Books for PurposeFull People/Character Strong Traits at Robbins: Respect

To squish or not to squish? A child has a chance to squish an ant, but before doing so, the ant pleads its case.

Will Camilla Cream survive loving lima beans even though none of her friends eat them?

Take a walk with Lena and her mom to see and discuss the different colors and shades of our skin tone.

Little Blue loved being blue, except when red was around. Can Blue stand up to the hot head?

A funny and honest school story about teasing, self-esteem, and acceptance to share all year round.

A touching tale of Gerald the giraffe, who wants nothing more than to dance. With crooked knees and thin legs, it's harder for a giraffe than you would think. Gerald is finally able to dance to his own tune when he gets some encouraging words from an unlikely friend.

A class community makes a commitment to one another: when a student is found bullying, the students become upstanders and support both the student be bullied and the student doing the bullying.

Readers explore the consequences of their actions by exploring the question, "what if everybody did that?" This book particularly explores how children can show Respect for their community and the environment.

This book provides and incredibly helpful metaphor that helps children explore ways to show Respect, its impact, and reasons why others may struggle to show Respect. It's a practical and powerful tool to help students understand the importance of showing Respect regardless of whether or not it's received.

This book is all about treating others like you would want them to treat you, which is helpful when teaching students about Respect because everyone can relate to wanting to be treated nicely.

This book teaches that all humans are alike, even though we may look and think differently. Students will learn even though someone is different than you, they should be treated with Respect.

This is more than just a story about a father-son fishing trip. It's about understanding cultures old and new.

Something Else tries to be like everyone else. But everything he does shows how different he is. Then one night, Something shows up. Has Something Else finally met someone just like himself?

Living in peace with your neighbor isn't always easy, but it's more difficult if you're a bear living in a New York City brownstone, getting ready to hibernate, and the kangaroos are tap dancing upstairs. Happily, the wise owl landlord rearranges everybody so they can live in peace. This warm and funny story shows that you can learn to Respect and live with others who are different from you.

It's Rakhi, the Hindu holiday special to brothers and sisters, and Arun wishes he had a sister with whom to celebrate. His parents are going to adopt a baby girl named Asha. She is coming all the way from India, where Arun's dad was born. It will be almost a year until they receive governmental approval to bring Asha home. Arun is impatient and struggles to accept the long delay, but as time passes he finds his own special ways to build a bond with his sister, who is still halfway around the world. This story taps into feelings of longing, love, and joy that adoption brings to many families.

Told in lively and powerful verse, this book is a beautiful depiction of a modern Native American family. Fry bread is food piled high on a plate and it is time that brings families together for meals and new memories. Fry bread is nation, shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond. Fry bread is us - a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.

Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela thinks she has way too many names: six! Alma turns to her family for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all — and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell.

Freddy’s class will all do something kind for a random person. Freddy is a little worried he might pick Max the class bully.

A girl has a hula-hooping competition with her friends in Harlem, and soon everyone in the neighborhood joins in on the fun. Kameeka is confident that today she will finally beat her rival, Jamara, and become the Hula-Hoopin’ Queen of 139th Street. But then Mama reminds her that today is their neighbor Miz Adeline’s birthday, and Kameeka has a ton of chores to do to get ready for the party they are hosting. The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen is a charming celebration of family and community ties. Set in Harlem, this intergenerational story shows the importance of staying young at heart.

Chloe and her friends won't play with the new girl, Maya. Every time Maya tries to join Chloe and her friends, they reject her. Eventually Maya stops coming to school. When Chloe's teacher gives a lesson about how even small acts of kindness can change the world, Chloe is stung by the lost opportunity for friendship, and thinks about how much better it could have been if she'd shown a little kindness toward Maya.
Coretta Scott King Honor

Describes good manners such as sharing, being patient, and being respectful, and shows how these manners and other character values can be used on the playground.

Morris is a little boy who loves using his imagination. But most of all, Morris loves wearing the tangerine dress in his classroom's dress-up center. The children in Morris's class don't understand. Dresses, they say, are for girls. And Morris certainly isn't welcome in the spaceship some of his classmates are building. Astronauts, they say, don't wear dresses. One day when Morris feels all alone and sick from their taunts, his mother lets him stay home from school. Morris dreams of a fantastic space adventure with his cat, Moo. Inspired by his dream, Morris paints the incredible scene he saw and brings it with him to school. He builds his own spaceship, hangs his painting on the front of it and takes two of his classmates on an outer space adventure. With warm, dreamy illustrations, Isabelle Malenfant perfectly captures Morris's vulnerability and the vibrancy of his imagination.

What if everybody were more thoughtful before they judged someone? If you see someone in a wheelchair, you might think he or she couldn't compete in a race. But...you might be wrong. What if you see a child with no hair? Do you think she is embarrassed all the time? How about a kid who has a really hard time reading? Do you think that means he's not smart? You might think so. But...you might be wrong. With clear prose and lighthearted artwork, this companion book to the bestseller What If Everybody Did That? explores the preconceived notions we have about the world and encourages kids to be more thoughtful.

In this colorful and touching story that celebrates what makes each of us unique, a little creature that's not quite a bird and not quite a bunny--it's "neither"--searches for a place to fit in.

Warty Warthog may have warts and tusks, but he likes himself that way! Join him as he celebrates all of his animal friends and the attributes that make each one unique.

An entertaining picture book that teaches the importance of asking for permission first as a young girl attempts to escape the curious hands that want to touch her hair.

Explains many different ways that children show respect and be respectful.

Readers make choices for Ben after he meets Alisha, a girl in a wheelchair. The story path leads to different consequences as readers make choices, while encouraging them to respect differences in others.

It's always important to be respectful. It instantly conveys concern for others, while also imparting our own desire to be treated properly. A little respect goes a long way, and makes the difference in every interpersonal situation. With the help of colorful photographic support, this inspiring narrative explores different situations on how to be respectful toward friends, neighbors, and family.

With grown-up words like cooperate, respect, patience and considerate, a big, boisterous and zany family celebrates the power of language and discovers that words--big or little--are the bridge that connects us all.

It's the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make human friends when they're so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all...

Bloom was an extraordinary fairy with wonderful magical skills, but the inhabitants of her glass kingdom could only see the muddy mess she left behind everywhere she went. When Bloom leaves the fussy kingdom she isn't much missed until the glass of the castle begins to crack. And when an ordinary girl named Genevieve comes asking Bloom for help, they realize it will take both of them to save the kingdom.

When the grasshopper king wants his subjects to bring him rocks so he can sit atop a tall throne looking down on them, all the bugs hurry to comply. He accepts each rock with disdain that the rocks are not bigger. When a small bug can only offer a tiny pebble, the king turns up his nose at the offering. But then his tower comes tumbling down, and it's the tiny pebble that saves his royal highness and ultimately softens his heart as the small bug persuades him that each bug deserves an equally big throne.

A picture book that empowers children to use their voices in a variety of ways to make a positive difference in the world. Describes how one should say something if they have an idea, if they see an injustice, or if they just want to introduce themselves and state their beliefs.

Lopez adapts the song “He's Got the Whole World in His Hands” to a song about tolerance, friendship, and diversity throughout the world. The sheet music is included in the back.

When Moose ruins Rabbit's birthday party by eating the whole cake himself, he must find a way to make amends. After baking another cake, Moose learns that he loves sharing cake with friends most of all.

When a dragon kidnaps Prince Ronald, Princess Elizabeth sets off to rescue him.