A powerful, stirring yet utterly down-to-earth story with an unforgettable message about anger, compassion and forgiveness. Based on a true story from the Archbishop Desmond Tutu's childhood, Desmond and the Very Mean Word depicts an incident in a South African town. While proudly riding his new bicycle, young Desmond is rudely insulted by some neighbourhood boys - and at first he responds angrily. But he's troubled to find that retaliation brings him no relief, and he can't stop thinking about the mean things the boys said to him. With the aid of the kindly Father Trevor, Desmond arrives at a better understanding of his feelings and learns that true forgiveness comes from within - and arises when you choose to regard all people with compassion, whether or not they say they are sorry. A beautiful tale of forgiveness, as well as a lesson about how to handle bullying and angry feelings, this is a vibrantly illustrated, deeply warm-hearted story.

 

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2013 by Walker Books Ltd .

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond M. Tutu is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. During half a decade in ministry, he was most famous for campaigning against apartheid as Archbishop of Capetown. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his lifelong struggle to bring equality, justice and peace to his native South Africa. He continues to play an important role worldwide as a spokesperson for peace and forgiveness. This is his first children's book. The Archbishop lives in South Africa with his wife, Leah; they have four children. Douglas Carlton Abrams, co-author, has written many books that have been translated into more than two dozen languages. He lives in California with his wife and their three children. LeUyen Pham is the author and illustrator of Big Sister, Little Sister and has illustrated many other books for children, including Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and son. AG Ford, a recipient of the NAACP Image Award, has illustrated many award-winning books for children, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Construction Site on Christmas Night . He lives in Dallas, Texas.