What Color is Caesar? by Maxine Kumin is a fun, engaging story about a dog having a bit of an identity crisis. Caesar, the main character, is a black and white dog that wonders whether he is black with white spots or white with black spots. Caesar goes on a quest to find out his true color and meets many black and white animals on the way. Finally, he meets a guru who leads to him figure out his own true colors. The message of the story is very valuable. It teaches that the most important thing about a person is not their outward appearance but rather who they are on the inside. It promotes positive self worth. This message would be especially valuable for elementary school students. Additionally, elementary school students could easily connect with Caesar because he is a likable character. He is wondering about his own place and importance in the world which is something that children also struggle with.
This story would be a great story to use to build the classroom community at the beginning of the school year. A positive classroom community and atmosphere are essential for a productive learning environment. After reading the story, students could turn and talk with a partner to discuss the importance of the story (i.e., the message of self worth). To extend the lesson, students could then write about what they think their own true colors are and describe and even illustrate them. Overall, I think this was a decent story and I really enjoy the fact that it is on tumblebooks.com so that students can hear the story read to them. Tumblebooks.com is a great resource for beginning or lower level readers.
(Image from www.tumblebooks.com)
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