It’s a quality the world needs more than ever, and it’s something we insist on in our kids. If you’re in need on inspiration, Margaret Leonard of Dotters Books in Eau Claire recommends four great books that take on the topic of kindness.
Found. by Jeff Newman and Larry Day
Found. is a beautiful and moving story of a girl who finds a lost dog. As she brings the dog into her home and cares for him, readers learn that she recently lost her dog and feels quite sad that she hasn’t been found. Jeff Newman and Larry Day’s beautiful illustrations show the joy she begins to feel as she falls in love with this new dog. Eventually, though, it becomes clear to the girl that the new dog belongs to another person and she is faced with the difficult decision of what to do next. Found. is a wonderful way to talk with your kids about kindness, compassion and responsibility, and to explain that sometimes doing the right and kind thing is the most difficult thing of all.
How to Be a Lion written and illustrated by Ed Vere
Leonard is a kind and gentle lion. His best friend is a duck names Marianne. They love to play together, read books together and stare at the stars on their Thinking Hill. Leonard doesn’t fit in with the other lions who are fierce; they chase smaller animals and chomp them. The other lions tell him that he must change — the only way to be a lion is to be fierce. Marianne tells him that is not the case. She and Leonard set to work to convince the other lions that there is not only one way to be anything. How to Be a Lion gives kids the courage to be themselves while also showing them the power of words and the importance of kindness in speaking with others. It’s a great one to read aloud!
The Gold Leaf by Kirsten Hall, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
The Gold Leaf is a visually stunning picture book with a beautiful message of kindness, cooperation and community spirit. As spring arrives in the forest, all of the animals become aware of one beautiful gold leaf growing on a tree. Each animal wants the gold leaf more than the next. They would do anything to have the leaf. They fight each other and tear the beautiful leaf to pieces. Fall and winter come to the forest again. Finally, spring arrives, and with it, one beautiful gold leaf. How will the animals treat this beautiful gift this time? What have they learned from their actions the previous spring? Kirsten Hall and Matthew Forsythe, in The Gold Leaf, have created a magical world in which appreciation is valued higher than consumption. This is a timeless story and a wonderful lesson to share with your kids.
The Ostrich and Other Lost Things by Beth Hautala
The Ostrich and Other Lost Things, Beth Hautala’s wonderful middle-grade novel, is told from the perspective of eleven-year old Olivia. She is a girl with a special talent for finding lost things — her parents and her neighbors often call on her to help them find anything and everything that they lose. When the book opens, her older brother, Jacob, has lost his toy ostrich. She is desperate to find it as she is convinced that Jacob’s autism has gotten worse since he lost his toy. As summer begins, Olivia is hopeful that she’ll be able to find his ostrich and play Peter Pan in a children’s theater production of the play. Because her brother needs more attention from her parents, Olivia is not often in the spotlight, so when she gets the part she is both thrilled and terrified. Throughout the summer, Olivia works to balance the things that she wants with the needs of her brother and her family. The Ostrich and Other Lost Things is a beautiful story of family and the kindness, patience and sacrifice that go along with loving the people closest to us. This would be a great book to read as a family as there are so many wonderful and emotional moments to talk through.
– Margaret Leonard
Margaret Leonard is the owner, along with Jill Heinke Moen, of Dotters Books, an independent bookstore in Eau Claire. The shop, which specializes in books by a diverse range of authors, began as a book club and opened its doors in the fall of 2018. Follow Dotters Books on Instagram and Facebook.