13 Nov WORLD KINDNESS DAY

Today is World Kindness Day, and although my upcoming release is featured, this post isn’t about this book. (Although I do feel like it might be just a bit of blatant self-promotion. I apologize. And yes, it is ready for pre-order).

But HONESTLY, that’s not what this post is about. It’s about kindness. The need for it. The lack of it at times. And picture books that laud it.

It seems silly that we need to have a special day for kindness, but well, here we are. I guess it’s to remind us to be kind. That’s fair. After all, we sometimes do forget. (Is National Ice Cream Day a day to remind us to eat ice cream? Well, like kindness should be an everyday event, I personally think we should eat ice cream as much as we want, on any day we want!)

But I digress. We are going through some rough times, and some of what we see around us is anything but kind. So I chose to use today to highlight a few picture books that celebrate kindness. (And again, sorry about the self-promotion)

My newest book, A Flood of Kindness ( April 2021), was born of hard times. It starts, “The night the river jumped its banks, everything changed.” It’s the story of a  young girl after a disaster and how kindness played a role on her road to recovery.

This book is close to my heart, and I am so grateful to Blythe Russo for bringing the story to life.

Another wonderful story is one by my friend, Alayne Kay Christian, illustrated by Polina Fortman. The Weed that Woke Christmas is a beautiful book that illuminates how a small act of kindness can bring a whole city together. I can’t say it any better than this Kirkus review. “A heartwarming holiday tale that proves even the littlest things can make a big difference.”–Kirkus Reviews

Followers of this blog will read more about this book very soon! Stay tuned!

I recently re-read Pat Zietlow Miller’s book, Be Kind, and I also discovered the beautiful wordless book I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoet. Kindness abounds in children’s literature.

There are probably as many picture books that demonstrate the healing powers of kindness as there are ways to show it.

Let’s share these books widely even on days we want to scream about the world’s unfairness. As Amelia Earhart said, “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”

Please drop some of your favorite titles about kindness in the comments, and let’s share kindness far and wide.