The International Baccalaureate Organization seeks to help all the members of its school communities, not only its students and educators but families, to become better learners. One way we work toward this aim as an IB school is to concentrate on the Learner Profile. As we focus on this list, our students and teachers become inquirers, more knowledgeable about the world around them, and more caring as a result of our focus on these traits, among other things.

One of the teaching tools I frequently use to focus on these traits is picture books; these pack a wonderful bounty of opportunities to focus on the Learner Profile and other important curricular areas. I recently read and reviewed a wonderful picture book I'll be purchasing for our library, and I wanted to recommend it to the Soundview community as a funny reminder to all of us to live more balanced lives.

According to the IB Learner Profile, a person who is balanced has an understanding of the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance.

With that in mind, I'd highly recommend The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister, by Linda Ravin Lodding, especially for families with children ages five and up, though even as mother to a twenty-year-old I had things to learn from its message.