One by Kathryn Otoshi

Blue was a color who enjoyed quiet things. Sometimes he wished he could be a different color, but usually, he liked being blue, except around the color red. Red picked on blue and said unkind things. The other colors would comfort him, but no one ever said anything in front of Red. Because no one stood up to Red, he grew bigger and bigger, and everyone became afraid of him.

Then “1” came. He looked different and was funny. 1 wouldn’t back down when Red was being unkind, so Red rolled away. 1 told the other colors that if someone is mean, he stands up and says “No”. The other colors decided to be brave and turned into numbers too. Red came back to taunt Blue, but Blue stood up for himself and the others joined. Red felt very small and began to roll away, but Blue invited him to stay. They all became numbers because everyone counts.

Without the illustrations, the summary might seem confusing, but this book imaginatively tells a story about bullies and forgiveness in a way that is accessible to every child. The final sentence, “Sometimes it just takes One” is simple but so profound. Some of the ingenious wordplays might have to be explained to younger ones, but I highly recommend this beautiful book for your family.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclaimer for more info.

1. Why didn’t the colors say anything to Red at the beginning of the book?
2. What does it mean when Blue said he wanted “to count”?
3. It would have been easy for Blue to let Red leave at the end, but what did Blue do instead?
4. What does the Bible say about forgiving our enemies? (Romans 12:17-21, Matthew 5:44, Ephesians 4: 31-32)