Spike Learns to Listen: A Saguaro’s Guide to Quiet Ears and Open Hearts (A Saguaro’s Guide to Growing Up)

Conversations are a team sport, but sometimes excitement gets the best of us!In this highly anticipated second volume of the Spike Learns series, everyone’s favorite Saguaro cactus returns to tackle a major developmental milestone: active listening, conversational turn-taking, and impulse control.Spike loves his buzzing desert home and has so many big thoughts to share! But when his enthusiasm turns into over-talking and constantly interrupting, his desert friends start to feel left out. Written by Board-Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Child Mental Health Specialist Rebecca Gassett, Spike Learns to Listen uses gentle, trauma-informed desert metaphors to teach children how to slow down, read social cues, and give others space to share.INCLUDES A PREMIUM 87-PAGE INTEGRATED CLINICAL WORKBOOK! Unlike traditional picture books, this comprehensive volume expands into an intensive, multi-page therapeutic activity zone built directly into the back of the book. Perfect for parents, school counselors, daycares, and clinicians, these evidence-based tools include:The Conversation Catch Game: Interactive lessons that use a visual ball-handling analogy to teach balanced, respectful turn-taking.Real-Life Conversation Scenarios: Practical playground and home examples featuring "Dropped Ball" mistakes to help kids practice making "Team Throws."Stop & Think (Count to 5): A concrete, child-friendly cognitive brake to help eager talkers manage their conversational impulses.2 Ears and 1 Mouth Framework: Simple, memorable biology-based tracking to help children balance internal output with external input.The Sound Interrupter Activity: Fun, engaging exercises designed to help kids isolate sounds and override conversational impulses.Whole-Body Listening Tools: A gorgeous, 6-step coloring path and anchor chart to practice tracking focus from head to toe.The Practitioner & Parent Guide: Professional clinical insights into childhood executive dysfunction, tackling "Inner Noise," and mastering the "Focus-Sip" breathing transition.Nurture your child’s confidence and preserve their self-esteem while empowering them to build deeper, more empathetic connections. Help your child train their listening muscle—because the desert's best stories are found when we learn how to soften and hear. Read more