Picture Book Review & Giveaway!

I'm excited to have the opportunity to review the book Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun: Having the Courage to Be Who You Are by Maria Dismondy, illustrated by Kimberly Shaw-Peterson.  Dismondy has this award-winning picture book and others, all focusing on the important messages of being yourself and standing up for what's right.  Read more about Dismondy and her books here.

 I think I loved this book at first sight, partly because I am passionate about peace and acceptance in the classroom (I even did my senior research project in college about building peace in the classroom), but also because the main character, Lucy, eats weird food and has out-of-control curly hair.  Sounds like a certain teacher-runner I know...(thank goodness for my CHI straightening iron...)

Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun is a sweet story about a little girl named Lucy whose grandfather teaches her that while everyone is different on the outside, we all have a heart and feelings on the inside.  Lucy is teased at school by a boy in her class, Ralph, for having poofy hair like a poodle and for eating spaghetti in a (you guessed it) hot dog bun for lunch.  One day, when Ralph gets himself stuck on the monkey bars, Lucy sees her opportunity to tease him right back, but, realizing how scared he is, she helps him instead.

Both Lucy and Ralph learn an important lesson in this book, and it would make the perfect read aloud in an elementary classroom to set the tone for the year, introduce conflict resolution strategies, or stop a bullying problem before it gets out of hand.  The story is simple and easy to understand, and the pictures are beautiful and full of color.  This picture book would best suit primary grade-aged kiddos.  A follow up activity in a first or second grade classroom might be for the kids to draw a picture and write a sentence about what makes them special and different from others, like Lucy is different because of her favorite foods and hair.  Even if you're not a teacher, this would be a great family read aloud and discuss starter!

Now, the best part--Maria Dismondy was kind enough to provide me with TWO copies of Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun, so I am giving one signed copy away to a reader!

Yikes!  Sorry about the awful glare!

To enter to win your very own copy of this special picture book, simply leave a comment below telling me why you'd like to win or what you'd like to do with this book.  Are you hoping to share it with your children?  Read it as part of a bullying lesson in your classroom?  I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!  This giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, January 15th.  I will choose a winner using random.org and will post the winner the following morning.  Thanks for entering, and be sure to stop by Maria Dismondy's website!

Disclaimer: I was provided with one copy of the book to review and one to giveaway.  I was not asked to provide a specific opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this post are my own.