FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

All you need to do is look around your community, school, or even watch the news on TV. You will see people of varying heritages, races, and religious beliefs. We are all part of this larger community—our world—and we need to respect differences and be tolerant of others. This tolerance may be something as simple as accepting those who eat certain foods such as vegetarians or those who may learn at a different pace than you do. Making fun of someone who is different is not an act of tolerance; finding creative ways to help or accommodate learning and physical disabilities is an act of tolerance. Each of the books in the "Everyday Character Education" series features real kids in recognizable situations. The kids represent the wide spectrum of races and religions as well as boys and girls. The lesson is obvious, but for some kids that may be necessary. There are interesting facts in nearly every spread, profiles of individuals who have been nationally or internationally recognized for the featured character trait, a hands-on activity, glossary, an index, and a bibliography. However, the books in the bibliography are not as current or as extensive as one might like. As with other books from the publisher, safe websites are available by using the "Facthound" feature on their website. 2006, Capstone Press, Ages 5 to 7.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-Both slim books offer a few lines of text per spread with at least one colorful photo and highlighted facts throughout, e.g., "Waiting and thinking before acting are good ways to practice patience." The authors discuss the featured quality with references to school, home, and the community, and offer examples of individuals who use these skills to better the lives of others. The books are illustrated with posed photos of youngsters who are generally the same age as the target audience. Teachers and parents may want to use these titles as discussion starters, but it's not likely that children will pick them up on their own.-Laurel L. Iakovakis, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.