Colors and Trouble (Text-Only Version)

(A simple message of peace and respect for differences is the theme of this book written by children for children. Written by Charlotte Reyes' YMCA Family Preschool class in Klamath Falls, Oregon and illustrated by Rita Pocock, this class-made book is the result of a Scholastic/Cabbage Patch Kids© awards program. This out of-print paperback picture book reproduced for educational, non-commercial use with the kind permission of Scholastic, Inc.)

These are the purple people.
They like purple food.
They have purple pets.
The think purple is best.

These are the blue people.
They have blue food.
They have blue pets.
They think blue is best.

These are the green people.
Can you guess what kind of food they like?
What kind of pets they have?

One day the purple people said,
"We need more toys."

The blue people said,
"We need more blue food."

And the green people said,
"We don't need anything because we are the best."

Before they knew how it happened,
They were all fighting and hurting each other!

It was WAR!

The houses were ruined.
The animals were hurt.
The plants were smashed.
All of their toys were broken.

The food was running out and everyone was sad.

The one little child covered with dust
Walked up and said, "STOP!
Why are we hurting each other?
We are different, but we are the same."
Everyone looked at the little child.
Was he purple? Was he blue? Was he green?
No one could tell. He was just dusty.

"This war is mean," he said
"It is scary. We should all be friends.
We all have feelings that make us happy or said.
We all love animals and flowers and rainbows.
We should learn to live together."

The different people looked at each other.
They smiled.
"He is right!" they shouted.

The war was over.

Soon they began to help each other build houses.

Everyone helped to take care of the animals.

They traded seeds among one another for planting.
The people were happier.

There was still the problem of food.
There would only be enough food
if they mixed it all up and everyone
ate all of the different colors.
So they did.

They ate it. They loved it.
"This is better than anything," they shouted.
They were happy to all be friends.

The Land of Many Colors became a peaceful, loving world.

Written by: