KINDNESS STORIES FOR KIDS

Some suggestions from Sharon Rawlins:

A Chair for My Mother

Vera B. Williams (Preschool to kindergarten)

When a little girl’s family loses their home and possessions, friends, neighbours and family members pitch in with essential items and companionship.

The Nice Book

David Ezra Stein (Preschool to kindergarten)

We’re all guilty of using the vague phrase “Be nice” when talking to children. Stein’s book breaks down that unhelpful admonition and turns it into specific advice.

The Lion and the Mouse

Jerry Pinkney (Preschool to Grade 1)

This utterly gorgeous, wordless book is based on an Aesop’s fable. The mighty lion gets ready to eat the lowly mouse but, in a moment of compassion, spares it. His kindness is repaid later when the mouse frees the lion from a trap.

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures

Kate DiCamillo (Grades 3 to 6)

Flora Belle Buckman is a self-proclaimed “natural born cynic,” until a besotted squirrel and an odd little boy named William Spiver melt her heart. (2014 Newbery Medal winner)

George

Alex Gino (Grades 4 to 6)

When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl. George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. But a friend helps her let everyone know who she is, once and for all.