From New York Times-bestselling author Deborah Underwood comes Finding Kindness, a heartfelt picture book illustrated by Irene Chan.
Celebrate kindness in all its many forms. This is a powerful story of community, compassion, and generosity of spirit―perfect for sharing!
Kindness is sometimes a cup and a card, or a ladder, a truck, and a tree. A scritch and a cuddle. A rake and a yard.---from the publisher
32 pages 978-1250237897 Ages 3-7
Keywords: kindness, compassion, values, emotional intelligence, Character Building Curriculum, 3 year old, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, story in verse
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“How can people be so heartless
How can people be so cruel
Easy to be hard
Easy to be cold”
-- Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni (1969)
This week, I’ve been reading an “adult” book published a couple of years ago. THE COLOR OF LAW: A FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF HOW OUR GOVERNMENT SEGREGATED AMERICA is a couple of hundred pages of horrific, historic unkindness practiced by Americans against Americans. It’s a great book that makes me think less of our so-called great nation.
I sure need something inspiring to get the bad taste out of my mouth. So I am grateful that FINDING KINDNESS arrived at the doorstep.
“Kindness is sometimes a tip in a case
or a tap when a lace is untied;
it’s taking a photo
or making some space,
it’s a racket, a rocket, a ride.”
There are endless numbers of books designed to help grow little kids into more enlightened, more engaged people. I’ve found many of them impenetrable, watered-down versions of adult self-help books.
FINDING KINDNESS, an illustrated eight-verse poem, is more my speed. It begins and ends with a girl who carefully captures and frees a ladybug that’s gotten stuck in the house. In between, the verses and illustrations depict all sorts of large and small ways that one can be kind.
There is a potent interaction of verse and images here. While the rhythm and rhyme make it quite enjoyable for reading aloud as a straight poem, many of the kindnesses portrayed cannot be understood without the accompanying illustrations.
“Kindness is sometimes a song or a stick
or a ‘Hi!’ and a bat and a ball.
It’s soup when a neighbor is sneezy and sick
or a scoop if one happens to fall.”
The book illustrates simple gestures, like giving up one’s seat on the bus to a mother with an infant in her arms, offering to take a photo for a family, or holding a door open. It also shows more involved ones, like bringing soup to a sick neighbor, or helping a neighbor with a building project. Or providing free lemonade to the neighbor and others helping with the building project.
Kindness is a mindset and a habit. When practiced regularly, it can become second nature. Unfortunately, the opposite can also be true.
So, try a little kindness. And check out this wonderful book.
Recommended by: Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
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