Building Character Through Books

Good morning!  I hope you are having a wonderful summer.  I have teamed up with some amazing teachers all over the country to discuss different books we love each week that align to a certain topic or genre.  This week is all about building character through books! 

Believe me, it was very hard to narrow this down to only five books.  I organize my "teacher books" based on genres and holidays, and my building character section is definitely the largest! 

 "Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun" by Maria Dismondy:  "Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun" is a new book that I have bought this past year.  It's an amazing story that discusses how each child is different and how you will be happiest by accepting everyone.  The main character grew so much as a person throughout the story in a wonderful way.  My students absolutely loved the illustrations while learning. I was so happy that I bought this book!

"Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes:  Chrysanthemum is a wonderful story that takes me back to my first year of teaching Kindergarten.  I was extremely nervous about the first few days after teaching fifth grade.  My partner told me to start my days with Chrysanthemum.  We taught a mini unit about names (perfect in early K) and being kind to everyone.  Children can really relate to this book and feel empathetic for Chrysanthemum as the story progresses.  It really is the perfect story to use at the beginning of the year!

 

 "Peanut Butter and Cupcake" by Terry Border: "Peanut Butter and Cupcake" is a new story that I received this year from a student and her family at our Book Fair.  It was so sweet for them to purchase this book for our classroom, and it was a GREAT gift!  This story had the students laughing the entire time, as different type of foods were acting as people.  However, there is an underlying purpose in the story about being kind.  It's a great new story to add to your classroom!

 "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister:  Here is a classic story surely makes me feel nostalgic!  It was a favorite book of mine as a little girl and I still use it to teach kindness and sharing in my classroom.  If you haven't read this book before, please, find it at your local bookstore or library!  It's a fantastic story about learning what it means to be kind and sharing.  It's a great story for early in your school year!

"It's Okay to Be Different" by Todd Parr:  I absolutely love all books by Todd Parr.  Students gravitate towards his writing style and illustrations.  As I read this book to my Kindergarten class, you hear them chiming in "Yeah, it's okay to look like that!" or "It's okay to have glasses like I do!" They absolutely love it and truly understand what Todd is describing to them! I'm sure your students will love it, too!

I hope these stories help build character in your classroom.  Check back every Wednesday now through August 3rd to learn about even more fantastic stories in various genres. 

Hop back to Katie at Minute Mommy by clicking her button. Enjoy your Wednesday!