Teaching kids about the harmfulness of bullying and name-calling can be tough. They don’t always understand the consequences of their actions. Finding tools to express your intentions can help. Children’s books can offer a lesson through a story that can speak to a young child.
I’m Number One is the tale of a group of toys left to their own devices when the people leave the house. A-One is a toy soldier with an attitude. He asks the other toys to wind him up, all the while complaining about the way it’s being done and hurling insults at them.
After a while, the other toys get tired of the name-calling and begin to wind him more quickly so that the mean words blend together and become nonsense. They all begin to laugh, including A-One. At the end he becomes one of the gang and learns a valuable lesson.
I’m Number One is written by Michael Rosum. Rosum is a critically acclaimed author of several books for children. He once again teams up with Bob Graham, who illustrates this story. Graham is an author and an illustrator, and the two have worked together on other projects to bring stories to life and portray characters in a way that children can understand. In this tale, the text is highlighted by the use of color and subtle changes that get the point across.
Helping kids learn to assimilate with their peers and to be kind can take more care than one would think. I’m Number One can help teach them the power of their words and actions. It will help them understand what happens when they use mean words and what they can do to change their behavior. Every kid wants to be accepted. Learning how to communicate with their classmates and the consequences of their actions will instill life lessons even in the youngest child. Knowing that they can change their behavior and turn their actions around will help them learn about forgiveness.
This book can be a great gift for any preschool teacher. It will help drive home classroom rules and values.
