by Jeanne Mattei (Author)
The Land of Harmony is a story with a very important lesson for young children. The main character, Grizzie, has to move with his family from the planet he grew up where everyone pretty much looks and acts the same. At his new home on the planet Zubie, he has to finish up the year at a new school. He soon discovers that no one on this planet looks like anyone else. He is surrounded by creatures that are all very strange and peculiar. He is nervous and scared but soon discovers that they are very happy and get along very well with each other. They embrace and appreciate all the things that make them different from each other. These characters live in a land of harmony because they encourage a behavior of acceptance. This story can be used in support of anti-bullying lessons with young children in an effort to prevent future bullying behavior.
Author Biography
Jeanne Mattei has been sketching these unique creatures for over twenty years. When she put the characters together in pairs and groups, she began to get a sense of "harmony". Even though they were all so strange and different from one another, they went so well together. These characters promote a sense of harmony because they accept and embrace their differences. This story is currently being used in a program for grades k-2 to support anti-bullying efforts in schools. This is the first story written with the harmony characters and Jeanne hopes to write a series of stories with them to help spread their very important message.