Books will help children explore self-acceptance
If you really think about it, much of our self-image has a lot to do with what we are told by others as they judge and/or evaluate our behavior, appearance, abilities or lack thereof, and so on. All of this business, this pattern of thinking, begins in childhood. Parents and others tell us we are good or bad depending on the circumstance. Others offer their opinions. We are, in a lot of ways, conditioned to believe that what others say about us is, in fact, who we are.
We should allow each person to “make themselves up” so they can be who they are, not what we want them to be. Today’s reviewed books reflect this idea in three different ways. After all, being able to understand others and accept differences begins with self-acceptance, and the best root of self-acceptance is a self-image we’ve made, not one created by others.
The following book is available at many public libraries:
Ruby in Her Own Time by Jonathan Emmett and illustrated by Rebecca Harry (Scholastic, 28 pages)
Read aloud: age 3 and older
Read yourself: age 7 and older
Ruby is the littlest of five ducklings. She was the last to hatch, the last to eat, the last to swim, the last to do everything the other ducklings did. Her father worried that Ruby would never catch up, but Mother Duck knew better, and gently told Father Duck that Ruby would do all these things and more, “in her own time.”
Beautifully written and illustrated, this selection will make readers feel good all over while providing an important thought about the beauty of allowing each person to grow at his own pace.
Library: Burgettstown Community Library, 2 Kerr St.
Library director: Kimberly Poor
Choices this week: “So You Want to Be President” by Judith St. George; “Dear America” series by various authors; “Redwall” series by Brian Jacques
The following books are available at bookstores:
The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (Alfred A. Knopf, 2013, 279 pages, $16.99 hardcover)
Read aloud: age 8 and older
Read yourself: age 10 and older
Barnaby Brocket is just like any other 8-year-old except for one peculiar thing: He floats. From the moment he was born, Barnaby isn’t able to keep himself on the ground. His parents have never liked anything or anyone that is different, and so having a son that floats is a horrific embarrassment to them. Finally fed up with it all, Mr. and Mrs. Brocket come to a decision – to literally cut Barnaby loose from his family and let him float away forever.
Barnaby’s journey takes him to many distant lands where he meets all sorts of people who share their life stories, and in so doing, influence Barnaby in many ways, most especially to accept himself for who he is and that being different is perfectly normal.
This fable-like story is charged with imagination, a cast of very colorful characters and conveys important messages about accepting differences – both in others and in oneself. Perfectly complemented by the delightful illustrations of Oliver Jeffers, “The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket” is at once profound, heartfelt, funny and quite magical.
True colors by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock (Alfred A. Knopf, 2012, 242 pages, $15.99 hardcover)
Read aloud: age 9 to 10 and older
Read yourself: age 11 and older
Ten years ago, kind-hearted Hannah found a 2-day-old infant wrapped in a threadbare quilt on the doorstep of her farm in Vermont. Hannah named her Blue and took her into her home, her life and her heart. Even though Hannah was old enough to be Blue’s grandmother, the two became a family filled with love, hard work and good values.
Blue has always wanted to know more about the mother who abandoned her, and recently she feels that need more strongly than before, discovering small clues that she believes will lead to being reunited with her mother. But between strained relations with her best friend, Natalie, Hannah’s accident that lands her in the hospital and a host of other events, Blue discovers a lot about herself, about others in her small community and what family and friends and love really are.
“True colors” is an insightful, warm novel of self-discovery, acceptance and of what is most important in life.
Kendal Rautzhan writes and lectures on children’s literature. She can be reached at her website, www.greatestbooksforkids.com.