Title: We Can Get Along
Author: Lauren Murphy Payne, M.S.W.
Publisher: Free Sprite Publishing Inc.
Year of publication: 1997
Photographer: Lauren Murphy Payne, M.S.W.
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 3 - 8
Theme: Friendship, and Good Manners
Synopsis: The book is about school children who are also friends. Children need help learning to get along with others at school, in their neighborhood, and on the playground. Children need to know that they have the power to make good choices. In their everyday lifestyles, there are happiness and sadness. When they are happy, they get along with each other, talk, laugh, play, and work together; they become joyful feeling good and safe. On the other hand when they fight and ague, yell, hit, or cry and sometimes say and do mean things such as using bad words for each other when they do not get along.
About the photographer: Lauren Murphy Payne, the author of this book is also the illustrator. The illustrations in this book were done by Payne using the Berol Prismacolor Markers, pen, and ink on vellum.
Pre-reading activities: Students will be asked to think about their words before they say them in all their relationships both at home and school. I will tell them that they are in charge of their words and actions; therefore they should be careful and learn to be responsible for their words and actions.
Post-reading activities: The students will be given different gifts in class and asked to share with one another choosing who they love to share their gifts with. Each person exchanges his or her gifts with 3 people. They learn to get along well with their peers.
Reflection: This is a good book to be used in the classroom because it will help to teach children about the golden rule; choosing to treat others the way they themselves like to be treated. This will also help them to treat others with kindness and respect instead of being mean. With their post-reading activities, the children will always learn to talk, play, and laugh together even though they are different. The book will also help children to learn make good choices.
Works cited:
Cari Meister is the author of many books for children, including the My Pony Jack series and Luther's Halloween. she lives on a small farm in Minnesota with her husband, four sons, three horses, one dog, and one cat. The Kickball Kids was her first graphic novel. She started making up stories as a young girl. One of her favorite places to make up stories was on her grandpa and grandma's farm in southern Minnesota. Her imagination wanders where she finds quiet little spot in the corn field or on a swing. Cari has lived in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. She now lives in Evergreen, Colorado, with her husband, John and their four boys. Besides writing and reading, Cari loves to ride horses, play pirates, and make dinosaur noises. She also enjoys running, snowshoeing, and yoga. 
Julie Olson grew up in the middle of six brothers and tow sisters, so she learned to play kickball well. Julie found her individuality at home through art. Since them, Julie earned a BFA in illustration and ha illustrated numerous books for many markets, and started creating her own kickball team with a husband, two sons, and a daughter.