Responsibility+(November)

November's theme is Responsibility.


 * Jamari's Drum** by Eboni Bynum and Roland Jackson

This book is in the Trotter School library collection. The people of Jamari's village believe that someone must continuously play the drums in order to keep the nearby volcano from erupting. When Jamari inherits the responsibility, he believes that nothing will happen if he stops playing for a while. However, he soon finds out how mistaken he was!


 * [[image:paperboy.jpg width="168" height="199" align="left"]]The Paperboy** by Dav Pilkey

This book is also part of the Writing Workshop Touchstone Text collection. There are multiple copies available.

**Franklin Forgets** based on characters created by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark

When Mr. Mole goes on vacation for a few days, Franklin convinces him that he is responsible enough to take care of his garden among other chores. But Franklin gets distracted by other events and then forgets to complete Mr. Mole's chores until it is too late. He tries to fix his mistake, but it only gets worse. In the end, Franklin makes the courageous decision to apologize to Mr. Mole and tell him about his mistakes.




 * Don't Forget! A Responsibility Story** by Anastasia Suen

Sam prefers being line leader and when it's his turn to take care of the classroom pet rabbit, he forgets until recess. He is annoyed that he misses recess, but comes to understand that each member of the classroom has different responsibilities. Tomorrow he plans to come to school early to take care of the rabbit before school starts.


 * Flora's Very Windy Day** by Jeanne Birdsall

Like all big sisters, Flora's younger brother Crispin can be very annoying. When her mother tells her to watch out for him on a very windy day, Flora considers letting the wind blow him away but thinks better of it. She gets several offers to abandon Crispin, but each time she decides to fulfill her responsibility and make sure he arrives home safely.

**Stella Louella's Runaway Book** by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Stella Louella is in a tizzy because she can't find her library book. Soon the entire town is involved in an exaggerated, frantic, and mainly ridiculous search for the book. Admittedly a bit self-serving, this book does illustrate how responsible one library patron feels about the book she borrowed. The librarian's response is also quite exemplary.

**David Gets in Trouble** by David Shannon

David shirks responsibility for everything he does until the very end. This book could be used to start class discussions. David's denials and excuses are very realistic and everyone will be able to make personal connections. This title is in the Trotter library collection.

**It's Not My Fault** by Nancy Carlson

This book is in the Trotter library collection. Although George's teacher gets him to clean up the messes he has caused, he never really accepts responsibility, even at the end. I'm interested to hear whether teachers are able to use this book effectively with their students.