It's Up to You... What Do You Do?

by Sandra McLeod Humphrey, Brian Strassburg (Illustrator)

This work is intended for ages 4-8. If a friend had wronged you, how would you react? What if someone could give you all the answers to a big test in school? Is there an easy way out of hard work? Is being popular important? From about age six through elementary school and junior high, young people are exposed almost daily to questions of personal values just like these and their responses help to develop those unique virtues that govern their actions for years to come. The twenty-five contemporary anecdotes in this book offer challenging situations involving school-age children who must make their own choices in life. Whether reading alone or sharing these stories with an adult, young readers are asked to think about what they would do. Sandra McLeod Humphrey defines the principles that support strong personal integrity, compassion, loyalty, perseverance, self-discipline, personal accountability, and many others. Far more important than reaching a correct answer is the process of arriving at a well-reasoned conclusion.

Genres: Social Issues

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 1998

Reviews

[Terry]

The stories are realistic and resonate with young readers. Read more of why this book is such a hit with teens.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a lot of fun to read with my kids (ages 6 & 10). I had the pleasure of reading this book as a prerelease promotion thru Goodreads. I think the idea behind the book is a really great one, and Sandra did a fantastic job capturing the interest of a greatly varied audience. I picked this book up the night I received it in the mail and read the kids one of the stories, just as we finished eating dinner. We enjoyed sharing our answers to the discussion questions. The next night they were actually asking me to "read another one" with them.

I think the best part about this book was that so many of us parents want to have intellectual, moral, and ethical conversations with our kids, we just (in our ever hasty lives) don't always have an approach until something comes up, or as in our home, the kids have irksome questions smack in the middle of a tv show my husband is watching.

The problems with these approaches are first, if something has already "come up," it might not be too late to talk about, but the discussions are usually followed by the "Wow, I wish we had talked about this sooner." Like when I found out my daughter bought a bouquet of 20 suckers for $5 dollars from the school (rip off?), then I found out it was for a good cause (kid needing an organ transplant fundraiser), but then discovered that 3 of those dollars were given to her by her less $$ savvy younger brother because "he just thought she was a wonderful big sister." Man, with 4 sisters and four brothers of my own- if they knew it worked like that I would be broke! And, it wasn't very wonderful of her to accept payment for being so awesome... sort of negates the awesomeness, I think.

The discussions during TV shows are also great, when you have someone willing to push pause on the DVR to explain things. :) The other day Charli asks me, "Mom, how can you tell if a guy is "playing" you?" This was a week after a boy in her class had given her his number (which was actually all very innocent-this time). But, I was a little taken aback by her inquiry, luckily I was able to draw out of her what started her wonderings. She was referring to the glimpse she had of the show 24. Dad was watching it when she went to give him a kiss goodnight. I don't know much about that scene other than to say, I was both horrified and relieved to find out the reference had to do with bad guys and guns and stand off's.

Anyway, the stories were gulp length, so not overwhelming to younger kids, and not to watered down for the older ones. I liked that it allowed room for us to branch off and discuss other things but really opened the floor to constructive family discussion. The best part is that the author never pushed her ideals on the readers, but encouraged parents or readers to decide where they stood, and recognize who they are in relationship to the circumstances in the stories.

Great book for a family night!

[Sandra McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interactive book about moral choices for ages 8 and up. There are 25 stories about moral dilemmas and the reader is asked what he or she would do in that situation. Each story is also followed by thought questions which stimulate great discussions both in the home and in the classroom. Recipient of the 2008 American Authors Association Silver Quill Award.

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great as a conversation starter in my ELD class. It presents situations with which my grade 4/5 students can relate, and really think about. Sometimes I read aloud just the stories, and other times I utilized the questions included at the end of each story. Excellent concept.