Review: IT'S TOO SHORT
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 21, 2013
I'm sure we all know someone who complains far too much: if the sun shines and its 77 degrees that person says it's too cold, but if the sun shines and it's 78 degrees that person complains about the the heat...even when the humidity and cloud cover is identical.This book begins with a little complainer. He doesn't dare complain to the person, uh, tree he believes to be causing his troubles because that trouble-maker is bigger than he is, a whole lot bigger than he is.But the tree he complains to won't have it. He,or maybe she, sets little cedar straight. Before the end of the book there's proof that the conversation between them was true.Little cedar has one thing left to do. Once you've accused someone falsely, you swallow your pride and do the right thing. Be sure your kids aren't too proud for that.This is a great book, but as I said, it's far too short. It could serve to stop a bad habit before it's really ingrained. If you have a child who's beginning to demand you do things his way, or always has to go first,this book just might help you break that trend. Do it now, don't wait till later.One thing that really rubbed me the wrong way as a teacher was the kid who insisted he didn't say that, oh no, he never made a mistake.Guess where those kids picked up that attitude. Of course you wouldn't know. You see, when their parents came in for concerts, plays or even teacher conferences I SAW where that behavior came from. A woman bumps a man so hard he nearly falls, but when he turns around the woman says," Oh, that wasn't me!"We've turned into a nation of "Don't blame -I'm perfect" people.NO ONE LIVING ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH IS PERFECT.The best way to teach is by example. I know I've been just as grumpy as that little cedar and for no reason, just like the tree had no reason. But I'm not sure I always had the good sense and common courtesy to apologize, like this sapling did.By the way, the colors are great, but the person who drew the little cedar has never seen the type of cedars that grow in Kentucky. I didn't know there were cedars like the one in the book. (Maybe there aren't.)