Be Kind
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Warm story shows big impact of simple acts of kindness.
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What's the Story?
A kid (could be boy or girl) sees a classmate, Tanisha, spill grape juice on her new dress and most of the other kids laugh at her. But the kid narrator remembers that Mom always says to BE KIND and thus tries to make Tanisha feel better. All the kid can think of to say is, "Purple is my favorite color," but that doesn't help. Tanisha runs into the hall, embarrassed. The kid wonders what could have helped and thinks, "What does it mean to be kind anyway?" The kid imagines various examples of giving, helping, reaching out to a new classmate, sticking up for someone, and so forth, in the school, in the community, across the country and the world. In the end, the kid paints Tanisha a picture of purple flowers in art class, which Tanisha takes home and puts up on her bedroom wall.
Is It Any Good?
What could have been a sentimental exercise is elevated to a meaningful exploration of kindness in this lovely picture book with Jen Hill's charming watercolor-and-ink illustrations. The little kid narrator of Be Kind not only offers examples of reaching out to others to make them feel good or feel better when they're down, but also acknowledges that it's not always easy. "And sticking up for someone when other kids aren't kind is really hard. (And really scary.)"
This is a great book for opening up a discussion about what it means to be kind and identifying simple, practical ways we can show kindness to those around us.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about empathy. Have you ever seen someone who was sad and found yourself feeling sad for their being sad?
If you see a friend or classmate having a rough time, what can you do to help them feel better?
How important is it to be kind to others, even when you don't know them?
Book Details
- Author: Pat Zietlow Miller
- Illustrator: Jen Hill
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
- Publication date: November 5, 2018
- Number of pages: 32
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: November 5, 2018
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