Odd Velvet by Mary E. Whitcomb

Illustrated by Tara Calahan King. 26 pages. Chronicle Books, 1998.

A girl named Velvet does things differently from her kindergarten or first-grade classmates, and they avoid her until she wins the class art contest. After this, the things she says and does start to make sense to the other children. Much of what makes her seem odd is that she is clearly poorer than her classmates, and in learning to accept her, they discover that it's possible to have fun with less money. Ultimately, her way of doing things, although different, becomes one of many possible ways, rather than being "odd." Children will understand that they need not be ashamed of being "different" or having less money, even though other kids might think so at first.

Ages: 4-7
Cultural Context: multicultural