Books That Heal Kids: kindness

Showing posts with label kindness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kindness. Show all posts

Book Review: Rain Boy

Author/Illustrator: Dylan Glynn

From the Book Jacket: Rain Boy is not very popular. Wherever he goes he brings wet. But everyone loves Sun Kidd, who brings sunshine. Only Sun Kidd sees what's special about Rain Boy. But when she invites him to her birthday party, disaster strikes, and Rain Boy storms. Will the other kids ever appreciate Rain Boy for being himself? Can Rain boy learn to love his rain? This is a story with all the emotions of the rainbow and about isolation, individuality, and self-love. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This one is full of messages about including others, standing up for someone being bullied, and self-love. I think it would be a great community builder to help start relationships out with kindness. Everyone brings something a little different to the group. Lets teach kids to appreciate those qualities that are unique and special. Love this one!

A Link to This Book: 
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Book Review: Together We Grow

Author: Susan Vaught
Illustrator: Kelly Murphy

From the Book Jacket: A storm drives all the farm animals indoors except for a lonely fox family. The barn isn't there home. But where will they go for safety? Can the animals come together despite their differences. Together We Grow explores the power of compassion and kindness. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Such a wonderful picture book that explores themes of acceptance and belonging. It's really a must read that celebrates inclusivity, acceptance, and the importance of rebuilding a community in the wake of disaster. 

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Book Review: Words Are Like Faces

Author: Edith Baer
Illustrator: Kyra Teis

From the Book Jacket: Edith Baer's playful, yet thought provoking rhyming poem, coupled with Kyra Teis' colorful illustrations, captures the significance of words in everyday life. Although the couplets are easy to memorize and lucid, the underlying meaning conveys the role of language in building a human community, which connects, informs and nurtures through dialogue.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Absolutely love this wonderful and simple book about the power of our words. Favorite page in this book reminds us to be careful with our words, for they can't be unsaid. Lets be mindful of our language and encourage each other to express ourselves in a healthy way. 

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Book Review: You Hold Me Up

Author: Monique Gray Smith
Illustrator: Danielle Daniel

From the Book Jacket: This vibrant picture book, beautifully illustrated by celebrated artist Danielle Daniel, encourages children to show love and support for each other and to consider each other’s well-being in their everyday actions.

Consultant, international speaker and award-winning author Monique Gray Smith wrote You Hold Me Up to prompt a dialogue among young people, their care providers and educators about reconciliation and the importance of the connections children make with their friends, classmates and families. This is a foundational book about building relationships, fostering empathy and encouraging respect between peers, starting with our littlest citizens.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I think this is another important book on kindness and compassion. This would be a great one to read to your classroom community on how can we remember to support and take care of one another. It's a really simple book with a lot of heart. Beautiful!

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Book Review: I Am Love - A Book of Compassion

Author: Susan Verde
Illustrator: Peter H Reynolds

From the Book Jacket: I put my hands on my heart and listen. And that is where I find the answer: I have compassion. I act with tenderness. I am love. Love means showing kindness, living with gratitude, and taking care of our minds and bodies. Letting our hearts lead the way can help move us closer to a better world. 

Grounded in mindfulness and wellness, I Am Love asks readers to look inward when they feel afraid, angry, hurt, or sad. When a storm is brewing inside us and the skies grow dark, the transformative power of love lets the light back in. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I love this book! We talk a lot about kindness so it was nice to have a dialogue about compassion. I think if we want to have a culture of people really caring about each other in schools we need deeper conversations. This is a really comforting book on how to be there for someone and really feel their feelings. Seems like an awesome community builder. 

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Book Review: The Kindness Book


Author/Illustrator: Todd Parr

From the Book Jacket: There are many ways to be kind. Kindness is listening. Kindness is helping things grow. Kindness is letting others be who they are. With his trademark bright colors and inspiring words, Todd Parr shows readers that being kind is easy and makes you feel good, too!

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Teachers ask me for books on kindness A LOT. So I bought this more as a teaching tool for my own lessons but also to share with the teachers in my building who are revisiting kindness. If you are making an anchor chart with your class on kindness - this is a really helpful book to help kids brainstorm. A winner!

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Book Review: You Are My Friend

Author: Aimee Reid
Illustrator: Matt Phelan

From the Book Jacket: Mister Rogers is one of the most beloved television personalities. But before Fred Rogers was the man who brought us Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, he was just little Fred Rogers. As a child, he was often sick and had trouble making friends, but his mother encouraged him to befriend the helpers in his community, and his grandfather inspired his confidence to explore the world around him. When he grew up, Fred realized he could convey the message of compassion, equality, and kindness to children through television. 

You Are My Friend is a gentle homage to Fred Rogers and shows how his simple message still resonates with us today: "There's no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are."

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is such a special book and it is so WELL written for children to understand who was Mister Rogers and how he had a positive impact on our world. This past year a lot of people remembered him on World Kindness Day by wearing cardigans. If you want to teach your students about him - I highly recommend this book. Especially because as a child he did not always have it easy but CHOSE to make a difference through love and kindness. Very inspirational and what a great biography to study. 

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Book Review: Lubna and Pebble

Author: Wendy Meddour
Illustrator: Daniel Egneus

From the Book Jacket: Lubna's best friend is a pebble. Pebble always listens to her stories. Pebble always smiles when she feels scared. But when a lost little boy arrives in the World of Tents, Lubna realizes that he needs Pebble even more than she does. This unforgettable and stunningly illustrated story explores the wrenching dislocation of refugee families, and one girl's powerful act of friendship in the midst of uncertainty. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I'm always looking for great stories to read with kids on kindness. But I also want to choose more books that share what's happening in the world around us. Although no country is named in this book it is clear a child is in a very hard situation and without a home. She looks beyond her own emotional needs to do an act of kindness for a boy who arrives in their camp. He is going through the same feelings she felt when she first arrived. She recognizes this immediately and sets out to comfort him with her only source of friendship - a pebble. Kindness is about looking beyond yourself. Great message in this one. 


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Book Review: What Is Given From The Heart


Author: Patricia C McKissack
Illustrator: April Harrison

From the Book Jacket: James Otis knows what it's like not having much. Still, he just has to find a little bit of something to share with Sarah, whose family has lost everything in a fire. But what does he have that she would want? His beautiful sparkling rock? Naw, that wouldn't help - you can't ear a rock. His crayons? No way, even if only a few colors are missing. Then he remembers what Reverend Dennis said one Sunday - What is given from the heart reaches the heart - and it gets him to thinking... This is a heartfelt picture book about the power of kindness and the joy of giving by a master storyteller and a renowned artist. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: April is the month of giving at my school. When we ask students to bring in items for a food drive, it's important that we give them an understanding of why we are doing a community service project. Reading books about homelessness, hunger, and poverty has been a helpful resource to educate kids about issues others are facing. This is a new book to my shelf and it really reached everyone's hearts and helped enhance the spirit of giving that we were trying to achieve. 

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Helpful:
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Book Review: The Jelly Donut Difference - Sharing Kindness with the World

Author: Maria Dismondy
Illustrator: P.S. Brooks

From the Book Jacket: Leah and Dexter are brother and sister. They don't always get along. In fact, there are times they can be down right mean to each other. They ooey, gooey jelly donuts in this story are a testament to the power of kindness, caring and generosity. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: Our school will be participating in The Great Kindness Challenge and this is such a wonderful book to help us teach our students about good deeds. Leah and Dexter both learn about the power of kindness by extending themselves and doing caring acts for their elderly neighbor. She teaches them about a baking tradition in her family and that's when they begin about the power of paying it forward. So happy to add this to my collection!

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Useful:


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Book Review: Try a Little Kindness

Author/Illustrator: Henry Cole

From the Book Jacket: In this funny picture book, bestselling illustrator Henry Cole shows kids different ways to be kind with his hysterical cartoon animal characters.

Each page features a different way to be a good person, like using proper manners, telling someone they are special, or sharing a treat! The text is accompanied by two or three related vignettes of different animals giving examples of ways to be good. And in one illustration out of each set, one animal (like a cat peering into a fishbowl!) may not be doing the best job of being kind!

The animal characters and simple text will help readers learn the importance of kindness in a fun way with lots of kid appeal. 


Why It's On My Bookshelf: We talk about kindness a TON at our school as I'm sure you do too! So when I find an AWESOME book resource on this subject I get so excited - especially if it's a good one. This does not disappoint. It has concrete examples of ways to be kind and was a great introduction on helping students brainstorm ideas of ways we can make our school a kinder more positive place. Excellent! 

A Link To This Book and Others You Might Find Useful:
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Book Review: Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse

Author: Marcy Campbell
Illustrator: Corinna Luyken

From the Book Jacket:  Adrian Simcox tells anyone who will listen that he has a horse - the best and most beautiful horse anywhere. But Chloe does NOT believe him. Adrian Simcox lives in a tiny house. Where would he keep a horse? He has holes in his shoes. How would he pay for a horse?



The more Adrian talks about his horse, the angrier Chloe gets. But when she calls him out at school and even complains about him to her mom, Chloe doesn't get the vindication she craves. She gets something far more important. 

This book shows readers that kindness is always rewarding, understanding is sweeter than judgment, and friendship is the best gift one can give. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: In order to have a heart that is caring and loving we have to understand that everyone comes from different circumstances. In this book, Adrian is a child living with less in his life. We live in a world where we sometimes value economic status more than being someone's friend. Lets help our children early in life develop empathy towards all walks of life. This is a must read. I am also going to include it with all my holiday reads as we head into the season of giving. 


A Link to This Book: 

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Book Review: The Day War Came



From the Book Jacket: Imagine if, on an ordinary school day, after a morning studying tadpoles and drawing birds, war came to your town and turned it to rubble. Imagine you lost everything and everyone, and you had to make a dangerous journey all alone. Imagine that there was no welcome at the end, and no room for you even to take a seat at school. And then imagine that a child, just like you, gave you a gift, something ordinary but so very, very important. 

Inspired by true events, this deeply affecting book evokes the experience of a young refugee and shows the hope a simple act of kindness can bring in the wake of the devastation of war. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is such a moving book and really evokes strong emotions. Although it's hard to read about the suffering that children endure as refugees, I felt hope at the end of the story because of the goodness of children and people. We can heal suffering through kindness. We can push hate away by connecting to one another through our humanity. Such an amazing representation of what is going on in our world though the eyes of a child. 

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Book Reviews: The Fox Wish and The Snail and the Whale

Found both of these heartwarming books in the Spring and they are such great choices for read alouds about kindness, generosity, and friendship. I used them as reinforcement s when I had teachers asking for extra lessons around being caring and kind. Many times when I read books I am very focused on skill building. These ones helped students develop character and opened up a space for discussion on acts of kindness. Loved them!

Author: Kimiko Aman
Illustrator: Komako Sakai

From the Book Jacket: Have you ever had a wish come true? Have you ever felt the hand of a kid smaller than you? Have you ever found something you didn't know you believed in? Have you ever talked to a fox? In this subtle, sensitive glimpse of magic, sister, brother, and reader alike find that the trusted familiar often lives right next to the truly extraordinary - if only you have the eyes to see it. 

Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Axel Scheffler

From the Book Jacket: When a tiny snail meets a humpback whale the two travel together to far-off lands. It's a dream come true for the snail, who has never left home before. But when the whale swims too close to shore, will the snail be able to save her new friend? This is a touching tale of adventure and friendship that reminds us that even the smallest creatures can help others in a big way. 

A Link to These Books: 

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Book Review: Be Kind

Author: Pat Zietlow Miller
Illustrator: Jen Hill

From the Book Jacket: When a young girl named Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate wants to make her feel better and remember that Mom always says, "Be kind." But what does it mean to be kind?

As the child ponders everything from asking a new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving and thoughtful story explores what kinds is, and how any act, big or small, can make a difference - or at least help a friend. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is such a lovely story on the incredible power of kindness. The story centers around another child witnessing unkindness. From that moment, she starts to think of how important daily kindness is when it comes to all of our interactions with one another. Through empathy she does something to bring joy to the child who was originally hurt. 

I love this book so much. One of our school rules/standards is "BE KIND" so this fits right in with what we are trying to teach children. It was refreshing to see this book and I will be using it TONS in the beginning of the school year. 

A Link to This Book: 

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Book Review: Buckets, Dippers, and Lids - Secrets to Your Happiness


Author: Carol McCloud
Illustrator: Glenn Zimmer

From the Book Jacket: This new book takes bucket filling and bucket dipping one step further by adding the idea that we also have an invisible lid. We "use our lid" to protect and keep the happiness in our bucket. Readers learn what gives happiness, what takes some away, and what protects it. This concrete concept helps readers of all ages grow in kindness, self-control, resilience, empathy, and forgiveness, all leading to a healthier self-concept, more positive relationships, and greater happiness. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: What a wonderful new bucket filling book! It exceeded my expectations. It is divided into three sections: Buckets, Dippers, and Lids. The "Buckets" section covers what bucket filling is and teaches the concept - a lot like her first book - Have You Filled a Bucket Today? But then the book goes into more detail in "The Dippers" section by really defining what bucket dipping is and how it's the opposite of bucket filling. My favorite part of the book is the "Lids" section. This teaches children that everyone has a lid to help protect the happiness in their bucket. So when something happens that makes you have an "ouch" feeling this is an important sign warning you to "Use your lid!" It goes on to explain the "ouch"feeling is a sign your bucket is getting dipped and it's time to use your lid. To keep your bucket full you need to stop, take a deep breath, and think. Don't dip back. I appreciated these steps and the reminder to not dip back.


If you loved her first book - Have You Filled a Bucket Today? then you will love this new version - it's more detailed and really reinforces the concept. I'm so happy to have another bucket filling resource to use with kids.

A Link to This Book: 
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Book Review: Strictly No Elephants


Author: Lisa Mantchev
Illustrator: Taeeun Yoo

From the Book Jacket: When the local Pet Club won’t admit a boy’s tiny pet elephant, he finds a solution—one that involves all kinds of unusual animals in this sweet and adorable picture book. Today is Pet Club day. There will be cats and dogs and fish, but strictly no elephants are allowed. The Pet Club doesn’t understand that pets come in all shapes and sizes, just like friends. Now it is time for a boy and his tiny pet elephant to show them what it means to be a true friend. This sweet story captures the magic of friendship and the joy of having a pet.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This was such a helpful book to teach our K-1 kids how exclusion is a hurtful behavior. We focused on the words INCLUDE and INVITE. I feel like we need to flood our younger grades with these community builders. Early childhood is when we want to help instill those strong values of friendship and caring about others. Love this one.  

A Link to This Book:
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Book Review: The Boy and the Whale

Author/Illustrator: Mordicai Gerstein
Interest Level: Ages 5 and Up

From the Book Jacket: A boy and his father discover a whale tangled in their only fishing net. Is the whale dead? The father worries about losing their net, but the boy worries about the whale. He remembers the fear he once felt when, tangled in a net himself, he nearly drowned before being rescued. When the whale blinks an enormous eye, the boy knows that he has to try to save the creature, no matter how dangerous doing so may be. 

This story was inspired by a real-life video of a whale's rescue and the creature's joyful dance through the waves after being freed. 

Why It's On My Bookshelf: This is a powerful story about taking action based on feeling empathy and compassion when someone else is suffering and in need. Even though we might not have the opportunity to save a whale.....there are many things we can do to help others that can make a difference. I often get requests for books that teach the concept of empathy. My list has been pretty short. I'm excited to add this one to my line up because it has a powerful message and it will have a positive impact on my students. 

YouTube Video (the inspiration behind the book):


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Book Review: Most People


Author: Michael Leannah
Illustrator: Jennifer E Morris

About This Book: Sometimes the world can seem scary, it's true. But most people are good people, just like you. Anxious adults want children to be aware of dangers, but shouldn't kids be aware of kindness too?

Young children hear adults talking, they see things on TV, and they're sometimes left thinking that the world is a place full of dangers and bad feelings. Yes, children need to be careful of strangers, but they also need to know that most people are good, kind, and helpful, and one of the great delights in life is reinforcing that knowledge through our daily interactions with others. 


Why It's On My Bookshelf: With all of the violence and chaos that seems to surround us more and more in the world, I was so happy to see this beautiful book. It's a reminder to us and our children that there are more good people then bad people in this world. Most people are good people. It's so easy to get focused on the things that scare us. Lets remember to set our hearts on minds on all the helpers around us. This is a comforting book to pull of the shelf when times seem uncertain and scary.  

A Link to This Book: 
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Book Review: Sumi's First Day of School Ever

Author: Soyung Pak
Illustrator: Joung Un Kim

From the Book Jacket: When Sumi arrives at school on her first day, she sees a big building. She sees strange children. (Some are big.) She sees wide stairs and a big metal fence. School is a lonely place, she thinks. When Sumi enters the noisy classroom and hears loud children saying things she doesn't understand, Sumi feels even worse. School is a scary place. And when a little boy squishes his eyes and makes a face at Sumi, thats when she decides school is a mean place. 

This is a thoughtful picture book about a young Korean girl trying to find her place in a new classroom on the first day of school. For Sumi, the first day is extra hard because she doesn't know the same language as everybody else. But with some help from a kind teacher and the fortunate acquaintance of a friendly girl at recess, Sumi realizes that maybe school is not as lonely, scary, or mean as she thought.

Why It's On My Bookshelf: What a wonderful read aloud for the first month of school! This is a time when we are building community around new students and making sure everyone is feeling welcome and included. We also have students from different countries and this is their first school experience. Students get to experience the feelings of fear and loneliness through Sumi's eyes. There is a boy who displays mean behavior but turns his actions into kindness thanks to his teacher. But a friendship begins to bloom when another little girl approaches Sumi and introduces herself. Loved this story and the impact it is having on our students. 

A Link to This Book and Others You Might Find Useful: 

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