Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products (Nir Eyal)

 

I really enjoyed this book. It is interesting to read about how people get addicted to social media. His theories sync with all the habit books I have read. I didn't read this because I want to build some addictive product, but mostly because I wanted to learn about how they try to draw me in, and quite successfully do, it seems.

I have now read two of his books. After reading Indistractable, I turned off all the notifications on my laptop and on my phone. What a difference. I also signed up for FocusMate...which has been an interesting experience. Mostly positive! In this book I learned about an app called FitBod that I am really interested in. I think I might even pay for a subscription. He has good information! 

I just recently read an article that really stuck with me. It was about the things you may be doing in the morning that actually ruin your day. First on the list was getting on your phone first thing. Then in the first pages of this book I read that 79% of smartphone owners check their device within 15 minutes of waking up every morning. The thought struck me: if I don't check my phone first thing in the morning, I'm ahead of 79% of the population out there! Perhaps I'm too competitive, but things like this are very motivating to me. 

Goodreads says:

How do successful companies create products people can’t put down?

Why do some products capture widespread attention while others flop? What makes us engage with certain products out of sheer habit? Is there a pattern underlying how technologies hook us?

Nir Eyal answers these questions (and many more) by explaining the Hook Model—a four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies to subtly encourage customer behavior. Through consecutive “hook cycles,” these products reach their ultimate goal of bringing users back again and again without depending on costly advertising or aggressive messaging.


Hooked is based on Eyal’s years of research, consulting, and practical experience. He wrote the book he wished had been available to him as a start-up founder—not abstract theory, but a how-to guide for building better products. Hooked is written for product managers, designers, marketers, start-up founders, and anyone who seeks to understand how products influence our behavior.


Eyal provides readers with:


• Practical insights to create user habits that stick.
• Actionable steps for building products people love.

• Fascinating examples from the iPhone to Twitter, Pinterest to the Bible App, and many other habit-forming products.

The Squirrells Who Squabbled (Rachel Bright)

 

Super cute illustrations and a page where you have to turn the book....all things we love! I love how the squirrels laughed at themselves too. 

Goodreads says:

Two greedy squirrels learn to share in the third hilarious rhyming adventure from the bestselling creators of THE LION INSIDE.

Greedy squirrels Cyril and Bruce both have their sights on a very special prize: THE VERY LAST NUT OF THE SEASON! As the nut bounces crazily though the forest, the squirrels race after it, between the trees, over boulders, down the river and - ARGH! - right to the edge of a waterfall! Working together might be the only way to save themselves now ...

A laugh-out-loud tale about friendship and sharing from the bestselling creators of THE LION INSIDE and THE KOALA WHO COULD. Perfect for competitive friends and sibling rivals!

The Invisible Boy (Trudy Ludwig)

 

So much about this story breaks my heart! There are many people who go through being invisible to people around them. Interestingly, in this story, when just one person does something kind, color starts to come into the boy's face and he is less invisible. Just one person can make a difference. 

Goodreads says:

A simple act of kindness can transform an invisible boy into a friend…

Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party... until, that is, a new kid comes to class.

When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And when Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine.

From esteemed author and speaker Trudy Ludwig and acclaimed illustrator Patrice Barton, this gentle story shows how small acts of kindness can help children feel included and allow them to flourish. Any parent, teacher, or counselor looking for material that sensitively addresses the needs of quieter children will find The Invisible Boy a valuable and important resource.

Includes backmatter with discussion questions and resources for further reading.

Stacey's Remarkable Books (Stacey Abrams)

 

This was lovely!! Some of my students totally related to the idea of wanting to read at recess, having a book club and wanting to read EVERY book in the library. Others may have never conceived of such lunacy. LOL I love the illustrations in this one too. I love the friendliness of the librarian. I loved the friendships and learning words from different languages. Overall, 5/5!

I really admire Stacey Abrams too.

Goodreads says:
The companion to the #1 New York Times bestseller and NAACP Image Award winner Stacey's Extraordinary Words, from political leader Stacey Abrams and artist Kitt Thomas.

Stacey's favorite day of the week is Thursday, when the whole class goes to the library and she gets to lose herself in her beloved books.

On one of these special days, Stacey discovers that a new student named Julie has trouble reading in English, so they begin sharing books and stories to practice. Soon, more students start to join them.

Books take the group on magical adventures and reveal other worlds and cultures--but best of all, they bring them together as friends.

This is another inspiring tale, based on a true story from Stacey Abrams's childhood, about the life-changing power of books.

All Things Being Equal (John Mighton)

 

I'd really like to meet John Mighton one day or hear him speak in person to see if he is as effusive about teaching math in person as I perceive him to be from his books. This is the third book of his that I have read. I find his enthusiasm to be quite contagious. It seems weird to say, but I really enjoyed reading this math book!

I've been teaching JUMP for a few years and this was a really good refresher. I've been hearing people say some things lately (JUMP means you can JUMP from one lesson to another, or the practice and review book is something you can skip, if you want, for example) that were not ringing true for me. Reading this book, I feel like I'm back to the groundedness of JUMP. His philosophy really does fit well with our school's version of direct instruction. I especially appreciated his list of principles of effective instruction:

1. Begin a lesson with a short review of previous lessons.

2. Present new material in small steps with sufficient practice after each step.

3. Ask a large number of questions and check the responses of all students.

4. Provide models.

5. Guide student practice.

6. Check for understanding.

7. Obtain a high success rate.

8. Provide scaffolds for difficult tasks.

9. Require and monitor independent practice.

10. Engage students in weekly and monthly review.

Barak Rosenshine, "Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know," American Educator 36, no. 1 (Spring 2012): 12.

I really like the idea of weekly and monthly reviews. I could do well to start that practice Barak Rosenshine suggests reviewing the previous week's work every Monday and the month's work the last Monday of the month. 

Emmanuel's Dream (Laurie Ann Thompson)

 

This book led us down a rabbit hole! It is a true story. He reminded us of Terry Fox when we saw the videos of him riding his bike and children running along beside him. He did a four hundred mile trip in 10 days with only one leg. 

Never think that you are too little, too weak too anything. You can do anything! 

Goodreads says:

This picture book biography tells the true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, who bicycled across Ghana--nearly 400 miles--with only one leg. With that achievement he forever changed how his country treats people with disabilities, and he shows us all that one person is enough to change the world.

Sticky McStick Stick (Michael Rosen)

 

The author had covid, was in a coma and ended up having to learn to walk again. Adults would empathize with this story. I'm not sure kids will. The illustrations are really great.

Goodreads does not have a summary yet.

The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)

 

This was an excellent read (well, listen!). It has a lot of the same principles of Atomic Habits, but also talks a lot about people who have studied the brain in relation to habits. I finally understood the power of cues and appreciated his strategy for figuring out what are the cues that make you do what you do. Definitely a book to read again! 

A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed.

Marketers at Procter & Gamble study videos of people making their beds. They are desperately trying to figure out how to sell a new product called Febreze, on track to be one of the biggest flops in company history. Suddenly, one of them detects a nearly imperceptible pattern—and with a slight shift in advertising, Febreze goes on to earn a billion dollars a year.

An untested CEO takes over one of the largest companies in America. His first order of business is attacking a single pattern among his employees—how they approach worker safety—and soon the firm, Alcoa, becomes the top performer in the Dow Jones.

What do all these people have in common? They achieved success by focusing on the patterns that shape every aspect of our lives.

They succeeded by transforming habits.

In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. With penetrating intelligence and an ability to distill vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives, Duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation.

Along the way we learn why some people and companies struggle to change, despite years of trying, while others seem to remake themselves overnight. We visit laboratories where neuroscientists explore how habits work and where, exactly, they reside in our brains. We discover how the right habits were crucial to the success of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and civil-rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. We go inside Procter & Gamble, Target superstores, Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, NFL locker rooms, and the nation’s largest hospitals and see how implementing so-called keystone habits can earn billions and mean the difference between failure and success, life and death.

At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive, building revolutionary companies and social movements, and achieving success is understanding how habits work.

Habits aren’t destiny. As Charles Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.

The Sour Grape (Jory John and Pete Oswald)

 

Another act of brilliance by Jory John and Pete Oswald! This one has a ton of things that could be used for Notice and Note Signposts too. 

Goodreads says:

The Sour Grape holds grudges for every reason under the sun. Lime never returned a scarf they borrowed? Grudge! Orange never called back? Grudge! But when a friend holds a grudge against the Sour Grape without listening to an explanation, the Sour Grape realizes how unfair grudges can be. Could a bunch of forgiveness and compassion be enough to turn a sour grape sweet?

Jory John and Pete Oswald serve up another heaping plate of laughs and lessons with this empowering, witty, and charming addition to their #1 New York Times bestselling series!

Ollie's Odyssey (William Joyce)

 

As I read this book, I started to realize I did know this author. I love The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore and it doesn't surprise me that this book is by the same author. He seems to have a romanticized approach to childhood....and it's really something to soak up and enjoy. All the books that my public library has by him look very intriguing....I'm going down that rabbit hole! I do think that elementary students would enjoy this book. They may look at the imaginative life as juvenile...but my gut says something in it would draw them to it since they're not too far removed from toys and imaginative play. I don't think they'd be as slightly annoyed as I felt by the silly words throughout the book. Every kid thinks they can be a heroic rescuer....and this one story would be a great way to relive that. The whole thing made me wish I could go find the old toys I once loved. 

In this book, the villain is a clown that was never loved. My heart kind of broke for him in the end. He's a bully that needs some love. And in the end, he finds his love. 

Text to text connections: The Velveteen Rabbit, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

- Toy World pages where reign of terror under Zozo, pages are a stained yellowed color, as if the paper is old and smelly.

Apparently this book has been made into a movie or series of some sort (Lost Ollie). I was sorry to hear that. I get why authors love it when their book is made into a movie. That's where the big bucks are, I think. Too many people just go straight to the movie though. *sigh* 

This was a pick for my Children's Lit book club. Possible discussion questions:

https://www.pegiwilliams.com.au/pdfs/teachernotes/9781442473560.pdf 

https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Ollies-Odyssey/William-Joyce/9781442473560

Goodreads says:

The inspiration behind Netflix animated series Lost Ollie!

From the creator of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and The Guardians of Childhood comes a grand adventure of valor, friendship, and a look into the mysterious world of favorite toys.

In the secret realm of toys, there are many mysteries.

There is the Code of the Toys, which is as ancient as childhood.

There’s also the magic of becoming a child’s favorite, the highest honor in the Toy World.

Made by hand by Billy’s mother, Ollie is a special toy, “a toy who will matter.” He becomes Billy’s best friend, confidant, pal, and yes, Billy’s “favorite.”

But there are villains in the Toy World, and Zozo, the clown king, is the most feared. He and his toy henchman (the Creeps) have sworn to steal and imprison favorite toys until they forget their children and become forever lost.

When Ollie is toynapped, Billy must rescue his beloved favorite from Zozo’s subterranean lair in the old Carnival Place, past the park, through the woods, and into the night.

Never has a journey of ten blocks been more epic.

Mr Wayne's Masterpiece (Patricia Polacco)

 

Patricia Polacco is a story telling master. 

Notice and Note signposts: Good for words of the wiser! 

Goodreads says:

In this inspiring true story, beloved artist Patricia Polacco conquers her fear of public speaking, allowing her to discover her remarkable voice. A wonderful companion to Thank You, Mr. Falker and The Art of Miss Chew, it celebrates the lifelong impact of a great teacher.
 
Speaking in front of an audience terrifies Trisha. Ending up in Mr. Wayne’s drama class is the last thing she wants! But Mr. Wayne gives her a backstage role painting scenery for the winter play. As she paints, she listens to the cast rehearse, memorizing their lines without even realizing it. Then, days before opening night, the lead actress suddenly moves away, and Trisha is the only other person who knows her part. Will the play have to be canceled? It won’t be an easy road—when Trisha tries to recite the lines in front of the cast, nothing comes out! But Mr. Wayne won’t let her give up, and with his coaching, Trisha is able to become one of his true masterpieces.

Love and Roast Chicken (Barbara Knutson)

 

Perfect for our Peru unit! 

Goodreads says:

One day, high in the Andes Mountains, Cuy the Guinea Pig is searching for wild spinach to eat when Tio Antonio the Fox comes in search of Cuy to eat! Tio Antonio thinks he's found dinner, but crafty Cuy has other plans. Quick-witted Cuy fools Tio Antonio not once, but three times. Combining striking wood block artwork with an authentic South American voice, this sly trickster tale shows that clever thinking is key when you're out-foxing the fox. Discover more about this title and Barbara Knutson at www.barbaraknutson.net.