#1000 – The Golden Rule by Sherrill S. Cannon and Kalpart

The Golden Rule
Written by Sherrill S. Cannon
Illustrated by Kalpart
Strategic Books 2/03/2016
978-1-68181-326-4
32 pages Ages 4—8

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“What if you treat others the way you’d like to be treated? What if everyone did that? What kind of world could there be? Robert and Kait decide to look for the golden ruler that their mom has told them about, only to find out she meant RULE instead of ruler. What is this “Golden Rule” and what does it mean? Join in the children’s quest to discover how to follow the Golden Rule and share it with others, as you meet many classroom friends from the author’s previous books.”[BACK COVER]

Review
Robert and Kait search for an old ruler their mother talks to them about. She tells her children, according to Robert,

“Mom says we all need it, the using is rare.
I wish we could find it – that ruler somewhere!”

Since it is made out of gold, Robert figures the ruler should be easy to find; how many gold rulers can there be. The kids hope they can get a good price for this golden ruler, if they can find it.
After searching at home and finding nothing, the two siblings head off to their school. As they search, the kids talk about this golden ruler. They also consider what this ruler could be, if not an actual ruler used to measure things. Robert has an “Aha” moment when he figures out the golden ruler is not a ruler at all, but a rule.

“It’s a rule that you live by, to give and to share,
A way to treat others to show that you care.
The rule is ‘treat others the way you would like
For them to treat you,’ and treat all just alike.”

Other classmates have arrived and help in the search for the golden rule. Robert explains the golden rule:

“This is a way to live: The Golden Rule.
If you say you’re hungry, I give you my snack.
Then you share with me, and then I give it back.
I think of what you need and you do the same,
And both of us share in this wonderful game!”

The illustrations have not changed from one book to the next. The kids have big bright eyes and represent a multicultural world. The illustrations have become so standardized readers of Cannon’s books could pick out the kids from any scene. This is not a bad thing; these kids are all positive influences in their stories. Observant readers will find some of these characters joining Robert and Kait at school, often with one of Cannon’s previous books in hand.
The Golden Rule is Cannon’s eighth picture book with her Grand View Elementary school students. Written in rhyme, with a long block of text on the left and an illustration on the right side of each spread. The writing is also familiar by now to loyal readers. A ten or eleven beat meter in an eight-line verse graces half of the spread. The rhymes rarely fail though sometimes the lines can be confusing or grammatically incorrect for the sake of the rhyme. Despite this, Cannon always gets her message across in a meaningful way.

Sherrill S. Cannon’s past picture books have reaped many awards. The Golden Rule will do the same. All of Cannon’s picture books have become parent favorites for the positive messages and the kid-friendly prose.

THE GOLDEN RULE. Text and illustrations copyright © 2016 by Sherrill S. Cannon. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Kalpart. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Strategic Books, USA/Singapore.

Amazon—Indie Books—Strategic Books.

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