It's Okay to Be Different by: Todd Parr
As I was looking to expand my variety of books that I was picking I came across this book and decided to read it. Based off of the title and the different pictures on the cover, I kind of predicted what the book was about. My book list is an inventory of Read-Aloud books and this book is an AWESOME book for that. It doesn't have a plot line but, it makes a really strong moral and ethical point that kids should know about being different.
Each of the different pages has things such as "Its okay to have no hair, its okay to not want to do anything bad, its okay to have a different nose." and so on. This is a very strong lesson about bullying which is a subject that each teacher needs to teach continually throughout the school year. Looking at the different illustrations it had two different affects on me, not only did it draw me in by the vibrant and loud colors, but also the simplicity of each illustration allows for the reader to focus on what the text is actually saying. I am wanting to teach the lower grades and with their attention span, any picture that has too much going on can get their mind off track and solely focusing on the pictures. I would definitely recommend this book to any teacher. You can do a lot of fun activities with this book, its a fun read and kids will really enjoy and benefit from the underlying message the book portrays! Grab a copy and check it out!
This sounds like a great book, especially for Pre-K and kindergarten. A great lesson to introduce to children at a young age. Every one is going to be different and its important for children to recognize that and accept it.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a cool book! You could use it for a younger age just to teach them that it IS ok to be different, but I think that you could also use it as tool to teach about bullying. We have to teach our children at a young age that you are who you are and that is ok because we need to accept who we are!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds adorable for little kids. It is a great life lesson to teach kids. They need to know that it's okay to be different. Children are always trying to fit in by doing the same thing as everyone else. It's better to be original than a copy of something else. If they are confident in their differences, then it will help them either not care if they're bullied or will be the one people look towards.
ReplyDeleteI would love to use this story when I'm a teacher. I want to teach the lower grades too and I agree with you that it's vital to teach against bullying continually. I like how you pointed that out because most people would focus on just the positive of "it's okay to be different," but it's something kids need to know; it needs to be reiterated. It's great to find a book like this one that would draw kids in and help them understand.
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