Parents and their children came to listen to and discuss stories representing the vibrant and diverse background of Dalton’s families at the PA’s Share Our Stories on November 8th, 2007.  It was also a night of bookmark making for Project Sunshine, pizza eating and entertaining storytelling by actress Kerry Butler, and musician and Dalton parent, Roy Eaton.  Many Dalton parents read books and lead discussions about conflict resolution, various cultures, races and religions, differing appearances, learning styles and fulfilling dreams.  

Many thanks to our co-chairs:  Susan Fox, Claire Hannan-Radomisli, Soigne Kothari, Julie Turaj and Sarah Woods.

A list of the books and their summaries can be found below:

Freckleface Strawberry
By Julianne Moore
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Freckleface Strawberry is just like everyone else, except that she has red hair and freckles, but when she tries to hide who she is, she learns about true friendship and accepting yourself just as you are.

The Meanest Thing to Say
by Bill Cosby; illustrated by Varnette P. Honeywood
When a new boy in his second grade class tries to get the other students to play a game that involves saying the meanest things possible to one another, Little Bill shows him a better way to make friends.

Elena’s Serenade
By Campbell Geeslin
Illustrated by Ana Juan
In Mexico, a little girl goes on a journey to learn to be a glassblower and gains confidence along the way.

Henry the Dog with No Tail
By Kate Feiffer
Illustrated by Jules Feiffer
Envious of the other dogs that have tails, Henry an Australian shepherd goes in search of a tail of his own, but in the end he decides he is happy the way he is.

Thank You Mr. Falker
By Patricia Polacco
Trisha loves school until her inability in reading makes her feel dumb. Luckily, in the fifth grade, her teacher, Mr. Falker, uses his specialized skills to help her learn to read and overcome her problem.

Mr. Peabody’s Apple
By Madonna
Illustrated by Loren Long
In the town of Happville (which wasn't a very big town) ... Mr. Peabody congratulated his Little League baseball team on a great game. They had not won, but no one really cared, because they'd had such a good time playing.  But after he was seen taking an apple from Mr. Funkadeli's market, the rumors - and the feathers - started to fly ... changing the game forever.

One Grain of Rice
By Demi
A raja in India decrees that the rice farmers in his province must give him nearly all their rice to store for himself. After a bad growing season, the raja continues to demand the rice, and the people are faced with a severe scarcity problem - famine. Luckily, a young maiden develops a plan to get the rice back from the raja.

The Wild Boy
By Mordicai Gerstein
Relates the story of a boy who grew up like a wild animal in the forests of France and was later captured and studied by doctors in Paris, but never became completely civilized.

The Colors of Us
By Karen Katz
Seven-year-old Lena wants to use brown paint to paint a picture of herself.  She and her mother take a walk, and Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.

Teammates
By Peter Golenbock
Illustrated by Paul Bacon
This is the moving story of how Jackie Robinson became the first black player on a major league baseball team and how on a fateful day in Cincinnati, PeeWee Reese took a stand and declared Jackie his teammate.

Enemy Pie
By Derek Munson
Illustrated by Tara Calahan King
Hoping that the enemy pie which his father makes will help him get rid of his enemy, a little boy finds that instead it helps make a new friend.