Pistes d'exploration

Talk about specific pages in the book: “It’s okay to be mad.” (How can you express anger without hurting anyone?) “It’s okay to be proud of yourself.” (What are you proud of?) “It’s okay to come in last.” (How does it make you feel? How can you help someone who feels bad about this?)

Complete a Venn diagram about you and a friend, showing how you are the same and how you are different. Use both words and pictures.

Draw and label: What makes you different? Draw a picture and label it showing what makes you unique!

Act out the story with the whole class.

Make a Venn diagram about you and a friend, showing how you are the same and how you are different (use words or pictures).

Write and illustrate a story about yourself: “It’s okay to____.”

A Bad Case of Stripes, The Peace Book, Oddrey

Mots-clés

Picture book , acceptance , differences , diversity , individuality , multiculturalism , recurrent language

Commentaire descriptif

This striking picture book celebrates the great variety among human beings, whether it’s how we look, how we feel, our lifestyle or our unique capabilities. Through repetition of the simple phrase “It’s okay,” the book brings beginner readers a message of reassurance and acceptance—of themselves, and others. Tangible examples are rooted in the world of children: “It’s okay to get mad,” “It’s okay to have different dads,” “It’s okay to wear glasses.” Bold, childlike drawings with thick black outlines,are filled with flat areas of vibrant colour. “It’s okay to have big ears” shows the friendly whiskered face of a yellow rabbit, its blue ears extending outside the bounds of the hot-pink background. “It’s okay to have wheels” depicts a child rolling along in a wheelchair. Fun, friendly and charming, the illustrations also serve to anchor more abstract concepts in the language. When an alien floats past Saturn, “It’s okay to come from a different place.” Young readers will find the message of this simple and positive book very helpful as they embark on ever-widening circles of school and social experience.