Tomorrow I'll Be Kind

December 2, 2019
Following Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave, renowned lettering artist and illustrator Hische takes on a new set of kindness-oriented adjectives. Words such as helpful, gentle, and generous are scrawled in elegant script across full spreads, accompanied by scenes of a rabbit, cat, mouse, and other animals acting in kind and thoughtful ways. In cheerful, digitally rendered artwork, the animals assist a friend after a tumble, take turns on a slide, celebrate a loved one’s birthday, and donate toys and clothes. Hische sets her vignettes to a catchy, rhyming poem: “Tomorrow I’ll be/ helpful/ when I see someone in need/ I won’t stand by or hesitate,/ I’ll get up and take the lead!” A welcome call to tenderness. Ages 3–7.

Narrator Robin Miles's soothing voice is the perfect match for this bedtime audiobook. With an easy pace and calm, precise diction she lovingly carries young listeners through the gentle text, which teaches about beneficial behaviors. In uplifting verse, she describes various positive attributes such as being helpful, patient, gentle, honest, generous, graceful, and kind. This type of predictable meter and rhyme can often sound stiff or singsong when read aloud, but Miles gives appropriate expression to each phrase, making it sound natural rather than stilted. Seeing the illustrations while listening would add to the impact of the words by showing examples of the positive traits, but it's not necessary for a sweet bedtime listening routine. S.C. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine