just taking a break or
sitting with someone
who's sad,
forgiving yourself when
you've made a mistake
or forgiving a friend who
got mad.
It's cuddling puppies,
it's holding a door ... "
We are badly in need of kindness in our world, if all you do is read headlines. It seems more pressing events sell newspapers and digital news. Those stories too often take precedence over what would make all of us feel better, rather than worse. So many acts of kindness take place every day in communities, families, schools; we need to hear about them. We need to see them happening, and we need to pass on our own acts of kindness to inspire others to do the same.
In her new book, Deborah Underwood tells her young audience the many ways they can show kindness to family, friends, neighbors, pets; even those they have never met. We all know that kindness sparks a feeling that needs to be passed along. The rhyming text carries the reader from page to page, and ends where it began with 'a bug and a cup and a card. I think this book would work wonderfully as a mentor text for further writing.
Irene Chan interprets the text with images that bring clarity to each of the gentle acts described. A boy rakes his elderly neighbor's yard; she offers a cookie to him, then a carrot to her rabbit. The warm, colorful illustrations arouse feelings of goodwill and gentle accomplishment in her diverse community. What a difference those actions make for everyone involved.
It seems so simple, doesn't it?
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