The stories in Learning to Be Good are retellings of famous fables, especially Aesop’s, with a character education emphasis. These timeless and illustrative stories have traveled from culture to culture and generation to generation. They appeal to all age groups with their simple but universal lessons about human nature and morality. Since most of the main characters are animals, they have a special appeal to children of this age. Charming illustrations and playful, dynamic activities suggested in the accompanying teacher’s lessons plans enhance the stories and reinforce the lessons learned in a hands-on way.

The Boys and the Wallet

Two boys were hiking through the woods to a neighboring village. One of them noticed a wallet on the path and picked it up. It had a lot of money in it!

“Wow! I’m rich!” he shouted.

The other boy pointed out that the wallet belonged to someone and perhaps they should try to find out by asking around the village.

The first boy said, “No, I’m going to spend the money. The owner was careless to lose the wallet. So I get to keep it, and the money is mine!”

Have the students make up a story about losing something that is theirs. Have them fold a piece of paper into four equal parts. Ask them to label each section in order, 1-4.

Section number 1 should illustrate: "One day I lost my [cat]."
Section number 2 should illustrate, "The [neighbor[ found the [cat].
Section number 3 should illustrate, "He brought my [cat] back to me."
Section number 4 should illustrate, "Now I'm happy!"

Write the Golden Rule on the board, and have the students repeat it after you several times until they know it.

Explore UPF's comprehensive character education curriculum

  English: Discovering the Real Me
  Spanish: Descubriendo mi verdadero yo