Some of the best children's books, not only have great illustrations, but also provide kids with an important message. I know my oldest daughter has certainly learned a lot from the times we've sat down together with a new book. Many times, when visiting our local library or bookstore, my eye goes towards authors or themes that I know will not only entertain her, but also deliver a meaningful lesson.
So when my wife made a trip to the library this week to pick up a new batch of books for the kids, I was incredibly happy to see a number of stories with positive themes come back home with them. Among this latest selection, there was a common message of "kindness" throughout many of them. Books about kindness are some of my favorites because it's a relatable subject that kids can easily understand and put into practice.
Even though we picked up nearly 20 books during this latest library trip, my daughter has already gone through all of them several times. The 3 books below seem to be the ones that drew her attention in the most during our bedtime reading. For us, these were all new books we hadn't read before, so I wanted to share those with everyone in hopes of helping others discover these great picture books!
My favorite book from this week's library run is Pat Zietlow Miller's Be Kind.
The story begins with a young girl, Tanisha, accidentally spilling grape juice on herself at school. While others around her laughed at her mistake, one little girl recalls a message from her mother to always "be kind" and instead tries to make Tanisha feel better. Throughout the day, Tanisha's classmate thinks a lot about what it means to be kind. There are really easy ways to be kind like sharing or saying something nice to a friend. There are also other times where being kind is tougher, such as showing patience or standing up for someone else. In the end, it's about doing the best you can and allowing even small gestures of kindness to add up and spread to others to become something bigger.
Be Kind is an excellent book for preschool and young elementary age children because of its relatability and powerful message. Using the backdrop of an incident at school to prompt the lesson about being kind is the perfect way to help younger audiences comprehend the importance of the book's theme. I particularly loved how the middle portions of the story showed a variety of different acts of kindness that were easy things my daughter could do herself. The book's positivity left a large impression on both of us, and easily became one of our favorite new books.
Following closely with the theme of the first book on our list, Be Kind, Deborah Underwood's Finding Kindness shows readers how small acts of kindness can have a big impact.
Throughout the book, the reader is shown acts of generosity, compassion and empathy that help define kindness. Often times it's small actions, like letting someone know their shoe is untied or helping someone cross the street, that make the most difference with others. Sometimes kindness can even mean forgiving yourself when you make a mistake or simply listening to someone who needs a friend. Underwood's heartfelt, rhyming text does a great job of describing what kindness looks like in practice.
The illustrations by Irene Chan are very bright and really help draw in the attention of younger readers. Most of the book uses the colorful backdrop of a city to help show the various acts of kindness in full display. My daughter and I made sure to pause at each page to take in the detail within each page.
Finding Kindness is a celebration of hospitality, warmth and goodness that is perfect for kids 3 to 8.
The last book on our list this week is a bit different than the other two. Whereas Be Kind and Finding Kindness helped describe acts of kindness directly, The Snow Blew Inn uses a fictional story to present generosity.
Emma cannot wait for her cousin Abby to arrive at their inn for their sleepover! She's got her room set up perfectly and has already begun planning the different activities they'll be able to do together. But with snow continuing to fall, Abby and her mother have not made it yet, and the inn is quickly reaching it's capacity. As the weather gets worse, Abby and her mother do everything they can to make room for more guests looking for cover from the winter storm. Eventually, Emma goes outside to look for Abby and sees a Fox family looking for help. In the ultimate act of kindness, Emma sacrifices her sleepover plans and gives up her room to help the family in need. The book's conclusion sees Emma's generosity rewarded as Abby eventually makes it to the inn for their sleepover.
My daughter Bennett and I really enjoyed The Snow Blew Inn. Even though the main character in the story was a young child, she still recognized an opportunity to show kindness, even when it meant she had to make a sacrifice. The illustrations by Doug Cushman are very detailed and bring the characters to life.
We recommend The Snow Blew Inn for preschool and elementary age children.