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Spring 2002

BEING YOUR BEST: CHILDREN’S BOOKS THAT PROMOTE TOLERANCE

The Hamilton-Wenham High School was full on a weekday evening in January when author/psychologist Michael Thompson spoke about the research for his newest book Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children. This topic touches on concerns all parents share. We want our children to be accepted by a group of friends, but we also want them to have the chance to develop as unique individuals. Too often the peer pressure to belong to a group translates into: ‘You are not like me, so we can’t get along.’ Sadly, you need only look at the newspaper to see that the grown-up world isn’t much different. Schools that have added programs on issues such as respect, bullying and kindness to their already busy curriculums are to be commended. In that spirit we offer this sampling of children’s books that promote living in harmony.

People Who Made A Difference

50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet, Dennis Denenberg & Lorraine Roscoe. $12.95. A lively collection of short biographical sketches, includes quotes, suggested research tips, and questions to spark further exploration.

Gandhi, Demi. $19.95. An exquisite and interesting picture book biography that shows the evolution of ideals into actions.

Martin’s Big Words, Doreen Rappaport. $15.99. Written in a direct style suitable for reading aloud to primary grades, the inclusion of quotes from speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr. makes this a powerful book for any age.

Strength of Character - More picture book biographies :
Aunt Clara Brown: Official Pioneer by L. Lowery.
Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man Alive by D. Adler.
One Giant Leap: The Story Of Neil Armstrong by D. Brown.
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became The World’s Fastest Woman by K. Krull.
Woody Guthrie: Poet Of The People by B. Christensen.

Being True To Yourself

Being Your Best: Character Building For Kids 7-10, Barbara Lewis. $14.95. Quizzes, real-life situations, activities and food for thought in a fun-to-browse format; covers cooperation, fairness, honesty, responsibility and more.

Eggbert, The Slightly Cracked Egg, Tom Ross. $5.99. A message told with humor: don’t try to blend in, be proud of your ‘cracks’!

The Rag Coat, Lauren Mills, $16.95. Minna stands up for herself when her classmates make fun of her hand-me-downs. A short chapter book on a similar topic is The Girl With 500 Middle Names by M. Haddix.

Rocks In His Head, James Stevenson. $16.00. Pursue your passions, you never know what will come of them.

Sunflower Sal, Janet Anderson. $6.95. Sal finds her own special talent.

How To Be A Friend

The Borrowed Hanukah Latkes, Linda Glaser. $6.95. Being a friend means going out of your way to be helpful.

How To Lose All Your Friends, Nancy Carlson. $5.99. Never share, be a poor sport; kids will get the point of this fun spoof.

I Like Your Buttons, Sarah Lamstein. $15.95. A random act of kindness starts a chain reaction of goodwill.

I Miss Franklin P. Shuckles, Ulana Snihura. $5.95. How do you apologize after excluding a friend?

Mr. Lincoln’s Way, Patricia Polacco. $16.99. A wise principal figures out a way to befriend a bully.

My Friend John, Charlotte Zolotow. $6.99. Friendship is about supporting each other.

The Ins And Outs Of Friendship – More Stories:
Annie And Bo And The Big Surprise by E. Partridge.
Ginger, C. Voake.
How To Be A Friend by L. & M. Brown.
Iris And Walter: True Friends by E. Guest.
King Of The Playground by P. Naylor.
Stop Picking On Me: A First Look At Bullying by P. Thomas.
Zelda And Ivy by L. Kvasnosky.

Getting To Know You

Dear Juno, Soyung Pak.$5.99. Even though Juno can’t read Korean, he finds a way to exchange letters with grandmother.

The Hundredth Name. Shulamith Oppenheim. $7.95. A Muslim boy is sure that his prayers will help his camel.

The Name Jar. Yangsook Choi. $16.95. Unhei thinks she needs to pick a more ‘American’ name. A similar short chapter book is My Name Is Maria Isabel by Alma Ada.

A World Of Wonders, J. Patrick Lewis,16.99. Bring the wide world into your life with these “geographic travels in verse”.

Expanding Your Circle Of Friends – More Stories

How My Parents Learned To Eat by I. Friedman.

Margaret and Margarita by L. Reiser.

Sister Anne’s Hands by M. Lorbiecki.

Whoever You Are by M. Fox.