30th April Honesty Day

Honesty Day is a special day celebrated every year, encouraging everyone to be truthful and open in all aspects of life! It is a challenge to us to be be truthful in all we do.

For young readers honesty means being truthful in words and actions. It means not telling lies, not taking things that don’t belong to them, and keeping their promises. It’s a simple principle that forms the foundation of trust and integrity.

It is also something that the young children I teach find hard at times. They are very used to getting what they want when they want it and they are reluctant to wait, persevere, own up or take responsibility for their actions.

Picture books focusing on honesty show children the importance of being truthful and handling difficult situations with integrity. Some of the books that are recommended are very dogmatic and/or heavy-handed. I would rather a story where students get to discuss what has happened and what could or should be done.

It’s Felix’s birthday tomorrow! His best friend, Fiona has promised to bake cupcakes to celebrate, and Felix can’t wait. But the next morning, Fiona arrives at the party with no cupcakes . . . and a tall tale that’s as colourful as raspberry icing with lemon sprinkles. Fiona’s little lie points the finger at three likely suspects, but Felix has a feeling that she might be getting in deeper and deeper. 

When Finn accidentally breaks his grandma's precious clock, he tells a teeny tiny little lie - and blames it on his sister instead! Soon, Finn's little fib is OUT OF CONTROL, and it's getting in the way of everything! Can he find a way to tell the truth?

When Little Croc and his friends find a purse filled with money, they must decide whether to spend the money or turn in the p

But being the best takes time and training, especially when it comes to having the loudest growl. Then, one morning, disaster strikes--Fred's GRRRRR is gone! Oh, no! Will Fred find his GRRRRR and realize that there's more to life than being a winner?

When Betty Bunny breaks a lamp, she has a brand-new idea: Blame it on someone else (like the Tooth Fairy)! Then a vase gets broken and Betty Bunny really didn't do it. But now no one in her family believes her. Honest lies, white lies, crying wolf—how can one four-year-old figure out the right thing to do?

The bear’s journey from forest to city and back home again is full of happy accidents, funny encounters, and sensory delights. The story is so engrossing, it’s not until the very end that we begin to suspect this is a TALL tale. 
 

Ruben sees a dollar bill fall out of someone’s purse. He picks it up and puts it in his pocket. But when he gets home, he discovers it’s not one dollar or even five or ten—it’s a hundred-dollar bill, more than enough for a new bike just like Sergio’s! But what about the crossed-off groceries? And what about the woman who lost her money?

Feeling lonely after moving to a new neighbourhood, Colette invents a story about a lost pet bird to gain the attention of the neighbourhood children. As the interest of her new friends grows, it leads Colette into a web of embellishments. 

An Emperor challenges the children in his kingdom to grow a seed. Ping tends to his seed but only has an empty pot when spring arrives. The king rewards Ping for his honesty by making him the next emperor.

“Nothing ever happens here,” the shepherd thinks. But the bored boy knows what would be exciting: He cries that a wolf is after his sheep, and the town’s people come running. How often can that trick work, though? 

There are many versions of this fable. It doesn't have to be this one.

Truth is a matter of perspective. Alexander T. Wolf tries to persuade readers that the mishap with the three little pigs is one big misunderstanding.

If your students are older or you want to take this concept further look for these two books.

In this spare, ingenious story that reads like a modern-day parable, follow a sad little fact that is locked away for telling the truth. In its underground prison, it meets other facts, all hidden away because they could not lie. Finally, with the help of a few skillful fact finders, the facts are able to spread truth--something that ultimately can't be denied. Though some people continue to ignore them, the facts are out in the world, ready for anyone who wants to hear, because "a fact is a fact," and that's that.

Do you know the difference between a fact and an opinion? It can be a hard thing to understand. Some things are facts--like the number of robots in this book. Other things are opinions--like which robot would make the best friend, or which robot dances best. And sometimes to tell the difference between a fact and an opinion, you need to wait to get more information--that's because facts can be proven true or false, and opinions are things you feel and believe--but that you can't prove.