But It's Not My Fault! (Responsible Me!)

How many times do parents and teachers hear this little phrase, “But it’s not my fault!” Once again in her accomplished way, Ms. Cook addresses solution for a common childhood problem of not wanting to take responsibility for their actions.
Noodle is at it again, being a kid and having trouble blaming everyone else for his mistakes. No matter if his blunders or large or small, they are all someone else’s fault, to the point of being ridiculous! My favorite was when he was called down for interrupting and he said, “But it’s not my fault! My mouth is addicted to talking!” The blame game may seem innocent in a child but if not corrected they grow to be adults who live their lives as victims and are never responsible for any show more mistakes.
Ms. Cook’s words of insight and wisdom come through Noodle’s Mom. I like the way the story hits at the heart of the problems without having an accusatory tone. This way the children have the opportunity to look at themselves without feeling the need to defend, or blame!! Another favorite point made in the book is “Blaming others is a reason but it’s not an excuse.”
I had my 10 year old granddaughter and 13 year old grandson read the book. When they finished each one had a sheepish look and said, “I do this. . . sometimes”. Both said it helped them see they need to own up for what they do. Also that it affects those around them. Someone could get in trouble for what they falsely accused them of. Plus blame causes conflict and hard feelings among friends and family. At the end are very helpful ideas to guide children in overcoming this bad habit. Engaging, vibrant illustrations, sound wisdom, and written from a child’s viewpoint. Go to http://www.juliacookonline.com to see more of Julia Cook’s amazing books! show less

"But it's not MY fault!" This is one of the most heard phrases in any parent and/or teacher's experience in dealing with the subject of responsibility. As an informational picture storybook, this story treats the subject of responsibility from the point of view of the child being taught. It doesn't take the point of view of the all knowing 3rd person who lectures the protagonist on the virtues of self responsibility, it instead explores the CHILD's point of view first and then points out the virtue of taking ownership of one's actions. What's more it shows how to avoid the mistakes that lead to having "rough days" at school. I found the book to be very organic and intuitive as well as wise in its pedagogical approach to this vital show more lesson in life.
Cook has written a number of early childhood books on basic social skills including "My Mouth is a Volcano" which is about waiting to speak. As a teacher, I can surely appreciate these books as they teach lessons that often need to be revisited as their subjects require some reinforcement each week. show less

"My name is Norman David Edwards, but everybody calls me Noodle. Sometimes things happen to me that get me into trouble. But it's not my fault!" It just isn’t his fault that his brother’s game ran late, and he didn’t finish his homework. Or that his mom forgot to remind him to turn in his library book. By learning to accept responsibility he finds instead how to use mistakes as opportunities for problem-solving and to turn negatives into positives.

I really enjoyed reading this book! It is a lesson that is useful to teach at ALL ages! I even was reminded a valuable lesson when reading it. This story is about a boy named Noodle who learns not to blame others or try to find fault; but instead practices accepting responsibility.

This book represents social/moral. In this book the mother is telling the boy "Noodle" to own up to his actions and stop blaming people. She explains that it is not about whose fault it is but rather whose responsibilities it is. This allows the character to view the perspective in more than way way. Also he may evaluate various solutions to moral problems and ethical questions.

I think this is a great book for introducing how to accept and take responsibility for ones actions. I would recommend this book for ages: 7-9 (or grades 2-3)

Very cute. Noodles is just not having a good day. Everything is going wrong and he's blaming everyone else instead of taking responsibility for his actions. He has to learn how to practice responsibility.