Books Building Character Discussion Guide

Books Building Character Discussion Guide

Created by A. Seefeldt, March 2013

Title: Yo! Yes?

Author: Chris Raschka

Topic: Friendship

Notes for Reading:

·  This book is most effective if you read it with lots of expression!

·  Even though the text is simple, this book is a wonderful illustration of friendship.

·  You can use this book to talk to your child about question marks, exclamation points, and periods.

Questions to Discuss:

·  How would you describe the two characters? How were they different?

·  How did you feel about the end of the story? Why?

·  What are some things that you say when you make a new friend?

Activity Ideas:

·  On the second reading, have your child read one of the parts while you read the other. It doesn’t matter if they read the text perfectly.

·  With your child write your own simple story of friendship. What will the two characters say to each other?

Title: When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry…

Author: Molly Bang

Topic: Feelings

Notes for Reading:

·  This is a popular story to use with children to talk to them about how to deal with anger without harming themselves or anyone else.

·  The book’s vibrant illustrations add to the text through the illustrator’s use of color and words embedded in the illustrations.

·  Vocabulary to discuss: smithereens, volcano, comforts

Questions to Discuss:

·  What made Sophie feel angry? What did she do next?

·  Which picture in the story is your favorite? Why?

·  What makes you feel really angry?

·  What do you do when you feel angry?

Activity Ideas:

·  Act out with your child some situations that might make them feel angry and how he or she could deal with those.

·  With your child come up with a plan they can use at home or at school for dealing with angry feelings. Write down the plan and post it somewhere in the house. Share it with your child’s teacher if you would like.

Title: Whoever You Are

Author: Mem Fox

Topic: Diversity

Notes for Reading:

·  This picture book is a celebration of the similarities and differences of people all around the world.

·  The man on the cover appears in many of the illustrations. See if your child can find him throughout the book.

Questions to Discuss:

·  How were the children in the story the same?

·  How were they different?

·  What are some things that make you unique?

·  If you met a child who lived in another part of the world, what are some things you might have in common?

Activity Ideas:

·  See if you or your child knows how to say hello in any other languages. Look up a new way to say hello.

·  Have your child draw a picture of a place in the world that he would like to visit and what he thinks the children there would be like.

Title: It’s Okay to Be Different

Author: Todd Parr

Topic: Self-Concept

Notes for Reading:

·  Todd Parr says he wrote this book to empower children to feel good about themselves.

·  Vocabulary to talk about: medium, embarrassed, adopted

Questions to Discuss:

·  Did you think this book was funny? What parts?

·  Do you do or like any of the same things as the characters in the story?

·  What makes you unique?

·  What are some good things about being different?

·  What are some ways that you and I are different?

Activity Ideas:

·  Reread this book, allowing your child to help you read. Have them use the illustrations to give them clues about the text.

·  With your child, draw a picture or create a collage showing what makes him or her unique.

Title: A Chair for My Mother

Author: Vera Williams

Topic: Family Events

Notes for Reading:

·  In this book a family saves their coins until they have enough to buy a soft armchair after they lost their possessions in a fire.

·  This is a great book to use to talk about families working together, saving money, and surviving hard times.

·  Vocabulary to talk about: tips, piles, boost

Questions to Discuss:

·  What did the family save their money for? Why did they want this?

·  Why do you think they went to the bank before they went to the furniture store?

·  Are you saving to buy anything? What would you like to buy?

·  Do you think the girl felt sad about the fire? Do you think she still felt that way at the end of the book?

Activity Ideas:

·  Have your child draw a picture of something he or she wants to save money to buy. Hang the picture somewhere to remind your child to save. Consider allowing your child to earn a little extra money through helping with special tasks.

·  The characters in this story were saving for a particular kind of chair. Have your child design a chair they would like to have or to give someone. What would it look like?