Pete’s Angel
Name of the Book: Pete’s Angel, a Story of Self-love
Author: Hunter D. Darden
Illustrator: Sally Vacca
Publisher: Sunfleur Publications, Inc.
Audience: Elementary School Children
Summary: This is a story of a little boy with no self-confidence, a character many children will be able to identify with. He is teased by the kids at school and feels like he has few if any friends. Every morning when he looks in the mirror to get ready for school he is reminded that he doesn’t like himself. One night during his prayers, an guardian angel appears and gives Pete good advice that leads to a marked change in Pete’s self image and confidence.
Literary elements at work in the story: The setting of the book is a very typical suburban neighborhood. The guardian angel is characterized by a little girl. The theme of the story is how a negative self-image can cause a wide range of problems as we attempt to relate in a society full of people with low self-images
Perspective on gender, race, culture, economic, ability: The characters in the book are illustrated as white, but the colorization of the face allows for you to ask what race some of them might be. While the setting is somewhat middle class, the message of the story could be applied to any socio-economic environment. While the book would not be chosen by African-Americans, it could be used with a racially mixed audience
Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:4-5, Genesis 1:27, 31
Theology: God created us just like we are and loves us for who we are, a child of God, created in God’s image.
Faith-talk questions:
- Why do you think kids tease other kids?
- Who do you feel might be a guardian angel in your life?
- Why do you think it is so hard for some kids to like themselves?
Review prepared by Jim Collins, MACE, Entering cohort Fall 2007
Pete’s Angel by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
I love the message in this book! It is so important that we teach children that everyone is unique and special in thier own way. Today’s society allows for too many opportunities to view the grass as greener in someone’s else’s yard! As a teacher I spend much of my day reinforcing concepts included in our character education program. Looks like a great story!
Hi Stacey,
I am the author of Pete’s Angel writing to let you know how touched I am by your comment about the book. My aim was rooted in an innate desire for children to have a means to develop a strong sense of self at an early age. I know that, as a teacher, you witness so much of a loss of self-worth in kids.
You may want to look at another children’s book I wrote called Gorgeous Georgia-a story of inner beauty. It is posted on my website. It is about a giraffe who brags on herself, but learns eventually that beauty comes from within. The other message is for the other animals who learn not to judge others before understanding their circumstances. There is a coloring page at the end of Georgia that says, “Color me any way you like. My heart is already beautiful and that is all that matters.” I have sold out of that book personally, but the Amazon has some. Thanks again for your kind words. Hunter Darden