The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘You’re in my bubble’: Teacher’s book on personal space resonates in time of COVID
WINSTED — In 2019, when Colebrook Consolidated School firstgrade teacher Sylvia Crunden decided to write a children’s book on respecting one’s personal space, she never imagined how much the message would hit home during the pandemic.
Her recently published book, “Please Don’t Pop My Bubble,” teaches young children to stay in their own space.
The 24-page-book is intended for children from age 3 to fourth grade, according to Crunden. It can be purchased virtually on Crunden’s website for $9.99.
The book tells its message through a 7-year-old boy named Nick who gets in his friends’ personal space.
“Nick pops the bubble,” said Crunden, an Avon resident who has been
teaching for 18 years. Additionally, the book gives suggestions to young children about what to do if someone is in their personal space.
The idea for the book was inspired in part by Crunden’s nephews, Nick and Ben, who, when they were young, “were always getting in each other’s space,” she said. “We would call one of them a space invader. He would always be in his brother’s space,” she said, of the boys, who are now 17 and 21.
She also found her students are always getting in each other’s space — long before the pandemic. “They
are always touching each other and standing too close or leaning or sitting on top of one another,” she said.
She said sometimes, children, like the boy in the book, don’t realize they’re in each other’s space.
“Especially with the younger kids, they’re so visual that they may not be aware of that concept of ‘You’re too close to me,’ ” she said. “They don’t understand their boundaries.”
Shortly after Crunden wrote the book, “COVID came, and I pushed to get it out quickly,” she said. “Even though COVID is not mentioned at all in the book, I thought the book speaks directly to COVID.”
The book took seven months to publish. This is Crunden’s first book, so
finding an editor and illustrator and learning about the technical aspects of publishing such as trim sizes, copyright and formatting, was a learning experience and required research, she said.
To encourage social distancing at school due to the pandemic, Crunden said she teaches her students to use an arm’s length from themselves to their classmates.
“When they’re walking in the hallway, they put their arm out in front of them,” said Crunden, adding school has been held in person since the start of the year.
Suggestions Crunden has for children when finding someone in their space is to speak up. “Use your words instead of just going to the
teacher to tell. Ask the person to please stay in their own space,” she said.
Since publishing the book, Crunden has read it to her students several times, and now often hears them saying to one another,“You’re in my bubble.”
Crunden is now writing a second children’s book, which addresses bullying. She also plans to publish other books on social skills that can be used as teacher resources.
She said kids should not be angry with one another for getting in each other’s space.
“It’s OK to say, ‘You’re popping my bubble but I can use my words and we can still be friends,’” she said.