The Golden Plate

This is a great story to impress upon young children that stealing is so wrong. The guilt that the girl in this story feels, makes her learn an important lesson. The weight of that sin bothers her so much that she derives no pleasure in the stolen object. Encouraged by her mother, she gives back the object, with an apology, and receives forgiveness. The brief story is very well written and illustrated beautifully by Bernadette Watts.

Beautiful book my girls love to hear again and again. Teaches a great lesson about honesty.

Isobel visits her friend Elisabeth. Elisabeth has very nice things including a spectacular doll house. Isobel sees a perfect little golden plate and slips it into her pocket. But when she gets it home she realizes it does not fit right in her own doll house because it is not her own and she feels very guilty for having taken it. She finally tells her mother about what she did and is encouraged to take the plate back to her friend. They play again with the doll house and Isobel is happy.This story was first published in Switzerland and has been translated into English. The illustrations have an antique feel to them. The pictures are colorful and have lots of detail.This was a lovely story about what happens when a little girl steals from her friend. She feels guilty and is then much relieved when she returns the item. This is an excellent example for children to learn from. Isobel's guilt is directed at herself and the others never make her feel bad about what she did. Her own unhappiness was punishment enough. The language of the story is at times lengthy and the author uses a somewhat large vocabulary, but this makes it an opportunity to learn new words. This story is a perfect springboard for a discussion with the little ones on stealing and the consequences.Recommended for ages 4-8 which is a good age range.