Love’s Attributes, Part 2
My previous column, in the May/June Touchstone, was about books that might be used in the study of the famous “love” passage of the Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 13. In that column, I included books on some of the positive qualities of love—hope, patience, and kindness. In this column, I’d like to list a few books that illustrate some negative qualities—those things that are not part of what love looks like. Children can often connect with these stories and tell their own, allowing for discussion of why the characteristics displayed are not loving and what are better ways of behaving. I’ll finish with some general books on love.
Not Jealous or Boastful
“Love is never jealous [or envious],” writes St. Paul. St. Francis and the Proud Crow, by Bernadette Watts, tells the story of a crow who sees a canary in a beautiful golden cage and is jealous. He asks St. Francis for a house, and the saint complies, but eventually the crow realizes he doesn’t like being in a cage. A sparrow takes pity on him and asks St. Francis if he can take the crow’s place.
In The Pearl, by Helme Heine, a beaver finds a mussel that he is sure has a “pearl of great price” in it. He becomes quite obsessed with it, but then falls asleep and dreams. In his dream, the other animals become jealous, and gradually worse and worse things happen. When the beaver wakes up, he realizes that “holding onto a treasure” is not good for him or for others.
St. Paul also wrote, “Love is not boastful.” In The Big Boasting Battle, by Hans Wilhelm, a lion and a snake start boasting to each other about how great they are. They decide to have a race to see who is greatest and end up in a trap. In order to get out, they need to learn to cooperate.
In Loudmouth George and the Fishing Trip, by Nancy Carlson, George is always bragging about how great he is. When a friend says she is going fishing with her father, he brags that he once caught a huge fish. So she invites him to go along and quickly realizes that he has never been fishing. He has to learn to rein in his exaggerations.
A lovely book by Isaac Bashevis Singer is Why Noah Chose the Dove. As Noah is finishing the construction of the ark, the animals are all boasting about how great they are, hoping to impress Noah enough to get taken on board the ark. Only the dove remains silent. When Noah tells the animals that they will all come aboard, they forget their competition, but Noah remembers the modesty of the dove. So when the rains stop, the dove is the one he chooses to send out to determine if the land is ready for them again.
Raccoon’s Last Race is an Abenaki Indian folktale retold by Joseph and James Bruchac. Raccoon has long legs and boasts that he can outrun anyone. But when he tries to outrun a huge boulder, he runs into serious trouble.
Love Displayed
And now for some books about what love looks like in various settings. The Elephant Who Couldn’t Forget, by Faith McNulty, tells of the youngest elephant in a herd, who is lovingly taught to remember what is important. When a brother treats him roughly, he has trouble forgetting and forgiving. Life loses much of its pleasure until he is reminded to remember only what is important.
Dear Phoebe, by Sue Alexander, is the touching story of a young mouse leaving home to make her own home. She and her mother write to each other often, and a sparrow delivers the letters. They realize how much they love each other.
Kathie Johnson has always had a love for children's books. She collected many as a teacher and began sharing them with other teachers. In 1986, she opened a children's library in her home, and it has continued to expand over the years. Many home-schooled and schooled children borrow books from it, and she takes great pleasure in finding the "right" book for a child. She attends First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley.
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