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Did you know that this week is No Name-Calling Week? I found out about this special week from Little Willow.

No Name-Calling Week was inspired by a book, THE MISFITS by James Howe. According to the No Name-Calling Week website, this project "seeks to focus national attention on the problem of name-calling in schools, and to provide students and educators with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities."

The website provides lesson plans for elementary school age and middle school age children, as well as tips for planning an outreach program in the schools. These are great materials to have handy throughout the school year to teach children about bullying.

If you're interested in some book suggestions for your teens, you've got to check out Little Willow's Tough Issues for Teens Booklist. It is simply impressive.

And if you want some solid non-fiction reads to help your elementary age to high school age child deal with cliques and bullying, you'll want to go here and here.

We're already halfway through September and hopefully by now, all the children out there have adjusted to the school routine. Earlier this week, I reposted my book list for Cliques, Friendships and Self-Esteem. Today, I have some more books that would be great for boys as well. Keep in mind that adults should read these books first, and then use them as tools to help their children.

The Unwritten Rules of Friendship: Simple Strategies to Help your Child make Friends by Natalie Madorsky Elman and Eileen Kennedy-Moore: This book describes the different ways children interact with their friends, along with guidelines for parents to help their child understand their strengths to help nurture friendships.

Raise Your Child's Social IQ: Stepping Stones to People Skills for Kids by Cathi Cohen: This book is based on social skills training programs to help with social skills and awareness.

The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander: From Preschool to High School -- How Parents and Teachers can break the Cycle of Violence by Barbara Coloroso: Learn how the bully, the bullied and the bystander all feed into each other's reaction; how to identify signs; and how each type of child can be taught to change their part in this destructive cycle.

Some light hearted books to read with your children:

Cliques, Phonies and other Baloney by Trevor Romain, ages 9-12: This easy to read book keeps it silly while exploring a tough subject for kids.