Do you know that Random Acts of Kindness Week is celebrated every February? People of all ages are encouraged to find ways to be kind to others, be they friends, family, neighbors, or even strangers. To help you and your little readers celebrate, we’ve gathered seven books that show how small kindnesses can have big impacts.
ABCs of Kindness by Samantha Berger, Illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan
You’re never too young to learn ways to be kind! This precious board book, aimed at pre- and early readers, walks the very smallest of bookworms through an alphabet of how to show kindness to others, from Acting, Donating, Including and Inviting, and more. Berger’s text is simple yet inviting, and Trukhan’s adorable illustrations are filled with a diverse cast of characters, resulting in a fantastic introduction to the concept of universal kindness to others.
Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, Illustrated by Jen Hill
When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress at school, the narrator — Tanisha’s classmate — wants to find a way to make her feel better, but how? This question leads the narrator to muse on ways that one can be kind to others, even in the smallest of ways, and how these small acts can often combine to make big changes on a larger scale. Miller and Hill craft a lovely story that even acknowledges difficult truths, such as the fact that kindness can be difficult at times, yet assures the reader that the choice to be kind is always a worthy one.
Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind by Jessica Hische
In this follow-up to Hische’s much-loved Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave, the author-illustrator utilizes her talent for hand-lettering and gentle storytelling to create an affirmation that encourages each reader to wake up with a personal mission of kindness. Whether being helpful, patient, honest, or generous, Hische’s colorful artwork of animal characters helpfully illustrates how to embody each of these values, giving little ones concrete examples of how kindness can be expressed in plenty of easily achievable ways.
Kindness Makes Us Strong by Sophie Beer
Often, children — especially young boys — can receive the confusing message that acting kindly is a signal of weakness, but Sophie Beer’s vibrant and affirming title is happy to dispel that myth. Showing small and effortlessly actionable ways to spread kindness that help build strong communities, friendships, and trust. The brightly-colored, high-contrast illustrations and straightforward text are fantastic for early readers, making this another wonderful way to introduce kindness to little ones.
Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott
This heartwarming fable opens with Coco and her friend Bear, who have decided to manifest one of her grandmother’s favorite sayings: “share some kindness, bring some light,” by baking cookies for Bear’s woodland neighbors and delivering them by lamplight. However, all of the other animals are inexplicably afraid of the admittedly large yet incredibly kind Bear and refuse them. Not only an important lesson in the importance of kindness for kindness’s sake, this sweet story also deftly tackles issues of discrimination and prejudice in a gentle and, most importantly, hopeful way.
A Small Kindness by Stacy McAnulty, Illustrated by Wendy Leach
One small kindness can go a very long way. Using a clever visual and narrative metaphor of kindness moving through a classroom “like a game of tag,” readers can watch as each child in Ms. Jones’s classroom interacts with another in a moment of kindness, allowing color to spread through the sepia-toned environment. Be it something as simple as a smile, a compliment, or even a friendly “Hello!”, each kiddo literally brightens the day of their classmates and friends until their corner of the world is a more vivid and cheerful place.
The Sound of Kindness by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Illustrated by Teresa Martínez
One day, a child and their grown-up decide to go for a kindness walk. “What is a kindness walk?” you may ask. Well, it’s a walk around one’s community to listen for the sounds of kindness, like someone saying, “thank you,” or someone offering to help. It can be words of encouragement or declarations of friendship and support. As the book’s pair explore their neighborhood, they hear plenty of these kind words, which inspire them to create some kindness of their own. VanDerwater and Martínez present a fantastic way to encourage children to recognize and emulate kindnesses that will have readers asking to go for kindness walks of their own.
The world could always use a little more kindness, and we hope that you and the little bookworms in your life are inspired by the books listed above to find new ways to spread some in your lives. Happy Random Acts of Kindness and happy reading!
For our favorite children’s books about how kids can be kind to themselves, check out our article on Picture Books That Inspire Self-Love.
To see all of our recommendations for mini bookworms, check out our Bookshop bookshelf.
