Books by Value: INTEGRITY

What is integrity? Integrity is doing the right thing even when everybody or nobody knows your doing it. It is standing up for your faith, letting your faith show, being honest in word and deed, and living by your standards. This is the principle that the following picture books teach. Most of these books focus on the theme of honesty (as a subset of integrity), but they can easily lead to discussion about other aspects of integrity as well.

The Day the Crayons Quit

Not only will this story make you and your kids laugh out loud, it is also the source of a great lesson of integrity! The crayons write letters to a little boy that reveal their true feelings. Some are very happy with their lives, some wish they weren't used so much, and some wish they were used more. This book teaches us to be honest about how we feel.

Fancy Nancy: My Family History

Fancy Nancy has to do a report on her ancestors. I love this book, because not only is it about Family History work (a passion of mine), but it is also about integrity. She hears about one of her friends ancestors that did something big and amazing. She wants to make up a story about her ancestor that is just as grand. She learns though, that it is not the size of the story that matters. Our ancestors stories are all special because it reveals where we came from. Nancy teaches us to be proud of where we came from and to be honest.

And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street

A little boy wants badly to impress his dad each day by telling him inventive stories of his walk home from school. His dad asks him to tell the truth. The next day, the boy makes up a very tall tale of his walk home and is ready to tell it to his dad. At the last second he realizes he is not being honest and tells him truthfully that nothing happened on his walk home that day. This book teaches us to be honest in all we say.

Strega Nona

Strega Nona is a witch that leaves her helper alone at her home. He decides to try out her magic pot and gets into a troublesome situation when the pot won't stop making noodles. It ends up filling the whole town! This book teaches that we need to be honest in all we do even when the person we promised isn't there.

Have you read a good book that taught integrity lately?
Thanks for Reading,