Mason’s Greatest Gems is a story about finding hidden gems inside yourself, with an introduction to the concept of virtues for children. The book features a little boy who learns about mining gems after finding a treasure in his backyard. Using his experience of finding and polishing a piece of quartz as a metaphor, he then learns what it means to develop virtues like kindness, helpfulness, courtesy and more.
Co-authored and illustrated with Elaheh Bos of Plant Love Grow, this book is designed to give children a visual example of what it means to develop positive character traits. It can be used to inspire discussions in your homes and classrooms about using life experiences as opportunities for personal growth. Free printable activities and games are available to add to the learning experience!
Softcover; 26 pages; full-colour illustrations; 8.5 x 8.5 inches; suggested ages 5-10 years old
How to order:
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ou can order Mason’s Greatest Gems from Amazon
Reader feedback:
We need more books like Mason’s Greatest Gems. The focus on positive virtues and comparing them to beautiful gems found deep within the earth is genius! This book would be great for both family bookshelves and classroom libraries. – Maria Dismondy, award winning children’s book author
The lessons were powerful and accessible, and the illustrations were adorable. I am excited to share this with others! – Dara Feldman, author of The Heart of Education, Maryland’s 2015 Mother of the Year, and award winning educator
My daughter has already told her 8 year old cousin about the book and how he has rocks in his tummy called virtues. A little while later while in tears due to a misunderstanding and some unkind words she yelled, “You need to polish you kindness rock a little better, it is too sharp today!” I already love the book and the positive impact it has had for Josie. – Jay, mother and Grade 2 teacher
Such a delightful book with colourful and eye catching illustrations that are simple and easy for children to explore. I love the way children learn about character development and virtues in an easy to understand way! – Bekka, mother of three
Ok, now I know for sure this book caught my kids’ imaginations – we read this story about a month ago. Tonight my 5 and 7 year old were cheerfully(!) clearing up the kitchen and I’m saying, “WOW, you guys are being so helpful! This is great!” And my 5 yo says, “We’re polishing the gem of helpfulness.” 🙂 love it. Of course now I want them to polish the gem of patience, and brushing-your-teeth-right-when-asked and clean-up-after-yourself and…guess we’ll keep mining for gems 😉 – Alissa, mother of three
My husband was putting the kids in the car the other day and helping them do up their seat belts and my daughter started telling him about gems and how he was polishing his gem of helpfulness. He was so confused until he saw the book later haha! – Sara, mother of four
You can read more reader reviews on Amazon. Here are some blogger reviews plus extra resource recommendations: The Corner on Character, Creative with Kids, Be the Difference
Free printables:
Here are some group activities and games to use after you read the story. Click on the image to download.
This last set of printables is available via PlantLoveGrow.com
Click on the picture to be directed to the page where you can download them.
About the authors:
Chelsea Lee Smith is an author, blogger and parent educator on positive parenting, personal growth and values education. She believes in the power of using small moments throughout the day to build character and make the world a better place. Her blog MomentsADay.com shares activities, inspiration, and resources for families to work towards these goals. The mother of three children and a teacher of many more, she truly believes in the power of using small moments throughout the day to build character and make the world a better place. Her blog MomentsADay.com shares activities, inspiration, and resources for families to work towards these goals.
Elaheh Bos is the founder of Plant Love Grow, a resource site that creates tools to help parents, teachers and health professionals. She is a passionate public speaker, an artist, author and entrepreneur who believes in our innate capacity to bloom. She loves to write books, create new journals and collaborate on different projects with amazing people. Visit Elaheh’s website for more books, free printables, and resources!
