Tomorrow I'll Be Kind
By Mandie Caroll,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Book about kindness is beautiful but preachy.
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What's the Story?
In TOMORROW I'LL BE KIND, three friends -- a bunny, a cat, and a mouse -- get in a variety of situations that call them to be kind. Every two pages, a keyword like "helpful," "gentle," "generous," and so forth is presented in a hand-lettered and large, stylized font. The pages in between show how this word can be brought to life in brightly colored, commonplace settings (playground, playing at home, bike riding at the park, a street baseball game, etc.). The final pages review the keywords and show the animals asleep and dreaming together about all the ways they had been kind.
Is It Any Good?
This attractive book delivers its message with too heavy a hand, but its engaging illustrations and hard-to-argue-with lessons on kindness will appeal to young readers and adults. The hand-lettering of the keywords and bright, inviting pictures show kid-friendly ways to be helpful, honest, generous, and kind. The illustrations cluster around the keywords, or weave in and out of the letters in playful ways, but this sometimes makes them difficult to decipher. The illustrations mostly extend the text in critical ways -- showing just how kids can "take the lead," "wait" or "think of what others need." Although, some examples are abstract enough that the pictures will only make sense to older readers. The colors and clothing on the animals are generally gender-neutral, meaning all kids will be able to see themselves in these pages.
The biggest gripe is that the text teaches so explicitly about how to behave with kindness that it can come off as preachy and too obvious. Still, a book aimed at instructing kids on how to be more kind is a wise addition to any children's bookshelf, and one this pretty is likely to be requested over and over.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the different ways to be kind that are shown in Tomorrow I'll Be Kind. What are some of the ways the animal friends show kindness? Tell about a time someone was kind to you. How have you been kind today?
What pictures do you like best? Why? How do the faces show what the characters are feeling? How do the big words relate to the pictures?
What do you think about books that tell how to behave well? How are they different from books that tell a story? Which do you like better?
Book Details
- Author: Jessica Hische
- Illustrator: Jessica Hische
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Cats, Dogs, and Mice , Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Penguin Workshop
- Publication date: January 14, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 3 - 7
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: August 6, 2022
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