Something Beautiful

By: Sharon Dennis Wyeth

"A little girl longs to see beyond the scary sights on the sidewalk and the angry scribbling in the halls of her building. When her teacher writes the word beautiful on the blackboard, the girl decides to look for something beautiful in her neighborhood. Her neighbors tell her about their own beautiful things. Miss Delphine serves her a “beautiful” fried fish sandwich at her diner. At Mr. Lee’s “beautiful” fruit store, he offers her an apple. Old Mr. Sims invites her to touch a smooth stone he always carries. Beautiful means “something that when you have it, your heart is happy,” the girl thinks. Her search for “something beautiful” leaves her feeling much happier. She has experienced the beauty of friendship and the power of hope."

Activities:

English

• Interview 5 people. Record what they think is the most beautiful thing to them.

• Using the alphabet, find something of beauty for each letter of the alphabet.

• Have children compare their own neighborhoods/schools with the book.

• Write a poem about your neighborhood.

Science

• Organize a cleaning campaign. Pick up litter at school or at home. Discuss how this effort helps the environment and maintains beauty.

Bulletin Board

• The narrator says, “Beautiful! I think it means: something that when you have it, your heart is happy.” Write the word beautiful on the board or on a large piece of paper and have each student write something that they find beautiful. Keep it up all year to inspire students to look for and appreciate beauty.

Read Aloud