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What If Everybody Thought That?
(What If Everybody? #3)
by
What if everybody were more thoughtful before they judged someone?
If you see someone in a wheelchair, you might think he or she couldn’t compete in a race. But…you might be wrong. What if you see a child with no hair? Do you think she is embarrassed all the time? How about a kid who has a really hard time reading? Do you think that means he’s not smart? You might think so. ...more
If you see someone in a wheelchair, you might think he or she couldn’t compete in a race. But…you might be wrong. What if you see a child with no hair? Do you think she is embarrassed all the time? How about a kid who has a really hard time reading? Do you think that means he’s not smart? You might think so. ...more
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My family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books every year. This is book #21 (of 21, so the last, I promise!) of 2019, and we had mixed reviews (in other words, some liked it, and I didn’t so much). What If Everybody Thought That? is part of a series by Ellen Javernik that makes the basic point that we should be tolerant of what other people think and say and do.
Lyra (12): 3. Totally sweet, nice moral telling everyone to try to find the best in people [see below whether you would ...more
Lyra (12): 3. Totally sweet, nice moral telling everyone to try to find the best in people [see below whether you would ...more
Goodreads Choice Awards Project: Read as many of the opening round Best Picture Book nominees as possible. I previously read two, so 12 to go!
Best of intentions, worst execution. One page sets up a scenario in which people think nasty or closed-minded thoughts, usually involving a person with a disability or some other physical challenge, and the next page upends those snap judgements and poor expectations. Just that, over and over, with some scenarios seeming less likely than others, and some o ...more
Best of intentions, worst execution. One page sets up a scenario in which people think nasty or closed-minded thoughts, usually involving a person with a disability or some other physical challenge, and the next page upends those snap judgements and poor expectations. Just that, over and over, with some scenarios seeming less likely than others, and some o ...more
Boring, didactic, and honestly just seems to focus too much on the kids' judgmental thoughts and seemed to not give them enough credit? Idk, maybe I live in more multi-cultural society than the audience of this book, but kids never having heard of sushi and like very common Mexican food like refried beans and tacos and saying they sound gross seems totally unrealistic to me. Also, terrible offensive depiction of a fat kid as the red-faced slowest person in the race. Everyone will surprise you wi
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Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee 2019
This book is supposed to be about not judging people or things until you get to know them or try something. Also, you should not stereotype people because you don’t know what they are capable of. They are guilty of this themselves. In the entire book, there is only one overweight kid. They have her illustrated as being the last one to finish the race. She appears to be struggling and is all red faced. I’ve known many sporty overweight kids who could have won t ...more
This book is supposed to be about not judging people or things until you get to know them or try something. Also, you should not stereotype people because you don’t know what they are capable of. They are guilty of this themselves. In the entire book, there is only one overweight kid. They have her illustrated as being the last one to finish the race. She appears to be struggling and is all red faced. I’ve known many sporty overweight kids who could have won t ...more
An important message that ends up feeling a bit forced.
The message here is superficially good, but I found the format somewhat inaccessible and the message to lack substance when considered more deeply. Throughout the book various scenarios are presented where school children are depicted thinking mean, judgmental, or dismissive thoughts about a fellow classmate. For example, a child who is depicted as neurodivergent is shown spelling a word wrong on the board, and his classmates think thoughts such as "he shouldn't be in this class." On the next pa
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i mean, it was very didactic, but it might work for some.
Great message, but wished for a more fulfilling ending.
This is one of those "message" books dressed up with cuteness. Kind of a good way to teach your kid that reading is not fun. Did I mention I hate "message" books? Not saying the message wasn’t good - and the art was lovely but meh.
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I agree with sentiment, but this is not good. The format is first a double-page illustration with some kids thinking negative thoughts about another child. The narration says "What if everybody thought that?" Flip the page and the child is doing something special and the text says "They might be wrong."
Like, the opening page is a group of kids doubting a short boy playing basketball. This is followed by him flying up to the basket.
First of all, I would have preferred something more realistic, l ...more
Like, the opening page is a group of kids doubting a short boy playing basketball. This is followed by him flying up to the basket.
First of all, I would have preferred something more realistic, l ...more
A tolerance book. It was all right. A little cheesy.
Last year, I shared the book What If Everybody Said That? with you. What If Everybody Thought That? is another book in this wonderful children’s book series that teaches children that kindness matters. And kindness doesn’t just matter in our words but in our thoughts too.
What we think matters because what we think is shown by how we act. If we think someone can’t be a basketball player because they’re shorter, we might not pick them for our team. If that were the case, Isaiah Thomas may never ha ...more
What we think matters because what we think is shown by how we act. If we think someone can’t be a basketball player because they’re shorter, we might not pick them for our team. If that were the case, Isaiah Thomas may never ha ...more
The first two books in this series were wonderful.
The third one.... not a winner. The book covers controversial topics in a way that appears to make a joke about people's differences. The way this particular book covers these topics such as alopecia, cultural diversity, and learning disabilities is not developmentally appropriate for the elementary school ages, which I believe is the target audience. Although the examples regarding how to lift one another up are positive, the way in which the b ...more
The third one.... not a winner. The book covers controversial topics in a way that appears to make a joke about people's differences. The way this particular book covers these topics such as alopecia, cultural diversity, and learning disabilities is not developmentally appropriate for the elementary school ages, which I believe is the target audience. Although the examples regarding how to lift one another up are positive, the way in which the b ...more
Dec 13, 2019
Lo
added it
I had high & unrealistic expectations based on the title. That sentiment that diversity of thought is crucial for our species' survival is one that I wish more adults understood, so teaching it to kids would be phenomenal!
This was more about not judging others, though, and how people can defy your expectations and surprise you. There was some good disability representation, which I appreciate, but overall it just wasn't very "fun," and I think it might be a bit hokey for real children. I'm pret ...more
This was more about not judging others, though, and how people can defy your expectations and surprise you. There was some good disability representation, which I appreciate, but overall it just wasn't very "fun," and I think it might be a bit hokey for real children. I'm pret ...more
Sometimes when people see things they don’t understand they may form a negative opinion. In this handy guide young readers will see the thoughts of characters when they see something they don’t understand. Young readers will also get to see what happens once these characters learn and embrace something new and different.
This book is perfect for introducing young kids to ways of life that may be different from their own and teach them how others navigate and exist in everyday life. Parents and te ...more
This book is perfect for introducing young kids to ways of life that may be different from their own and teach them how others navigate and exist in everyday life. Parents and te ...more
What's so great about this book is that usually the kids making fun have been made fun of. So when you write a book with colorful, accessible, fun illustrations and give your reader the opportunity to see how many different ways people can be mean... and in turn, kind... it will capture a very large audience. Look for the ah-ha moment at every turn of the page.
Use this charming book for small group or individual discussion starters on how words hurt and attitudes can change. Read it to your whol ...more
Use this charming book for small group or individual discussion starters on how words hurt and attitudes can change. Read it to your whol ...more
This is definitely a book to use for those social-emotional learning goals in school. It looks as how we can make judgments about people from their looks on the outside without ever giving them a chance or believing in them. The message at the end is the best and that is if we believed in the good and the potential in everyone to do everything, wouldn't that be the world that we'd like to live in. I know it would be for me and admittedly I still have a way to go.
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This book is terrific. It starts with an illustration and then kids thinking bad things about that illustration. Like a girl in a wheelchair: she cant run, she has to sit out, etc. Then it says “what if they are wrong” and the next illustrations show the more positive side of things. I’m explaning it bad, but if you read the book you get it. It’s a great and very important lesson done in a fun and easy to understand way.
+16 #wintergames #teamelectricsex #TBRread
+16 #wintergames #teamelectricsex #TBRread
I like the message but didn't love the script or the art. I'll have to check out What If Everybody Said That?, which reviewers wrote has the same message but read better.
(Picked up because it was a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee.) ...more
(Picked up because it was a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee.) ...more
What a exciting book that everyone should read because this book (#3 in the series) really shows precise detail art work,illustrations on subjects that are difficult to talk about with children. It explains questions about children in a wheelchair and other skin color. It talks about the disability, color issues and others questions that children are curious about. Very done and explicit wording which coincides with the amazing illustrations. A must read for all ages.
While I can see that this could stimulate good discussion about not judging people/new experiences before you give them a chance, I wasn’t too fond of the format. Everyone is thinking negative thoughts, no one thinks any differently? There’s not a single kid interested to try new foods? Who’s heard of the Special Olympics and doesn’t think a girl in a wheelchair can’t compete? It felt overall like quite a negative book, even though the intent was good.
This is a wonderful book to open up conversations with young ones about first impressions, not being judgmental, and being respectful of others. Children don’t often understand why things are different. With bright illustrations and simple text readers will get a look at acceptance. A great book for parents to share and a must have for school libraries.
Nov 22, 2019
Xavier Edward
added it
This book is okay.... i guess i feel it uses a bunch of examples and sometimes dose the examples mutable times it sorta feels empty heres nothing up to the ending & the lead up feels useless i like the drawing tho & also i feel some parts are hard to understand at least for me a food part seemed like green eggs and ham lol anyways thanks for reading my ted talk
book 3, i just love how these are laid out, may have not said how i started reading kiddie books, i have kind of run out of adult reads ...it is fun to see what authors that do write for kiddie ages ...they brighten my day and make you enjoy being a kid again. i appreciate that some one takes the time to brighten kiddie poohs days and world.
I absolutely love this book. It teaches the children to really think before they speak and not be so judgmental at first sight. I also like the fact on how when the kids realize that the child that they had talked about turned out to be good at something or excellent at what they do. This book teaches the kids about kindness throughout life especially their peers.
Sep 02, 2019
Juliana Lee
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
2019,
picture-books,
accepting-differences,
disabilities,
two-lions,
lesson,
message,
didactic,
strength,
individuality
Kids learn to accept each other for who they are despite real and perceived disabilities. Is the girl with a bald spot embarrassed? Can the kid in the wheelchair win the race? Can the boy who stutters sing in the school musical?
This is a good book for emphasizing empathy and encouraging children to see people that are “different” in a positive light.
The book is a little preachy and some of the text blends into the background to the point that I almost missed some of it.
The book is a little preachy and some of the text blends into the background to the point that I almost missed some of it.
Good intentions with this one, but the text was so disorganized and picture-dependent. This would make reading it aloud super difficult and require a lot of explaining, definitely taking away from the intended impact of its messages.
This is a very sweet book with an incredibly kind and uplifting message. I don't think I could make it work for story time, as much as I desperately want to, but I'll absolutely be using this for my staff recommendations!
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I didn't really like this book simply for the fact it was hard to read to my daughter. The "hidden" text meanings were confusing and the book didn't flow very well. But the meaning of the overall book was great for kids!
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Ellen Javernick is the author of more than twenty books for children, including the Children's Choice Book Award finalist The Birthday Pet, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley. She has been an elementary school teacher for more than twenty years and currently teaches kindergarten. She lives in Loveland, Colorado.
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What If Everybody?
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