book bonanza: one

Sep 17, 2011

Fisher’s birthday book this year is One by Kathryn Otoshi. This book tells the story of blue, a sweet, sensitive color that likes being blue until red makes fun of him by saying “Red is hot, Blue is NOT!” No one stands up to red, not orange, purple, yellow, or green. They all let red bully them around until One comes and teaches them to stand up and COUNT.

I fell in love with this story when I read it at the bookstore. I had previously considered Ferdinand and King Jack and the Dragon, but neither of them felt absolutely perfect. I want to read those with him soon, but I didn’t think they were quite the right book for his birthday book. Then I found One. I’m actually still not settled on it, but I DO love it and I DID buy it and Richard LOVES it and thinks it is the right one, so it is a done deal.

This is certainly a lesson Fisher needs to learn…that we all matter and we all count and it just takes one person to stand up and make a difference. We all need to learn that lesson…that truth that each of us is a child of God, a literal creation of the Almighty.

One of our family’s favorite quotes is from The Lord of The Rings when Galadriel is speaking to Frodo, trying to give him courage for the next part of his quest. She says “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” These words hang on the wall of our learning room and I hope to imbed them on each of my children’s hearts. Each of us, no matter how small, can make a difference. Each of us can be the one to stand up for truth. Each of us can love and serve and give. Each of us can be God’s hands on earth.

This book is one piece of the puzzle in teaching this message. I can’t wait to read it with him tomorrow morning for his birthday!