Customer Reviews

The Honest-to-Goodness Truth

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My second graders absolutely loved this book. I read it aloud to the class and then they wrote a response. They were asked to tell the lesson of this story, and to relate how they had been like either Libby Louise or a victim. The children were very honest in their responses. I think this book is a must for any classroom discussion. Though it is recommended for 4-8 year olds, the message would be good for all ages.

Libby's lie to her mother came out so easily, "like it was greased with warm butter". After spending the day on the porch for lying, Libby decides to tell nothing but the truth. Her truth-telling goes overboard, causing loss of cherished friendships both young and old. Telling everyone that Thomas got his lunch money from the teacher, for example, isn't exactly what her mother had in mind. It is only when Libby is confronted with the hurtful truth of another that she comes around to understanding that the honest-to-goodness truth told for the right reasons is never wrong.

The simple illustrations lend themselves to understanding the story line. Giselle Potter used pencil, ink, gouache, gesso and watercolor to create the pictures that my young daughter and her older brother love to look at over and over again.

This is a great theme with a fun story line done in a multi-cultural setting.

Terrific book and a great read-aloud! I read this book to my elementary class. The children loved it! It provided a wonderful "spring board" for a rich classroom discussion on truthfulness.

This book is perfect to read out loud to first and second graders. It covers the importance of telling the truth at all times, but emphasizes that truth-telling should be done in a thoughtful and constructive manner. The illustrated characters are multi-hued, which resonated with the children in my kids' school. The only criticism I have is that Libby, the title character, uses a dialect that included some grammatically incorrect sentences. I quickly altered those sentences to correct grammar when I was reading it out loud to the kids. They never noticed my changes and still were enthralled by the story and we had a great discussion session about the book afterwards.

But it does include a kid getting spanked for punishment, so if you are a "No-spanking" house you should be warned.

George Washington couldn't tell a lie. We have all heard that it's best to tell the truth. But is it ever the wrong time to tell the truth? Or the wrong place? Or in the wrong way?
In the book The Honest to Goodness Truth, the main character, Libby, has to think about these questions. At first, she lies to her Mom and gets in a lot of trouble. She decides that from now on, she is always going to tell the truth. But she tells it in a mean and hurtful way. Her friends stop talking to her, and they don't like her anymore. Will Libby decide that telling the truth isn't always a good thing? Will her friends forgive her? Read the book to find out!
My class mostly rated this book either 4 or 5 stars. We thought it teaches an important lesson: telling the truth is important, but sometimes it needs to be done in a different way and a kind way. I loved the illustrations, too. You can see that Libby's friends are mad at her in the pictures. I recommend that you read this book---you'll really like it!

My family donated this book through the Temple University Alumni Holiday Book Drive. They listed desired books to purchase then donated them an elementary school. This was an effective and efficient system. I was happy to participate.

I've always taught my kids the importance of being truthful but then it's difficult to teach when it's ok to shade the truth. This story teaches the difference perfectly in a very wonderful way. A must for every grade school home library.

This book shares an important lesson that's sometimes hard for kids to grasp. They know they're supposed to always tell the truth, but when is it better to withhold the truth? This story demonstrates why it's important to be careful about how and when you share the truth, so that you don't hurt people's feelings unnecessarily. I like that this lesson is taught through the narrative and isn't heavy handed.

The one problem I have with the book is the presence of Ebonics. I have no problem with the characters in the book using some poor grammar because it's not overdone and it reflects the way some people speak. In fact, I think it's good for kids to get a sampling of how different people talk. However, the narrative itself uses improper grammar as well. So, for example, I think it's perfectly appropriate that the main character, Libby, says, "I was gon' do it soon as I got back from jumping rope with Ruthie Mae." However, I don't think it's appropriate when the narrative itself (not dialogue) says, "It was the first time Libby had lied to Mama, and as far as she was concerned it was gon' be the last." When I'm reading this, it feels unnatural to me, a mom who tries to provide good speech modeling to my kids.