Island Park native’s new book wins award

When Lori Woodring, PhD was a kid she couldn’t have foreseen ever writing a book to help children cope with the stress of moving. That’s because back then she was Lori Attansio, and her family lived in the same Island Park home that her mother, Irene Attansio, still lives in today.

Lori Attansio lived in that Island Park until she went off to college. But who knows where life will lead us?

After graduating from West Hempstead High School in 1987, Woodring went on to earn a BS from Cornell University and a PhD from Fordham University. She is now a licensed psychologist in New York and Connecticut. She is married to Patrick Woodring. The couple has four daughters: twins Isabella and Tessa, 9; Siena, 7; and Lia, 5. Woodring was inspired to create the workbook “My Very Exciting, Sorta Scary, Big Move” after moving with the twins, then 18 months, to London and back to Connecticut five years later with four children under the age of 7. Never having moved as a child she felt determined to make the transition easier for her own children and soon learned that many children and families could benefit from an interactive book.

Moving is among the top three stressors for kids, who thrive on routine, comfort and familiarity, according to the Employee Relations Council. Woodring wanted to reduce the stress for her kids, and also saw a waiting market.

“More than 40 million people, many of them children, move every year, but that doesn’t mean that moving is easy. It can be incredibly stressful and challenging for kids of all ages, something I learned from my husband who moved 12 times in his childhood, and especially from my kids during our international moves,” said Woodring. “I wanted to create a hands-on tool for kids to understand the experience and their emotions about moving and move forward with a sense of excitement. Through drawing and activities kids have the opportunity to become active participants in the process of moving to a new home.”

The book won the 2014 IPPY Award silver medal for Outstanding Interactive Children’s Book of the Year. With charming illustrations by Timm Joy – and room for kids’ own depictions of their feelings and emotions – the unique workbook walks kids ages 5-11 step by step through the moving process, including understanding change, strategies for managing emotions, partaking in a new adventure and more. The book is unique in its interactive nature and its ability to draw kids in and let them personalize their story while providing them with useful tools and strategies.

“My Very Exciting, Sorta Scary, Big Move” is available for $15.99 on www.amazon.com and at https://www.createspace.com/4334684.