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Children's books with a message?


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Stone Soup (share)

 

George & Martha (Be nice to your friends, be honest)

 

Strega Nona (Say please? I think it's say please...or thank you or something lol )

 

Bartholomew and the Oobleck (Don't be a jerk ;) Take responsibility)

 

Are you looking for particular messages?

 

Aesop’s Fables

Edited by LibraryLover
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So...not Frederick or Stone Soup?
You should ETA, warning one not to read further until between sips of one's beverage.
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I am not familiar with that (those?)...could you tell me more about it/ them?

 

Frederick is by Leo Lionni (one of my favorites). Frederick is a mouse; the other mice find him sort of lazy. He is always daydreaming while they are toiling away, gathering food for the winter. However, when winter comes he entertains them and keeps their spirits up through the long winter.

 

Stone Soup is about combining your resources to create something better than what you have alone.

 

You should ETA, warning one not to read further until between sips of one's beverage.

 

Sorry!

 

The Little Engine That Could, perhaps? How about the Ant and the Grasshopper? or some Dave Ramsey financial lessons?

 

When I search for Ayn Rand under kid's books on amazon, I get Machiavelli's The Prince and Brampton Stoker's Dracula.

 

This seriously made me laugh. I actually find them wildly appropriate for the search terms. :D

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Frederick is by Leo Lionni (one of my favorites). Frederick is a mouse; the other mice find him sort of lazy. He is always daydreaming while they are toiling away, gathering food for the winter. However, when winter comes he entertains them and keeps their spirits up through the long winter.

 

Stone Soup is about combining your resources to create something better than what you have alone.

 

 

 

Sorry!

 

 

 

This seriously made me laugh. I actually find them wildly appropriate for the search terms. :D

 

That Stone Soup one sounds good.

Not so sure about Frederick.

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Good ideas so far, and:

 

Yertle the Turtle--sort of 'let he who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls'

The Sneetches--anti racism. One of the best modern fables I know.

Old Turtle--environmentalism. It makes me a bit uneasy, though. Preread.

There is a great Dr. Suess book that is environmental--I can't remember the name, but it's one I recommend wholeheartedly.

Grandpa Bear's Fantastic Scarf--make something good out of your life.

What Did Jesus Do? -- two books from Concordia that have great embedding of Bible teachings in the middle of truly entertaining stories that apply them. Not smarmy but realistic.

 

 

 

Hate:

The Giving Tree--giving away yourself. No, this one goes waaaay too far

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Not so sure about Frederick.
Only if one doesn't place value in a diversified economy. The other mice could have been short sighted and "let him dance" in the manner of the ant and the grasshopper, but they were open minded enough to come to realize that Frederick had a unique skill that would not only benefit the community through times of hardship and drudgery but also enrich their community. He was then able to leverage this skill to secure their blessing and gain sustenance for the winter.
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That Stone Soup one sounds good.

Not so sure about Frederick.

 

Only if one doesn't place value in a diversified economy. The other mice could have been short sighted and "let him dance" in the manner of the ant and the grasshopper, but they were open minded enough to come to realize that Frederick had a unique skill that would not only benefit the community through times of hardship and drudgery but also enrich their community. He was then able to leverage this skill to secure their blessing and gain sustenance for the winter.

 

:iagree:

Leo Lionni is a prolific children's author and illustrator. Frederick seems to be defending authorship as a valuable skill and valid occupation. Not really a surprise, considering the source.

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Not a simple "morals" book, but The Ox Cart Man (by Donald Hall) and his family are industrious the year through.

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There is a great Dr. Suess book that is environmental--I can't remember the name, but it's one I recommend wholeheartedly.

 

 

Is it The Lorax? I love that story.

 

I like both Stone Soup and Fredrick.

 

I like Ferdinand--just because you are a bull doesn't mean you want to fight.

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I really love My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tololwa Mollel, but I have no clue if it's the sort of message you're looking for. I think it's a nice tale of family love, and non-smarmy industriousness.

 

Ther are tons of versions of Stone Soup, too.

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All of the Frances books by Lillian and Russell Hoban--they have non preachy messages about things like being a good friend, being a good older sister, eating your dinner, etc.

 

For an older audience, Understood Betsy by Dorothy Cafield Fisher is a great one for the message of being a strong, confident, and kind person.

Similarly, the Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall is a great one for why just following the crowd is a bad idea.

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All of the Frances books by Lillian and Russell Hoban--they have non preachy messages about things like being a good friend, being a good older sister, eating your dinner, etc.

 

For an older audience, Understood Betsy by Dorothy Cafield Fisher is a great one for the message of being a strong, confident, and kind person.

Similarly, the Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall is a great one for why just following the crowd is a bad idea.

 

I really enjoyed Frances when I was young. I, too, ran away to under the dining room table.

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The Gardener by Sarah Stewart (bloom where you are planted, giving, overlooking other people's faults)

 

Mandy Sue Day by Roberta Karim (shows that disabled people can lead very full lives in spite of their disabilities)

 

Weslandia by Paul Fleischman (be yourself, don't give in to peer pressure, entrepreneurial attitude, industriousness, creativity)

 

It just occurred to me that these are picture books, not so much books for early readers. Still, I think they'd be worthwhile to share with a young child.

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