Today, I'm feeling grateful for this review on Amazon of Birdie & Mipps.
It really is such kind feedback.
And are you ready for our first PPBF of the new school year?
I know, I know, it's a Tuesday, but retirement knows no calendar, right? 😉
Let's focus in on Carla's Glasses.
Title: Carla's Glasses
Author: Debbie Herman
Illustrator: Sheila Bailey
Publisher: FlashLight Press
Birth Date: September 3, 2024
Suitable for: ages 5-7
Themes: friendship, empathy, acceptance
Brief synopsis: Carla, who thrives on being different, wants glasses; Buster, who wants to blend in, does not. How will things play out when the eye-exam day comes around and they don't like the results that they see?
Opening page: On Monday, Ms. Pimento made an announcement. "A week from today is Vision Screening Day. The nurse will be checking everyone's eyesight."
Resources:
Watch the book's tailer {here}.
Compare and contrast with other books about glasses.
Make a Very Respectful foldable.
Why I like this book: In this companion book to Carla's Sandwich, we are reminded that our creative friend, Carla, likes to be different. First she made different sandwich concoctions, now she's making funky frames to wear in anticipation of getting glasses. But it's not Carla who needs glasses. Instead, it's her blend-in friend Buster, and he is not pleased! Enter empathy, that glorious virtue that prompts Carla to not only go with him to pick out his pair but also go home to make fancy frames for all of her classmates so that Buster doesn't stand out with his new specs.
I connect with Carla, because in the 6th grade, I really wanted glasses, too, so much so that I remember fudging the Vision Screening to tip the scales in my favor. True story.
I remember thinking that my first pair of granny glasses was epic;
fifty years and LOTS of pairs later, I wish I could see without glasses.
But I digress.
What makes Carla's story so cool is that even though she doesn't get her heart's desire, she's still able to step into her friend's story and help him look and feel not so noticeably alone.
Now that's a visionary friend!
Use this as a springboard to talk about respect and invite your students to make a pair of respectacles for themselves. Start using a silent respectacles signal when you notice or need to see respect. Seal the deal with a little ditty using the hand-jive movements:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
you've got to give it, to get it
yeah, that's the key!
We live by the
Golden Rule, you see
at (insert school name) Elementary
Check out this sweet story of empathy and acceptance;
I predict it'll be a catalyst for some insightful reader reflections.
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I really enjoy hearing from my readers; thanks for sharing your reflections with us!