it feels good, you usually become calmer and have an easier time dealing with emotions such as nervousness and anxiety.
QUESTIONS ABOUT INTEREST AND SURPRISES
1. The picture from Therese's bedroom shows a soccer ball and a book about soccer. Can you see where you live what you are interested in? If you could change anything about where you sleep, what would it be?
2. Therese is afraid of shots. Why do you think she is? Is there something you are afraid of?
3. Therese loves to play soccer, but is afraid of shots. Is there something that you like a lot, but has some part that you like less?
4. Björn says that he will miss Therese when he learns that she is moving. Have you missed someone? How did it feel? Are there different kinds of missing?
5. Therese's mother's new partner Lydia has a surprise for Therese. Do you like surprises? Have you surprised anyone? What happened then?
ABOUT SEPARATION
About thirty percent of all children live in other family forms than the classic nuclear family. Nevertheless, many people continue to assume that all children have a mother and a father and that they live together, a so-called nuclear family norm. Since the family is our first belonging and an important part of our identity, the person who constantly needs to relate to not meeting expectations is affected. There is also a tendency to portray separations as only negative, both in how they are talked about and in things like books. Changes obviously affect everyone involved, but for many children a separation is positive in many ways – including when a new important adult enters their lives. For Therese, her mother's new partner became an important person, both when she was a child and as an adult. A book that shows a separation without focusing on the negative becomes an important mirror for children who feel that way.
ABOUT FRIENDSHIP
Smaller children often have no problem playing across gender boundaries, but choose their play partners according to interest. But the older we get, the more girls are separated from boys by that division being made all the time. The separation between girls and boys takes place in different ways, partly by constantly pointing to gender (such as "come on, girls!") and partly by using different signals; such as different kinds of toys, clothes and attributes. Another important cornerstone of the separation of the sexes is the heteronorm, that is, the idea that girls are and will fall in love with boys and vice versa. It can make friendships difficult and important relationships end. In the books about Therese, we see that girls and boys hang out with each other without romanticizing or problematizing.
