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Something Beautiful

Author Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet
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Paperback
$7.99 US
RH Childrens Books | Dragonfly Books
On sale Jan 08, 2002 | 32 Pages | 978-0-440-41210-6
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An inspiring story that reminds us that beauty is everywhere.

Can a city be beautiful if there's trash on the streets and graffiti on the walls? A little girl finds out when her teacher writes the word "beautiful" on the blackboard and the girl decides to look for beauty in her neighborhood.

There's the “beautiful” fried fish sandwich at Miss Delphine diner, Mr. Lee’s “beautiful” fruit store, and the “beautiful” smooth stone Old Mr. Sims always carries. The girl soon understands that beautiful means “that when you have it, your heart is happy.” Young readers will enjoy appreciating the beauty of friendship and the power of hope in this encouraging story.
When I look through my window, I see a brick wall.  There is trash in the courtyard and a broken bottle that looks like fallen stars.

There is writing in the halls of my building.  On the front door, someone wrote the word Die.


The teacher taught me the word in school.  I wrote it in my book. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.  Beautiful!  I think it means something that when you have it, your heart is happy.
. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
  • WINNER | 2000
    Arkansas Charlie May Simon Master List
  • WINNER | 2000
    Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Master List
Sharon Dennis Wyeth is a children’s author, poet, and memoirist with over fifty books published. Among her titles are the classic Something Beautiful, a Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year; Always My Dad, a Reading Rainbow Book; the American Girl book Evette: The River and Me, recipient of the 2021 Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award; and the Step Into Reading leveled reader Juneteenth: Our Day of Freedom. Wyeth’s memoir piece “I’m a Dancer” was featured in the award-winning anthology The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth.

Wyeth is a recipient of the Stephen Crane Literary Award, an NAACP Education Award, a Mid-Atlantic Arts Award, and a Cave Canem Fellowship for African American poets. Additional book honors include citations from the Children's Book Council, LAMDA Literary Awards, and the New York Public Library. 

Wyeth is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University, with an MFA in creative writing and memoir from Hunter College, where she received the prestigious Shuster Award. She is a visiting Associate Professor of creative writing in the Children’s Literature Department at Hollins University. Learn more about her work at sharondenniswyeth.com. View titles by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Chris K. Soentpiet (pronounced soon-pete) was born in South Korea, and moved to Hawaii when he was eight years old. He is a graduate of Pratt Institute in New York City. He was the recipient of the 1996 International Reading Award for his illustrations for More Than Anything Else. He was also awarded the 1996 gold medal at the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show, for Peacebound Trains. In his spare time, Mr. Soentpiet promotes the love of children's literature and the arts by speaking at schools across the country. Learn more about his work at chrissoentpiet.com and follow him on Instagram at @chrissoentpiet. View titles by Chris K. Soentpiet

About

An inspiring story that reminds us that beauty is everywhere.

Can a city be beautiful if there's trash on the streets and graffiti on the walls? A little girl finds out when her teacher writes the word "beautiful" on the blackboard and the girl decides to look for beauty in her neighborhood.

There's the “beautiful” fried fish sandwich at Miss Delphine diner, Mr. Lee’s “beautiful” fruit store, and the “beautiful” smooth stone Old Mr. Sims always carries. The girl soon understands that beautiful means “that when you have it, your heart is happy.” Young readers will enjoy appreciating the beauty of friendship and the power of hope in this encouraging story.

Excerpt

When I look through my window, I see a brick wall.  There is trash in the courtyard and a broken bottle that looks like fallen stars.

There is writing in the halls of my building.  On the front door, someone wrote the word Die.


The teacher taught me the word in school.  I wrote it in my book. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.  Beautiful!  I think it means something that when you have it, your heart is happy.
. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Awards

  • WINNER | 2000
    Arkansas Charlie May Simon Master List
  • WINNER | 2000
    Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Master List

Author

Sharon Dennis Wyeth is a children’s author, poet, and memoirist with over fifty books published. Among her titles are the classic Something Beautiful, a Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year; Always My Dad, a Reading Rainbow Book; the American Girl book Evette: The River and Me, recipient of the 2021 Good Housekeeping Best Toy Award; and the Step Into Reading leveled reader Juneteenth: Our Day of Freedom. Wyeth’s memoir piece “I’m a Dancer” was featured in the award-winning anthology The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth.

Wyeth is a recipient of the Stephen Crane Literary Award, an NAACP Education Award, a Mid-Atlantic Arts Award, and a Cave Canem Fellowship for African American poets. Additional book honors include citations from the Children's Book Council, LAMDA Literary Awards, and the New York Public Library. 

Wyeth is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University, with an MFA in creative writing and memoir from Hunter College, where she received the prestigious Shuster Award. She is a visiting Associate Professor of creative writing in the Children’s Literature Department at Hollins University. Learn more about her work at sharondenniswyeth.com. View titles by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Chris K. Soentpiet (pronounced soon-pete) was born in South Korea, and moved to Hawaii when he was eight years old. He is a graduate of Pratt Institute in New York City. He was the recipient of the 1996 International Reading Award for his illustrations for More Than Anything Else. He was also awarded the 1996 gold medal at the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show, for Peacebound Trains. In his spare time, Mr. Soentpiet promotes the love of children's literature and the arts by speaking at schools across the country. Learn more about his work at chrissoentpiet.com and follow him on Instagram at @chrissoentpiet. View titles by Chris K. Soentpiet

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