All Book Links in One Place!

 We know how busy teachers are!  To make it easier to quickly find the lesson plans you need, we have provided links for the two book choices each month below.  

September Inclusivity:  Elmer's Special Day          Twig

October Respect:  Kode's Quest(ion)          Wonderfully Made

November Peacemaking:  Field of Peace          Tilt Your Head, Rosie the Red

December Humility:  Fool Moon Rising          Every Which Way to Pray

January Courage:  If I Never Forever Endeavor          It Will Be Okay

February Honesty:  Doug Dennis and the Flyaway Fib     Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie

March Forgiveness:  I Forgive You          The Bad Birthday Idea           Horrible Bear

April Justice:  Listen to the Wind           Where Will I Live?

May Compassion:  How To Heal A Broken Wing          Otis and the Scarecrow

June Charity:  Being Me          The Spiffiest Giant in Town

June's Catholic Virtue is Charity: 2 Great Book Choices!

The Catholic Virtue for June is Charity, which we defined as "giving to someone who is in need."  There are two great book choices for June:  "Being Me" by Rosemary McCarney and "The Spiffiest Giant in Town" by Julia Donaldson.

"Being Me" features Rosie, a character we have met in a previous book, "Tilt Your Head, Rosie the Red."  Rosie visits a food bank with her father and is inspired to show charity by helping to pack food boxes.  She literally runs into a classmate who is using the food bank, which provides a wonderful opportunity to discuss how everyone may need help at some point in their lives, with no shame or embarrassment attached.

June Charity 1

Our second option, "The Spiffiest Giant in Town," is about a giant who purchases all new clothing, but then gives most of the clothing away to help other animals in need.  He sings a repetitive song throughout the book, which many children enjoy joining in with.

June Charity 2

May's Virtue is Compassion: Two Book Choices!

We have chosen a second book that shares the Catholic virtue of Compassion:  "Otis and The Scarecrow" by Loren Long.  You may have read other books about Otis the Tractor...children love this series about a group of friends on the farm!  In this story, a new scarecrow arrives on the farm, and Otis and his friends learn to show compassion, even when the scarecrow does not respond to their initial friendship attempts.

May Compassion 2





The original book for May was "How to Heal a Broken Wing" by Bob Graham. It is a tender story about a boy who finds a bird with a broken wing. There are many people around, but no one stopped to help the bird, except for the boy. He and his parents take the bird home and nurse it back to health. Once the bird is well enough, he sets it free.

May Compassion 1


For those of us who are engaging in learning at home, there are copies of these stories available online, and we grant you permission to share our vocabulary cards and personal connection page with families.

April's Virtue is Justice: A Powerful Photo Essay About Refugees

The secondary text we chose for April is a powerful photo essay about the plight of refugees in our world.  This book has limited text, but the real life images of refugees highlight the challenges that they face in having their basic needs met.  Your students will be encouraged to think about what they can do to welcome newcomers to our community in an age-appropriate manner.


April Justice 3: Where Will I Live?

March's Virtue is Forgiveness...Two New Book Choices!

As those of you who have attended our recent PD sessions know, after using the lessons for our original Forgiveness book, "I Forgive You" by Nicole Lataif, with our students, we were not happy with our book choice.

We are happy to report that we found two fantastic books to address March's Catholic Virtue of Forgiveness and are sharing the full lesson plans with you!

"The Bad Birthday Idea" by Madeline Valentine shares the story of two siblings.  When the older brother accidentally breaks his sister's birthday present before she even receives it, he learns the importance of apologizing and making amends.  His gracious sister offers her forgiveness and their relationship is healed.

March Forgiveness 2: The Bad Birthday Idea





Our other choice to demonstrate the Catholic Virtue of Forgiveness is "Horrible Bear!" by Ame Dyckman.  When a bear inadvertently breaks her kite, the young girl is furious.  Her anger at the bear spills over into her home, and she herself accidentally breaks a toy.  The story culminates with an apology and forgiveness on both sides.

March Forgiveness 3: Horrible Bear!

February Book and Lessons Added

The secondary book for February's Catholic Virtue of Charity is "Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie" by Laura Rankin.

In this relatable story, Ruthie finds a special treasure on the playground and lies about it's ownership when confronted by another student.  The internal feelings of discomfort are highlighted, as well as a great connection back to January's Virtue of Courage!

February Honesty 2: Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie

The original book list

Many people have asked for a complete book list with authors. This will come in handy if you are looking to purchase a few or order all of them to have at your school!

Now you can access the original list of books in our collection in one place!

https://bit.ly/2MU5Vqb