PPBF: But It's Not My Fault

Happy PPBF. Today, a responsibility gold mine.


Title: But It's Not My Fault
Author: Julia Cook
Illustrator: Anita DuFalla
Publisher: Boys Town Press
Date: March 23, 2015
Suitable for: ages 5-8
Themes: responsibility, ownership, choices
Realistic Fiction
Brief synopsis: Noodle gets in trouble for stuff that he's sure is not his fault. Will he learn the difference between fault and responsibility?
Opening page: 
My name is Norman David Edwards ... but everybody calls me Noodle.   

Resources:
Check out the book's page {here}.
Read an author interview about the book {here}.
Download this freebie activity from Jennifer Tracy at TpT.
Here's a bookmark template to reinforce the lesson. 
Watch the book's trailer:





Why I like this book: Julia Cook books are so real because, as a former teacher and school counselor and a current mom and grandmother, she's been in our shoes. They deal with real-world issues, which she tackles head on with authenticity, transparency, and grace. In this treasure, Julia spotlights responsibility, choices and consequences; Noodle's story helps teach a life skill that every child can benefit from experiencing, reflecting upon, reviewing and practicing over and over again.

Try one or both of these little ditties:



Before trying this one, talk about stakeholders, the people who have a stake in our decisions, who care about, are involved in or will be affected by our choices. Let students brainstorm a list of all of their stakeholders and talk about why these people really make their every decision even more important.



How might you use this text to make a school-to-home connection? The Assistant Principal over at Robinson Elementary actually sends it home following office referrals so that families can work together to help their children be accountable and take responsibility for their choices.

For this and other PPBF titles today, visit Susanna's blog next.






5 comments

  1. What a boost for Julia Cook to have been a school counselor. She must have a gold mine of picture book-perfect topics to explore! I'm not familiar with this book, so guess where I'm off to? The library! Thanks for sharing this book for today's PPBF.

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  2. Oh my goodness, it sounds like this book was MADE for my class. Some of us are really struggling with this right now:)
    Thank you!

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  3. Interesting book with bold illustrations. Very easy to blame others or things than take responsibility for our own actions. A great lesson to learn. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. I love Julia Cook's books. This one sounds perfect for squabbles and taking responsibility for one's actions! I need to check out her recent books.

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  5. Wow! Great idea for a picture book. Learning these concepts is essential. Still working on it with my teens! I am going to check this book out.

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