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Meet The Great Trait Mates: A Book Series to help Kids Learn Character Traits!

Writer's picture: Macy LaneMacy Lane

On a sunny spring day in 2020, as I sat at home because of the pandemic lock down, I had an idea. I was a Gifted/Talented Coordinator in an International Baccalaureate elementary school and had been an IB Coordinator the year before, so I’d worked with teachers who were new to IB.  


As I collaborated with teachers, the overwhelming question I heard was, “How do I incorporate IB into my classroom?” There are many moving parts in an IB curriculum and inquiry based classroom, but I always found that the most straightforward way to implement IB was through the Learner Profile, which help teach kids about character traits. f


In an IB school, stakeholders are expected to learn about and demonstrate 10 learner profile traits. Essentially, they are character traits that any person should incorporate into their lives.


How could I best help overwhelmed, overworked, stressed teachers? How could I make their lives easier? 


It was then that a spark ignited. I could write little stories, or poems rather, to help bring the learner profile attributes to life in their classrooms. I decided to add two additional traits to be slightly IB adjacent, because although inspired by IB they are not endorsed by IB. The stories are for meant for everyone. 


The 12 traits I landed on were: authenticity, balanced, caring, communicator, inquirer, knowledgeable, open-minded, principled, reflective, resilient, risk-taker, and thinker.

Who wouldn’t want their child (or themselves even) to grow and develop these traits? Who wouldn’t want to interact with others who use these traits daily?  


As it turns out, the pandemic shifted much in our lives and the school environment. Now, more than ever, helping students develop strong character traits seems more important than ever. 


The Great Trait Mates is a book series created to help teachers and parents introduce character traits to kids. These short poems, laid out in picture book format, are meant to act as springboards for reflective conversations. In fact, each book has a definition of the character trait, as well as a series of open-ended questions to ask your students. 


The books can be read alouds, with group discussions following. Or, the questions can serve as writing prompts for students to record their thoughts. They are questions and conversations that can happen all across a campus, including special area classes or guidance counselor lessons, as well as at home while sitting at the dinner table. 


My hope is that the more we talk about and identify positive character traits in ourselves and others, the more we are able to come together and work to get along, all throughout our lives.


The Great Trait Mates are twelve friends who each bring a unique character trait to share with others.



Colorful banner of each of the great trait mates book covers depicting all of the characters.
Share about character traits in your classroom today!


AUTHENTIC AUSTIN is a fun-loving zebra who tries really hard to stay true to himself. We all know how difficult social settings can be when what we crave most is acceptance and connection. Austin is here to remind us that we don’t have to sacrifice or hide who we really are when we are around others.  

BALANCED BARRETT is an adorable bear (inspired by my son whose middle name is Barrett) who has figured out that balance in his life helps him feel better more times than not. It’s not common for all of us to want what we want, when we want it, and in amounts with no boundaries.  Barrett helps kids grasp the notion that balance is healthy and makes us feel good.

CARING CLAIRE is a gentle spirited elephant who treats herself and others with a special kindness.  She shares with others, looks after their well-being, as well as taking care of herself.  It’s hard to help others when we haven’t helped ourselves too. Claire reminds us how important being caring is.

CORA THE COMMUNICATOR is a cute monkey who understands that communicating is more than just talking.  It’s observing, listening, reading, and writing. She reminds us that it’s okay to speak up for ourselves and others, but that being a good listener is helpful too. 

IVY THE INQUIRER, an iguana with spunk, loves to question anything. Curiosity is the name of her game and she’s a fun reminder that inquiry should be celebrated. No question is off limits and being a life-long learner is an incredible trait to develop. 

KNOWLEDGEABLE KNOX is a sweet llama who loves to learn. Knox helps kids understand that knowledge is power. The more we learn and know, the better equipped we are to make decisions all through our lives.

OPEN-MINDED OPAL is a positive pig who accepts the reality that not everyone is just like her.  She knows that the world is full of diversity-different people, different ways of doing things, different beliefs and ideas. She is a pig with perspective!

PRINCIPLED PEARL is a fox who isn’t sly! She reminds herself and others that it’s better to do the right thing, even when no one is looking. It takes discipline to be principled, but by doing so, we all win in the end.

REFLECTIVE RONAN is a sloth who stops and thinks…a lot. Reflecting on our choices is a surefire way to grow and Ronan shares this with others. Ronan knows there is much to be gained by reflecting on our experiences. 

RESILIENT ROSIE is a rabbit who tries to never give up! Grit is a characteristic that really helps us through the ups and downs in life. Perfection isn’t possible. Life doesn’t always go our way.  Rosie reminds us that that’s okay. Even on the rainiest day, we can find a way to look for clouds with silver linings.

RUBY THE RISK-TAKER is a brave raccoon who encourages others to take healthy risks in life. Never had sushi before? Give it a try, you never know!  Afraid to ask a question in class?  Take that chance and raise your hand. Ruby helps us understand that healthy risk taking helps us grow and achieve more than we could ever imagine.

THEO THE THINKER is a little lion who loves to learn. He’s not afraid to stretch his brain and dive into problem-solving headfirst. Taking the time to think things through is usually the best path for success and Theo loves helping himself and others in this way.

And so, there you have the 12 Great Trait Mates! My sincere hope is that they are valuable tools for adults to use to spark meaningful and insightful conversations with the kids in their lives. 


Working on character traits can be hard. It’s not always easy to demonstrate any of these attributes all of the time. But by being aware of them and understanding what they are and why they are important, we can help the world become a better place for all of us!

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Macy Lane Writes at Inquiry Lane, LLC.

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