Families who loved Sallie Gal and the Wall-a-kee Man by Shelia P. Moses often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your child is struggling with the temptation of a white lie or finding it difficult to understand why they cannot have something their peers possess. Sallie Gal lives in a 1960s sharecropping community where money is scarce and dignity is the family's most valuable currency. When she accepts a secret gift she knows her mother would refuse, she must navigate the heavy weight of a guilty conscience. This story is an excellent tool for discussing the difference between a gift and charity, and why honesty matters even when the truth is uncomfortable. It provides a window into a specific historical period of the American South while focusing on the universal childhood experience of wanting to fit in. Parents will appreciate the way it models accountability and the restorative power of an apology within a loving family structure.
