If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson*

I loved the over-sized format for this book.  Mr. Nelson's illustrations are always, bold, strong and dramatic.
The book features a rabbit and a mouse planting some vegetables seeds.  When they harvest their crop, a few birds want to join in the eating festivities.  Unfortunately, selfishness consumes them and havoc ensues.
The reader can see what happens when we plant seeds of selfishness and also, seeds of kindness.
A very simple book with a powerful message.
I would use this book on the first day of school to set the tone of the classroom.
Strategy: venn diagram/compare/contrast
*Highly recommend.