Books by Value: INDIVIDUAL WORTH

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."- Dr. Seuss

There is so much to say about the value of Individual Worth. Women every where are telling each other to "be proud of yourself" and "be who you are"! 

That's what individual worth is all about...being yourself and knowing that God loves you no matter what. Your soul is of great worth to Him and those around you. What a POWERFUL message to be instilling in the hearts of our teenage sisters through the Young Women's Values!

But what I love even more is that this value is also so easy to teach our young daughters, because of how many wonderful books there are on the subject! It is never too early to teach our daughters how valuable their worth is, so that when the time comes that they see photoshopped models in fashion magazines and the rose-colored filters of social media life, they can know that they are beautiful the way they are, and that they are of infinite worth!

These seven picture books illustrate this concept perfectly. Many of them I have had the pleasure of reading to my own daughter and have quickly become personal favorites (they are a good reminder to me as well ;) 

This cute book tells the story of a little girl who likes things a little different than her classmates... as in, her favorite food is spaghetti... in a hot dog bun. When she gets made fun of by a kid at school, things get a little "iffy." But, thanks to some great family role models she quickly learns how wonderful she is, and how it doesn't matter what other people think.
This book teaches us to be proud of who we are and not to let others get us down. 

Here's a video of the book being read by the author! 

I've written about this book before, here on the blog. It is one of my absolute favorites! It was written by one of my favorite professors. 

Annie McRae is well loved by everyone in her life. She is consistently praised and supported and that helps her to do her best. One day her family and teachers are too busy to say "good job" as she goes about her day. At first this is upsetting to Annie... Then she realizes how EASY it is to be her own cheerleader! "hip, hip, hooray for Annie McRae!" she says to herself! Soon she is her own role model and is doing her best even without praise from others.

This aspect of individual worth is very important to me. As an educator I met many children who relied so heavily on praise from others that they couldn't be the makers of their own self-worth. And let's face it... sometimes in this crazy life you are going to be the only one cheering for YOU. Without knowing your own worth and being able to cheer on yourself, you are left with people who don't know how to keep going and keep trying when things get tough and they're on their own.

Part of individual worth is knowing how valuable and strong you are even when there is no one else there to cheer you on. 

(PS. this book is out of print, so snag it used when you can find it for a good price!)

I read this book often to my daughter (I wrote about it here as well). The pictures are bright and funny, the rhyming is catchy and easy to read, and the message is spot on!

"I like myself, I'm glad I'm me...there's no one else I'd rather be."

How perfect is this for this value! This mantra-like book is one that is fun to read over and over again (I have it memorized from reading it so much- and I'm SO GLAD!). And what a great moral to be repeating to our children (and ourselves)! That you like yourself. You like everything about yourself... even your hippo hips and stinky toes! You love you. the end.

Henny is a cute little chick with something very unique about her. She has arms instead of wings! At first Henny doesn't know what to do about having arms, but she soon learns her WORTH and how useful her arms can be! This book teaches us that the things that make us different can also give us special talents. 

This book makes me cry every time I read it. This isn't your average picture book. I would recommend it for older children. There are quite a few words on each page and some of the content may be too mature for really young kids (ie: handicaps, death, bullying)

But this book... oh it is so sweet. It is about a group of kids that call themselves "the junkyard gang." It is a mish-mosh class of students that didn't fit the "normal" student mold. Some students have handicaps, some are behind in school, and some are just a little different. Their teacher, however, instills in them from day one that they are special and important. She teaches them how to take advantage of the things they're good at, to be their best, and to know their worth. This book teaches us that we each have things we are good at and to know and appreciate our worth.

You will be very moved reading this book. 

This book is pretty silly... Your kids will love it! Oh and the illustrations are really cute too!

When dragons turn 7 they develop the ability to breathe fire! Crispin is so excited! But when the day finally comes, something isn't right... A whole assortment of different silly things start shooting out of Crispin's mouth! Everything except fire. 

When Crispin's special talent saves the day all the other dragons realize how great having dragons that breathe different things really is. 

Last but not least, this wonderful classic was a MUST to include in this list! 

We all know the story... a new batch of ducklings is born. It isn't long before the ducklings realize that one of their siblings is a little different. 

This little "ugly duckling" deals with a lot of inner turmoil as he tries to understand why he is different and where he belongs.

Come to find out he was different because he was really a beautiful swan! And that greatness was inside him all along!

What a perfect story to illustrate individual worth!

Here is a cute poem that I made into a print so you can hang it in your house. I love that it is in-keeping with the fairy tale aspect that so many young girls love! (Poem Source)

Like I said before, it is never to early to start teaching our young daughters (and sons) about the importance of believing in yourself and loving who you are! In fact, the earlier the better. And this group of fantastic picture books will help you do just that (and be a little sneaky about it too ;)

What books that teach self-worth are on your "must own" list?
Thanks for Reading,