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Experiencing
Empathy
When a character in a book is
portrayed so effectively that they seem like a real person, then you, as the
reader, experience their point of view as your own. You are, in effect,
seeing the world through another’s eyes, and taking a beginning step on the road
to discovering empathy: the ability to feel or identify with another.
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The Goat Lady, Jane
Bregoli. Befriending an elderly neighbor allows children to see beyond her
rundown house, and value the richness of her life story.
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Hannah Is My Name, Belle
Yang. In 1968, a Chinese girl is anxious that her family won’t receive the
green cards that will allow them to stay in San Francisco.
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I,Doko, Ed Young.
A fable from Nepal makes a subtle yet powerful point about respecting elders.
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Mole And The Baby Bird,
Marjorie Newman. Mole wants to keep the bird as a pet, until his
grandfather helps him imagine how it feels to fly free.
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The Rag Coat, Lauren Mills. Minna stands up
for herself when her classmates make fun of her hand-me-downs.
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Self-Reliance And Responsibility
Self-confidence comes from taking pride in a job well
done, or from realizing there are actions you can take (however small) to
influence your own destiny.
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Beatrice’s Goat, Page
McBrier. Beatrice’s efforts in caring for and selling the milk from her goat
enable her to earn money to go to school in her African village.
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The Hard-Times Jar, Ethel Smothers. The beautiful books that are supposed to stay in the school
library are a temptation to Emma, who yearns for a book of her own.
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Miss Bridie Chose A Shovel,
Leslie Connor. Miss Bridie’s take charge attitude serves her well in this look
at the long life of a remarkable woman.
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Stick Up For Yourself, Gershen Kaufman. An empowering read with ideas about making choices,
learning to like yourself and solving problems.
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Zara’s Hats, Paul Meisel.
When Zara’s hat-maker father runs out of feathers, her creativity saves the
family business. |
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The Courage To Follow Your Convictions
These characters all take a
stand to define themselves and what they believe in – and these stories
underscore the notion that bravery comes in many guises.
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Brave, Brave Mouse,
Micheala Morgan. Little mouse conquers his fears in believable, endearing
and humorous ways.
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The Cello Of Mr. O, Jane
Cutler. In the middle of a war-torn city, a musician sets an example of
courage.
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Guji Guji, Chih-Yuan
Chen. A sweetly offbeat tale of a crocodile, and his loyalty to the duck
family that raised him.
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The Librarian Of Basra,
Jeanette Winter. The true story of Alia, an Iraqi woman who saved 70% of
her library’s books from wartime destruction.
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The Name Jar, Yangsook
Choi. Unhei has second thoughts about her decision to switch to an
‘American’ name.
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Rocks In His Head, James Stevenson. Pursue
your passions, you never know what will come of them.
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Say Something, Peggy Moss. A girl who never
says anything when schoolmates are being teased, realizes it isn’t good enough
to simply not join in, she needs to say something to show that
hurtful behavior is wrong. |
Kind Words And Deeds
It can take some practice to learn to think of other
people’s needs before our own: these stories make that point gently and
with humor.
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Me First, Helen Lester.
A tongue-in-cheek tale of a pushy little pig and the lesson he learns.
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Sometimes I’m Bombaloo,
Rachel Vail. A true-to-life look at how hard it can be to maintain
self-control.
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The Spiffiest Giant In Town,
Julia Donaldson. This big-hearted giant literally offers the shirt off his
back to friends in need!
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Stagestruck, Tomie
DePaola. Tommy learns that although it might be fun, it isn’t always fair
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Manners – Some Lively Lessons
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Emily Post’s Guide To Good Manners For Kids
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The ‘How Rude’
Handbook of School Manners, A. Packer.
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I Did It, I’m Sorry, C. Buehner.
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Oops, Sorry!
R. Morgan.
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