Desmond And The Very Mean Word (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
This book is a fantastic resource to use in the classroom when talking about forgiveness and the power of our words. Desmond receives a brand new bike. While he is out riding, a red haired boy yells a really mean word at Desmond. I love how the author does not say what the word is. It is left up to the imagination and adds to the point that it could really be anything hurtful not just one specific word. In the midst of all of Desmond’s anger he is haunted by this very mean word. It is all he thinks about. He sees the boys another day and decides to shout the meanest thing he can think of at them. Desmond does not feel any better. Father Trevor talks to Desmond about the power of forgiveness. At first he is not ready to forgive the boy, but then he sees the boy being picked on. He realizes that he feels sorry for the boy. He ends up apologizing to the red haired boy. He does not need the boy to apologize back because he has already forgiven him in his heart. I had my fourth graders write a personal narrative about a time when someone said or did something hurtful to them. They had to describe how they responded and what they would do differently if the problem ever occurred again in the future. I might have them dig further and find other books in the classroom, online, or in the library with the theme of forgiveness. They could analyze multiple forgiveness plots and look for commonalities. They could then compare and contrast Desmond and the characters from other books with the same theme. "Desmond and the Very Mean Word" told the story of a little boy named Desmond who got a new bike and wanted to show his pastor. As he was riding to see him, he passed by some other boys his age who said some mean words to him. Desmond was very upset about this so the next time he saw those boys he said some very mean words back, thinking that would make him feel better. However, Desmond felt worse about saying mean words to them. He knew it would only be right to go back and apologize. The boys forgave him in the end and Desmond felt much better.Teachers can include this in their classroom with an interactive read aloud. They can ask their students if they ever heard someone say something mean to them. Other questions could be asked such as: "How did that make you feel?", "What did you do after they said this to you?". You can ask them questions after reading the story such as: "How did Desmond feel after hearing the boys say the mean word to him?", "Do you think he should have said a mean word back to them? Why or why not?", "How do you think the boys felt when they said the mean word to Desmond?", "How do you think they felt after Desmond said a mean word back?". This shows the level of comprehension that the students have based on the reading and relates it to their own experiences, which is very important when teaching young readers. I would say that this book is good for grades second through fourth.
What do You think about Desmond And The Very Mean Word (2012)?
Wonderful story about forgiveness, understanding and acceptance.
—Laurenmercedess
Wonderful book to display how Desmond Tutu learned forgiveness.
—Jebby
