10 Read Alouds: Prudence
Here are 10 of the books featured in the Prudence Book Guide, along with thoughts on how they may be used to explore the character strength of prudence and a video read aloud.
A modern folktale, Leave Me Alone is quite fun to read aloud. The facial expressions on the old woman and characters are both subtle and full of feeling, and at times very funny. Desperate to work on her knitting but consistently foiled by her big energetic family, the woman goes far, farther, farthest away so that she can finish her project. We can all relate to this, whether it’s cooking dinner, finishing homework or finishing up a project. An important part of prudence is protecting one’s resources, whether it be time, energy or things, and eliminating distractions to get things done. The main character is funny in this in that she is both prudent and decidedly not prudent. Can someone be two things at the same time? We really like this one. Sweet ending, too.
Rube Goldberg’s Simple Normal Humdrum School Day is imaginative, zany, and full of machines that subvert the “normal” way of doing things. Kids who are careful, thoughtful and conscientious may get a kick out of Rube Goldberg’s complex contraptions; this could also be a breath of fresh air for those who lean a little too hard, or overuse, on this character strength.
What Were You Thinking? encourages kids to think before they act. It can be hard to know when it’s time to be funny or silly, and when it’s time to be calm, but recognizing that is an important life skill. A companion or substitute read for younger kids could be I’m Feeling Silly (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood).
No Dragons for Tea is focused on fire safety but also provides useful practical wisdom on what to do in an emergency. It conveys important, useful information in an entertaining way, and never feels moralizing or scary.
In The Gunniwolf a little girl is not so careful with her choices. This is a classic with a catchy cadence that’s fun to read aloud, and with striking pictures. Good to read alongside this entertaining spin-off of Little Red Riding Hood.
If You Give a Dog a Donut is one of Laura Numeroff’s many great spin-offs of her original book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. We like the cute illustrations of the dog in this one, but there are nineteen of these books (here) to choose from, all helpful in exploring consequences. When kids stop and think before acting, and consider possible consequences, they are flexing the character strength of prudence, and these illustrate that in a way that’s both funny and clear.
Below is the read aloud, and here’s another one for If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. This book has also been adapted into a series streaming on Amazon Prime here.
Jeremiah Learns to Read is the story of a wise, competent adult who never learned to read. He discusses his desire to learn with those around him and, with forethought, determination and a charming, practical approach, he starts his quest. Jeremiah also models perseverance, love of learning and humility, and the kids in the story are helpful and supportive. This is an uplifting read, particularly when going through a difficult challenge or facing tough comparison with others.
The Girl and the Bicycle is both a good solo read and fun to flip through together. Wordless with illustrations that convey wants and feelings in a simple way, the story is of a little girl who sees a bike she loves and goes after it.
How to Solve a Problem: The Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion explores how superstar rock-climber Ashima Shiraishi deals with her problems. Rock-climbing is all about prudence—to make it to the top of a tricky climb, you’ve got to see different consequences, avoid risk and problem-solve. Ashima’s story is a pleasure to read and the scenes depicting her thinking are very helpful and open.
The Pink Refrigerator may or may not be the most apt to explore prudence, but I like it. A man is set in ways and does the same thing everyday. A little work at the junkyard and in his thrift shop. Then couch at home. TV. Repeat. His lifestyle restricts novelty and new experiences. One day he finds a pink refrigerator at the junkyard. Taped to it is a note that invites him to do something different. This is a good one to read and think about the nature of risk-taking and how risks may look different from one person to the next. I think the book is out of print, but some used hardcovers can be found online, and lots of copies were at our local library. A special book.
Explore more books related to the character strength of prudence here.
Prudence is in the virtue category of Temperance, along with forgiveness, humility and self-regulation. These are strengths that protect us from temptation and excess, and are connected with many positive consequences in school, relationships and life.
