Building Relationships through Picture Books

Sarah Levine & Janell D. Harris

Carla’s Sandwich. This charming story presents a new way for young children to understand how to creatively embrace who they are, no matter what others think. Carla’s lunch box is filled with odd delights like the Olive, Pickle and Green Bean Sandwich, the Banana-Cottage-Cheese Delight, and the unforgettable Chopped Liver, Potato Chips, and Cucumber Combo. To Carla, they are delicious and creative lunches, but her teasing classmates are unconvinced and abandon her at the lunch table to eat her bizarre sandwiches alone. One day, however, tables turn when Buster — the worst tease of all — forgets his lunch on the day of the picnic and Carla thoughtfully offers him her extra sandwich. Her own spirited nature helps Carla teach her classmates that "unusual" can actually be good. Lively illustrations help showcase the book's messages of acceptance, tolerance, individuality, and creativity, and the funny plot and authentic dialogue are sure to make this tale a favorite among elementary school children. acceptance, self-esteem, teasing, tolerance

Don’t Laugh At Me. Do you wear glasses? Ever been picked last for the team? Afraid you’ll be called on in class? Don’t laugh at me. Don’t call me names. Have you laughed at someone else for the same reasons? Someone you thought was geeky or slow — someone different from you. Don’t get your pleasure from my pain. For anyone who’s ever been bullied — or been a bully themselves — it’s time to change your tune. This is not a book for whiners, but a new language that will give you the words you need to take charge and stop the cycle of teasing. Filled with inspiration and celebration, Don’t Laugh at Me is the anthem for a new bully-free world. Read it, sing it, and cheer! acceptance, bullying, confidence, teasing, tolerance, upstander

How Full is Your Bucket? Through the story of a little boy named Felix, this charming book explains to children how being kind not only helps others, it helps them, too. As he goes about his day, Felix interacts with different people — his sister Anna, his grandfather, other family and friends. Some people are happy, but others are grumpy or sad. Using the metaphor of a bucket and dipper, Felix’ grandfather explains why the happy people make Felix feel good, while the others leave him feeling bad — and how Felix himself is affecting others, whether he means to or not. This beautifully illustrated adaptation takes the original book’s powerful message — that the way we relate to others has a profound effect on every aspect of our lives — and tailors it to a child’s unique needs and level of understanding. kindness, emotions, feelings, relationships

The Juice Box Bully. Have you ever seen a bully in action and done nothing about it? The kids at Pete's new school get involved, instead of being bystanders. When Pete begins to behave badly, his classmates teach him about "The Promise". Will Pete decide to shed his bullying habits and make "The Promise"? bullying, positive behavior, teasing, upstanders

Just Kidding. A rare look at emotional bullying among boys from the best-selling author of My Secret Bully. D.J.'s friend Vince has a habit of teasing D.J. and then saying, Just kidding!" as if it will make everything okay. It doesn't, but D.J. is afraid that if he protests, his friends will think he can't take a joke. With the help of his father, brother, and an understanding teacher, D.J. progresses from feeling helpless to taking positive action, undermining the power of two seemingly harmless words. Trudy Ludwig takes another look at relational aggression, the use of relationships to manipulate and hurt others, this time from the boy's point of view. boys, bullying, confidence, relational aggression, upstander

Making Friends is an Art! Meet Brown, the least used pencil in the box. He’s tall, geeky and lonely. Brown envies Red, Purple, Blue and all the other pencils who have fun coloring and playing together. Dark Green is trustworthy, Pink listens well, Orange has fun, and everybody likes Red! Brown doesn’t smile very often because he doesn’t get used much and hardly ever needs sharpening. When Brown asks the other pencils why no one likes him, he discovers that to have friends, he needs to be a good friend. If Brown learns to use all of the friendship skills the other pencils have, he can make friends and have fun too! In her trademark humorous fashion, author Julia Cook teaches kids of all ages (and adults too!) how to practice the art of friendship and getting along with others. This title is the first in a Building Relationships series of books focusing on relationship-building skills for children. Included in the book are tips for parents and teachers on how to help children who feel left out and have trouble making friends. friendship, relationships, self-esteem, social skills

One. Blue is a quiet color. Red’s a hothead who likes to pick on Blue. Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple don’t like what they see, but what can they do? When no one speaks up, things get out of hand — until One comes along and shows all the colors how to stand up, stand together, and count. As budding young readers learn about numbers, counting, and primary and secondary colors, they also learn about accepting each other's differences and how it sometimes just takes one voice to make everyone count. acceptance, bullying, confidence, tolerance, upstander

The Sandwich Swap. Lily and Salma are best friends. They like doing all the same things, and they always eat lunch together. Lily eats peanut butter and Salma eats hummus — but what's that between friends? It turns out, a lot. Before they know it, a food fight breaks out. Can Lily and Salma put aside their differences? Or will a sandwich come between them? The smallest things can pull us apart — until we learn that friendship is far more powerful than difference. In a glorious three-page gatefold at the end of the book, Salma, Lily, and all their classmates come together in the true spirit of tolerance and acceptance. acceptance, friendship, tolerance

Well, I Can Top That! Brad has a lot of great things going on in his life, or at least that's what he tells all of his classmates! When one student won a contest, he told about how he won an even bigger contest! When another student broke his arm, he told about how he broke both arms AND both legs! Award-winning author Julia Cook teaches children how to be a good friend by sharing the spotlight. Children and adults will get a real kick out of Brad's tall tales as he learns the importance of being a 'Pull-Upper,' not a 'One-Upper.' This is the first book in the Communicate with Confidence series designed to teach kids key skills that will help them be more successful by mastering the art of communicating. communication, friendship, humility, self-control, sharing

What If Everybody Did That? If you drop just one soda can out the window, it’s no big deal ... right? But what if everybody did that? What if everybody broke the rules ... and spoke during story time, didn’t wash up, or splashed too much at the pool? Then the world would be a mess. But what if everybody obeyed the rules so that the world would become a better place? Using humorous illustrations rendered in mixed media, these questions are answered in a child-friendly way and show the consequences of thoughtless behavior. fairness, following rules, positive behavior