The Brand New Kid

I bought this for a friend of mine who grew up as a Swedish foreign exchange student in a California school. To be honest, she really can't stand Katie Couric from the today show, but I thought she could relate to the story told here. Forget that this is written by a celebrity...also look passed the forced rhymes and awkward phrasing used here, and there. The pictures are great and there is a nice message here...that different is good, and that children should be accepting of other cultures. I love the ethnic mother depicted here, she reminded me of my grandmother, who was also teased in school by having an accent and having lived abroad. I think this would be a great book for any kid starting at a new school, or any child that may be different for any reason. It just shows that it takes all sorts of people to make the world interesting.

Aaaahhhhhhh, what a grand story with a golden rule theory. This will help in many aspects of caring in general and shine a new light on messages with a rhyming effect. Read it to your little ones and let the older ones read it to you. Different is good and we can all benefit from it. Thanks Katie for reminding us to treat children the way we want to be treated.

I read this book to my 8 yr old daughter and 3 yr old son last night - we all 3 received a lesson in the golden rule - treating others like we would want to be treated. This book doesn't hit you over the head with a 2 x 4 - instead it makes you think about the people you should have or could have been more kind or open to in the past. It is a fun book to read out aloud - the rhymes made us all laugh. Highly recommeded by all of us!

This is a great little book that deals well with a difficult but all too common problem--kids cruelty to other kids. I chose it because of the theme of kindness (too few children's books address this issue in an amusing, engaging way). I read it to my 7 year old son, who loved the rhymes and the illustrations, and who then chatted with me for ten minutes about how important it is to reach out to other kids, and about how hard it can be. I plan to read it to my son's class this Thursday during story time, and then to conduct a discussion on how the kids can be kind to each other and why it's important to have courage. Katie Couric's poetry is fun and engaging and Marjorie Priceman's illustrations are lovely. I am a self-employed Human Resources consultant and trainer, so I mostly teach adults, and I can tell you that there are many grown-ups who encounter difficulties at work because they have never acquired the skills necessary to deal successfully with other people. It is in our best interests to spend some time teaching our kids about kindness and courage and tolerance. This book does that, and with a light hand, so that it's still fun for kids and adults. I can't wait for more books!

A great buy for children. I bought this for my daughter who is only one, but my stepdaughter who is 9 also enjoyed it. The illustrations are lovely and the story reads easily. It is whimsical and thoughtfully written and teaches children a great lesson.