Olive and the Big Secret
#1 in Olive Series
on Goodreads (366)
What’s inside...
Olive learns the hard way that keeping secrets is tough, and telling them can make for a whole lot of trouble! When Molly shares a secret with Olive, the urge to tell is just too great! Olive tells Joe who tells Matt who tells Lola. But Lola is best friends with Molly. Uh-oh, the secret is out, and Olive is in for it!
Discussion points
How do you think Olive felt when she shared Molly’s secret?
What would you have done if you were in Olive's shoes?
Why is it important to keep a secret when a friend trusts you with one?
How can we build trust with our friends?
What do you think Molly could have done differently if she was upset?
Tip: Role play these questions
Start the conversation by sharing a light personal story about a time you had to keep a secret to set a relatable tone.
Use a reassuring voice to encourage your child to express their feelings and thoughts about the story and its characters.
Emphasize the importance of empathy by discussing how each character might have felt in different situations in the book.
Guide the discussion towards understanding personal values such as trust and honesty, and how they apply in your child's interactions.
Encourage your child to think of alternative endings based on different choices the characters could have made to deepen the understanding of consequences.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Importance of Trust
Explanation: Olive learns the hard way that sharing someone's secret without permission can break trust. This scenario unfolds when Olive tells a secret, leading to hurt feelings and a fallout with her friend.
Real-World Application: Children can apply this lesson by understanding the value of keeping promises and not sharing others' secrets, which helps in building and maintaining trust with friends and family.
Example Lesson: Consequences of Actions
Explanation: Through the character of Olive, children see the direct consequences of gossiping and breaking trust. Olive's actions lead to visible upset in her friend, showcasing how actions impact others.
Real-World Application: It teaches children to think before acting or speaking, as their actions can have emotional effects on others around them.
Example Lesson: Making Amends
Explanation: Olive tries to make amends after realizing her mistake, demonstrating taking responsibility and trying to rectify a wrong.
Real-World Application: This encourages children to apologize and make amends when they make mistakes, showing them the path to reconciliation and forgiveness.
Example Lesson: Empathy and Understanding
Explanation: As the story unfolds, Olive begins to understand the feelings of her friend and experiences remorse, which is an essential part of developing empathy.
Real-World Application: Children learn to put themselves in others' shoes, understanding and caring about how their actions affect other people's emotions.