Its Okay to Be Different is wonderful book to show kids that we are all different in our own ways and some ways that we are different. Maybe some of us are missing teeth, or need some help from friends. Maybe we wear glasses, or need some wheels to get around. Maybe we have lots of hair or no hair. Its okay to talk about our feelings! There are lots of positivity and good feelings to be spread throughout this book. I think this would be a wonderful character development book in kindergarten. I would have my students create a version of themselves to finish the sentence "Its okay to be....." and make a drawing to go with it and their name. This is something that I would also love to hang these in the hallway to show our classes unique features and show the rest of the school it is okay to be different!

Lexile Measurement: AD200L

Camilla loves Lima beans but she NEVER eats them. Her classmates all hate lima beans so to try and fit in Camilla refuses to eat them despite how much she loves them them. One day Camilla turns up with a rainbow stripes all over her! Every time she worries about what others will think it gets worse and worse! None can figure out what is causing Camilla to turn different colors and swelling up. Eventually, an old lady reveals that the only way to solve a case of he stripes is to eat lima beans. This is a wonderful story for character development and to show your students that they should all like what they like no matter what their classmates like. An activity I would use with this book is having students create their "stripes" with things that they like/ their personality on their "face" (a face given tot hem that they color to look like themselves). This could spark a discussion on character traits and personality. 

Lexile Measurement: AD610L

This was one of my favorite books growing up. I loved reading it over and over again. This book teaches kids that even if they like something everyone else doesn't keep liking it anyways. Camilla loved lima beans and the more she tried to prove she didn't the worse the stripes got. Until she finally owned that she loved to eat lima beans. 

I would use this in a lesson about cause and effect. It could also contribute to a lesson on character development. 

Lexile Level:AD610L

This is a part of the series Elephant and Piggie. Elephant has some ice cream and is conflicted about if he should share his ice cream with Piggie. As Elephant debates it his ice cream melts. Piggie comes along and shares her ice cream with Elephant. 

This book is for lower elementary grades. I would use this book to promote sharing and generosity. Let the students discuss times they has shared something with a friend. I would give out a small toys and run out on purpose. I would ask if there was any way everyone could have some. This would prompt some students to share and be generous. 

Lexile Level: 260L

Grace loved stories! One day the school has auditions for Peter Pan. Grace wants to be Peter. She is told by her class mates that she can not be Peter because she is a girl and because she is black. Her grandmother takes her to a ballet to see an African american girl who played Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet". Grace was inspired by this and on Monday she rocked her audition and got the part. The play was amazing and her classmates thought so too.  

I would use this as an aid in character development. Students would list the qualities they liked about grace. They would then draw a random name of a classmate from a hat and list three good qualities about that classmate. 

Lexile Level:680L