The Bracelet

Rating:
Summary: A Teacher's Heart Changes
Review: I don't remember when I first heard this story, but I remember the significant meaning and it definitely touched my life. The Bracelet is adapted from a story by Elizabeth Ballard and is now illustrated by Miriam de Rosier who is a native of Washington State. She now works as a freelance illustrator and her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

This is a story about how we often fail to see a person's heart because we are so consumed with how they are living their life. Miss Thompson's student Teddy was a boy who was not well liked and had a poor home situation. Even when Jean Thompson tells her entire class that she loves them all the same, she definitely has favorites.

When Christmas arrives, all the children give Miss Thompson presents. Teddy's present is all wrapped in crumpled brown paper and held together with tape. In the package, she finds a rhinestone bracelet and a bottle of cheap perfume. The story continues and soon we find out what a profound effect Miss Thomson has on Teddy's life when she makes the choice to show love instead of disappointment for the gift.

This story reminds me of a student I once knew who was an absolute terror in class, but would stand waiting for his ride home and talk to me as if he was an angel in disguise. I realized that the children who acted up the most, needed the most love. This tiny book has a profound message and I can't imagine anyone hearing this story and not remembering it for the rest of their life.

~TheRebeccaReview.com


Rating:
Summary: A teacher's dream
Review: This book will tear at your heartstrings if you are a teacher. Another teacher read it at a faculty meeting and we all loved it. It would be a great gift for a student teacher or a friend who is a teacher.