January Character Development Topic-Acceptance

Our January topic for character development is acceptance.  This ties in really nicely with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Here are the books that we will be using to talk about acceptance in our classroom.

Square Cat

Eula is the only square cat in town. Everything that normal cats do is hard for her -- she can't get her square paw into mouseholes, she can't wear her favorite circle skirt, and all of her friends are round! Eula is sad until her two best friends show her just how well a square cat can fit into this round world.

Barry the Fish with Fingers: 

Life under the sea can be as dull as dishwater, until Barry arrives, that is. See, Barry is no ordinary fish—he's a fish with fingers! And fingers mean finger puppets, finger painting, knitting, counting to ten, tickling, and all sorts of fun things. It isn't long before all of the other fish want fingers, too. Life under the sea will never be the same again. . . . 

The Colors of Us 

Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.

Cowboy Slim: 

A cowboy poet who can't rope, whip, or ride? who ever heard of that? Slim knows he could be a real cowboy if the ranch hands would just give him a chance. Action-filled drawings capture the excitement of a cattle run to Dodge City.

The Crayon Box that Talked: 

Yellow hates Red, so does Green, and no one likes Orange! Can these crayons quit arguing and learn to cooperate? Shane DeRolf's deceptively simple poem celebrates the creation of harmony through diversity. In combination with Michael Letzig's vibrant illustrations, young readers will understand that when we all work together, the results are much more colorful and interesting.

The Story of Ferdinand

Ferdinand is the world's most peaceful--and--beloved little bull. While all of the other bulls snort, leap, and butt their heads, Ferdinand is content to just sit and smell the flowers under his favorite cork tree.

The Cow That Went OINK

This mixed-up barnyard tale of tolerance and friendship teaches kids (and creatures) that it's okay to be different . . . and sometimes even more fun!