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LEWISTON – Montello Elementary School added a lesson in kindness for its more than 700 students as they counted down the days to their holiday break.
They used a book, Oliver the Ornament, to bring home the idea that bullying is never in season, but kindness always is. It’s part of a national program created by the book’s author, Todd Zimmermann.
Zimmermann has pledged to donate up to 1,000 books to teachers who use it, along with a free lesson plan. He sent a book to each teacher at Montello earlier this month. Hundreds of other teachers from Oklahoma to Maine are participating in Oliver’s Days of Kindness.
“Every ornament tells a story, and I can’t think of a better time for the world to hear Oliver’s,” Zimmermann said. “I can’t thank Montello Elementary enough for sharing this message, and I hope it will become an annual tradition.”
“Oliver the Ornament,” one of People magazine’s 2016 best books of the year, is the story of a Christmas ornament that comes to life and is bullied by some of his friends. With the help of other nice ornaments, he overcomes challenge and wins over the meanies by being kind to them even though they bully him and try to keep him off the tree.
In addition to the Days of Kindness teacher donations, Zimmerman has donated hundreds of books to toy drives and children’s hospitals around the country. Oliver is the first of seven books in the series that will feature different ornaments with each story. A growing portion of each book’s proceeds will be donated to a children’s charity. All of the seventh book’s profits will be donated.
