Kids books that inspire kindness.

Kindness education sounds pretty nambypamby. At least that’s what I used to think. Being old school, I had to ask: Where’s the content? The rigor? But, enduring a toxic political climate these last few years has changed my mind, as has living through the coronavirus.

As of yet, there is no vaccine for mean tweets or the pandemic. But kindness is a good relief for both, and these new picture books could inspire the future’s better angels.

Studying Mr. Rogers

“Hello Neighbor!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers”: Four decades ago, I watched Fred Rogers, the television pioneer of character education, with my sons, hoping that his measured pace and gentle tone would rub off. Oh well. Mister Rogers was aspirational at our house — for kids and grownups alike.

His essence and his mission are captured with vitality in “The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers.” Often framed in an oldtime TV screen, scratchy watercolors move playfully and purposefully from childhood (Fred loved puppets and music) and through his young adult years (Fred was shy and lonely). The seeds of his life work are revealed.

On the scene for early children’s programming, Rogers wonders why television is used for clownish pranks instead of education. The rest is history. We get to see the underpinnings of his longrunning show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” where everything is intentional — how he tackles feelings good and bad, welcomes differences, nurtures curiosity, fuels imagination and sings out his reassurance to kids.

“You are a very special person,” he repeats. Many quotations add Rogers’ own voice to bolster his standing as a model of kindness and caring.

Written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell; Neal Porter/Holiday House; 40 pages; $18.99; ages 48

“Fred’s Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers”: The comfortable beginning of every show also opens “Fred’s Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers.” On Page One, his sneakers are ready, as are his cardigans. (His mother knit them all.) Then, it’s a retrospective on what his TV show aimed to be — the chance to build selfesteem and community.

Bright, mainly gouache art is simple and solid with references to many famous episodes in the “Neighborhood” — when a goldfish dies, YoYo Ma plays cello, Koko the Gorilla sings and Daniel Tiger feels worried. Explored here, but not in “Hello Neighbor,” is how Rogers goes to Washington to successfully testify before Congress on behalf of funding for public television and his show. Such advocacy for children — their social and emotional growth — truly drives his life and legacy.

Written by Laura Renauld; Illustrated by Brigette Barrager; Antheneum; 40 pages; $17.99; ages 48

Four picture books on kindness

“You Matter”: Flat acrylic and collage art amplifies the affirming titular refrain: “You matter.” If you swim with the tide or against it, or are lost and alone. If you are first or last, big or small, young or old. Charming scenes teem with an evolving array of life — early sea creatures, amphibians, insects, dinosaurs, birds and finally a diverse bunch of city folk. It’s easy to see kindness as both a building block and a byproduct of an “I matter” kind of selfacceptance.

Written and illustrated by Christian Robinson; Atheneum; 40 pages; $17.99; ages 48

“Finding Kindness”: Following residents through the day, cheery watercolors present small moments of kindness in a diverse neighborhood. Firefighters rescue a cat up a tree; a boy rakes an elderly neighbor’s yard; someone gives up a seat on the train; a big boy comforts a little one; friends forgive each other and themselves after a tiff. The tone is as sweet as the many kindnesses.

Written by Deborah Underwood; Illustrated by Irene Chan; Henry Holt and Co.; 32 pages; $17.99; ages 48

“Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind”: Singsong rhymes team with digital art to offer a glossary of kindness and examples, too. A menagerie of dear animals models positive attributes — being helpful, patient, gentle, honest, generous and grateful, each word magnified on the pages in a fancy but sometimes hardtoread script. Examples: A rabbit mops up the cat’s spill (helpful) and confesses to a moose the truth about a broken window (honest). There is much to discover in the pictures, much to discuss in the theme.

Written and illustrated by Jessica Hirsche; Penguin Workshop; 40 pages; $17.99; ages 37

“Zero Local: Next Stop: Kindness”: With daily delays, tempers flare on an urban commuter train. Composed, photorealistic graphite drawings show how one rider tamps down an altercation on a Monday. Over a few days, she creates expressions of gratitude for the driver and helps passengers come together instead of apart. But then she is gone, leaving a girl to carry on. Bright yellow punctuates the blackandwhite pages, spreading by book’s end like camaraderie. This then is a stunning, wordless ode to creativity and community.

Written and illustrated by Ethan and Vita Murrow; Candlewick; 40 pages; $17.99; ages 48

Susan Faust is a member of the Association for Library Service to Children, most recently serving on the 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award selection committee. She was a librarian at Katherine Delmar Burke School in San Francisco for 33 years. Email: books@sfchronicle.com