After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)
Ages 4 to 8Listed among picture books about courage and facing fears. The blogger describes Humpty’s paper-airplane plan and the wall he has to face.
Recommended by Imagination Soup
Ages 5 to 8A Day’s Work
Ages 5 to 8About this age guidance
Kirkus: 5–8
The age tag follows Kirkus review. Other sources may suggest different ages. This is audience guidance, not an independent reading level.
Recommended in the parent blog’s honesty selections; the page has a mismatched heading above the correct plot.
Francisco’s attempt to get his grandfather a job begins with a false claim about gardening skills. Their work destroys plants, and the employer is angry. His grandfather’s response is to insist on correcting the job before accepting payment.
Recommended by Happily Ever Elephants
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What children see in the story
The false claim and the later admission show why telling the truth about one’s skills matters. The ruined work has to be faced and corrected; payment is not treated as an entitlement. A concrete harm to the garden is followed by an offer of corrective labor. The pair confront the employer and the mistake instead of hiding from them.
Why it’s on these shelves
- Honesty
- Francisco tells an employer that his grandfather is a gardener, which isn’t true, and they pull out the plants instead of the weeds. Francisco is ashamed when his grandfather finds out what he said.
- Responsibility
- After the plants are ruined, Francisco’s grandfather insists on setting the mistake right before he takes any pay. Francisco sees the standard he has to meet.
- Making things right
- The employer is angry about the pulled-out plants. Francisco’s grandfather offers to redo the work and refuses payment until the job is properly done.
- Facing problems
- When the employer finds the ruined plants and gets angry, Francisco’s grandfather offers to correct the work. He doesn’t try to take the pay and leave.
Why pick it up?
The grandfather offers to redo the work without taking unearned pay.
A note for parents
The parent list’s heading is mislabeled; author, illustrator, title, and edition come from independent reviews.
Where this recommendation comes from
Happily Ever Elephants
Recommended in the parent blog’s honesty selections; the page has a mismatched heading above the correct plot.
Read Lauren Bercuson’s recommendationSources and review status
We have checked source descriptions and drafted the value mapping. We have not personally reviewed the full book. The value labels, situation assignments, and parent notes remain provisional.
Publisher or literacy resource · Original recommendation
Our explanation of the value fit is separate from the original reviewer’s judgment. Their inclusion here does not imply an endorsement of Stories for Growing.
Another good example
Browse more values
Scaredy Squirrel
Ages 4 to 8Called a classic picture book about fear. The parent says children will laugh at his over-preparation and cheer when he finally leaves the tree.
Recommended by What Do We Do All Day?