Here is a current picture of myself:
Here I will discuss my favorite children's book and why I love it:
Title: Coat of Many Colors
By: Dolly Parton
Illustrator: Judith Sutton
The book listed above is my favorite children's book. It speaks about a young girl who comes from a family who doesn't have much money; who lives in poverty. The young girls mother is given several different colored rags/scraps. Instead of throwing the rags away, the Mother decides to sew her daughter a coat with them. The young girl goes to school in her new coat that her Mother made her but she is laughed at and ridiculed. The young girl gives the children at school who laughed at her a lesson about what it means to be rich. (She didn't have to have money to feel rich, just knowing that her mother made her a coat and it was made with love was good enough for her.)
A quote from the book:
"And although we had no money,
I was rich as I could be,
In my coat of many colors,
That Mama made for me."
I'm sure the girl was hurt and angry considering that she was teased but what was more important to her was the coat that her Mama took the time to make for her. She felt loved by her Mother and because she knew she had her Mothers love, she considered herself rich. Sometimes love is just enough to pull someone through! It really does make a difference!
I love this book for many reasons. I adore Dolly Parton as a person, an actress, and a singer. She has done so many wonderful things for children and for families. She has her own theme park, her own line of beautiful wigs, she has written several books, has her own literacy program where she sends children one free book a month from her " Dolly Partons Imagination Library." She is just an all around wonderful person. I love that Dolly writes the book about herself. I also love how she ensures to let her audience know that you don't need money to feel rich but rather having someone love you and feeling loved by family makes you richer then having money. It's a good message for children who aren't very appreciative. It's a good eye opener for children who come from families that don't have a lot of money.
A quote that is meaningful to me:
A quote that is meaningful to me:
"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, how much was in it, the sort of house that I lived in, or the kind of car that I drove.....but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."
-Written by: Forest E. Witcraft-
-Written by: Forest E. Witcraft-
Stacy - I love the quote - Who said it?
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite quotes as well. I have it posted in my classroom, right next to my poem about snow days. ;)
ReplyDeleteHere is a copy of it...
A Teacher's Snow Prayer
Oh, Lord, let it snow.
Let it drift and let it blow.
In the morning, no real fuss,
Just enough to stop the bus.
Enough to make the County say:
"There will be no school today."
Let the radio report: "Snow's deep!"
And I'll roll over for more sleep.
Then later on, say maybe ten,
I'll turn the radio on again.
Just in time to hear them say:
"It's strange; the snow has gone away!"
And then I'll know, You made it stop,
So I can go to the mall and shop.
Please, Lord, just hear my teacher's plea,
And make it snow for the kids and me!
I had never heard of that children's book before. It sounds like a great book to use in the beginning of the year to help students understand that each child comes from a different background. I know where I used to teach money was tight for a lot of families but then you had a few students whose families were doing quite well. Sometimes the students who were a little better off would ask why another student often wore the same clothes each week and this book sounds like it would be a great resource to explain money on a child's level. This book would enhance a lesson we teach each year about wants and needs since students often have difficulties understand why a DS or PSP is not a "need". Thanks for sharing this book! Do you use this book in your classroom? If so how do you incorporate it?
ReplyDeleteI am so excited you posted this book on your site. I have never heard of it before, but I plan on ordering the book for my own personal library. I intend on using the book for my students as well as my own children. It's always good to reinforce the lesson that material things don't define you, but what really counts is having love and having respect for others. Dolly Parton is a true humanitarian.
ReplyDeleteI love the story you shared. I would love to read this book in it's entirety. I can identify with the young girl who didn't have much money. I didn't come from a family that had a lot of money but I was raised to hold my head up and never feel like I was less than anyone else. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete