A Small Kindness

December 15, 2020
Preschool-Grade 1 A clever visual conceit helps demonstrate the simple power of paying kindness forward in this gentle, encouraging picture book. It's the first day of school, and one class is full of nervous kindergarteners. Leach's sepia-toned scenes reveal an inclusive group of kids lined up to go inside, all of whom have apprehensive faces, except for Alice, who appears in full color. Alice smiles at Lucas, Lucas greets Jasmine, Jasmine passes the class guinea pig to Xavier, and so on. With each friendly gesture, a soft ribbon of color passes between the characters, who then appear in bold, vibrant hues for the rest of the story. By the end of the day, everyone, including the teacher and school janitor, moves from a muted, monochromatic palette to bright, cheerful color, a tidy visual signal of how small gestures of kindness can turn a day around. Though there are plenty of books on similar themes, McAnulty and Leach's benefits from the strong imagery, which could be particularly useful for pre-readers nervous about starting school for the first time.

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January 1, 2021
Small, thoughtful acts ripple through a classroom until everyone's day has brightened. A diverse group of children lines up in front of their teacher, a Black woman named Ms. Jones. In this first spread, the scene is done in a sepia-toned monochrome except for one Asian-presenting child, who appears in full color. Then, "like a game of tag," her color spreads to Lucas when she smiles at him, and Lucas' newfound color spreads to Jasmine when he says hello to her. At each page turn, the person who has just received a kindness does someone else a kind turn--listening, helping, complimenting, being friendly--spreading smiles while those still in sepia wear uncertain expressions. The class moves together from arrival through a full day to dismissal, finding moments throughout to show consideration. By the final spread, the entire scene is in full, vibrant color. One simple line of text per spread allows readers to absorb the clever visual storytelling on the wide, landscape-oriented illustrations. Young readers will enjoy scanning each scene and guessing who will receive the next act of kindness. As a satisfying first book for a child to peruse independently and as an instructive group read to set a tone and expectations, this offers a lesson that goes down easy. A kind addition to bookshelves in homes and classrooms. (Picture book. 3-8)

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