Be Kind

As a preschool teacher with more than two decades in the classroom, I’ve seen countless trends in early childhood education come and go — but high‑quality stickers, engaging books, and open‑ended art materials have never lost their magic. These simple tools continue to be some of the most powerful ways to support both fine and gross motor development, all while keeping learning joyful.

My 5 year old really likes this book. Her toddler sister is also into it. It’s a very sweet and relatable story. The writing is simple but poignant. It’s given us a solid launching point to talk about being kind to those around us, what happens if someone isn’t nice to us, and all the big feelings that go along with that. Never a better time to teach the power of being kind.

In Be Kind, Pat Zietlow Miller addresses an extremely important aspect of the directive “be kind”— the fact that sometimes it can be hard to be kind. Sometimes you want to help someone who is sad or in need and you just can’t figure out what to do. Sometimes you try to be kind, and it doesn’t help the recipient the way you thought it would. Sometimes it’s just really, really hard to be kind. As adults, we so often try to teach children to “be kind” without remembering to teach them what to do when being kind is tricky, frustrating, or disappointing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Through minimal text by Miller and beautiful illustrations from Jen Hill, readers connect with the main character and feel empathy for her friend Tanisha. We feel the sadness and disappointment that comes with not knowing how to help a friend. We feel the fear when facing a bully and the irritation that little siblings can cause. We also gain an understanding of our kind acts, even ones that seem so small and everyday that we forget they’re kind, and the effect they have on others. We see a chain reaction travel through a community and around the world. And we see the effect, right where it was needed, with Tanisha. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My 3- and 5-year-old daughters absolutely love this book. In fact, they ask for the “umbrella book” and the “grape juice story” almost daily. I have recommended this to anyone who will listen… and no one has been disappointed yet. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This book could be very effective for ages 3 and up. Be sure to use it as a time to talk with your children about “what does it mean to be kind anyway?”

Great way for kids to learn through reading. These are the simple lessons that need to be taught early in life. Be kind

Our family loves this book, especially our 6 year old daughter. She is at an age where she may start encountering some negativity at school, so having books like this that help her process the concept of choosing kindness and sticking up for others is super helpful. And I love that the book does a great job of explaining that there are all sorts of ways to be kind. You don’t need to be a bold hero, something as simple as listening can make a big difference. We have a copy of this book for home use and we loved it so much that we gifted a second copy to our daughter’s kindergarten classroom. Engaging graphics, well written, and great message.

Got this for my son who has been bullying at daycare (4 y/o). This book is quite cute with calming art, but the message is a little abstract and artsy for a child as young as my son. An integral part of the message is that kind deeds beget kind deeds, and so kindness spreads across the world. It's a wonderful message but a but too broad for a kid. IMO the message would have been better suited an early- reader level book, not a picture book.

Pat Zietlow Miller's recent and widely acclaimed release, BE KIND, features an aware and intentional main character, one who actively attempts to "be kind". As with the stumbling school campaign slogan above that required an object for its verb, this kind character has an object of the intent: a classmate who is upset by a simple accident, spilled grape juice. When an initial attempt at support is misunderstood, the wannabe-kind youngster makes an effort to observe, consider, and analyze ways that kindness is (or isn't) effective. Those examples, the progression of observations, and the conclusions are entirely child-friendly but also provide dense content for discussions about ways individual acts can affect others' lives. Illustrator Jen Hill has provides visual spotlights throughout the book, offering a subtle reminders to focus on both sides of the kindness equation. The reflections of the main character convey not just intention but persistence, not a sense of his/her own desire to be kind, but on the needs of the classmate. I used the gender-optional pronouns because some young readers have asked- is it a girl or a boy? Hill's gender-ambiguous illustration allows all readers to see themselves in the story, and to answer the questions for themselves: Who do you think it is? What difference would it make which way you see the child? Does assigning an identity affect the story? The universality of the story shines through from the book jacket front to back.

I love how this story shows many different ways to be kind to others. I also like how the main character could be seen as a boy or girl, so kids can picture themselves as that character doing nice things. Excited to read this to my class!

大人でも優しい気持ちになれました。 小さな親切が広がっていく世界になりますように

Beautiful book to teach children about kindness. Lovely illustrations. My son is 3.5 years old and although he cannot understand everything in the book, he has started to grasp the concept of kindness and he really loves the book. It's one of his favourites at bedtime.

Fab story and provides encouragement, empowerment and ways to be thoughtful for children.

Beautiful book and important message for children. How to be kind to your friends. Nice illustrations.

A very interesting book about kindness and how kids can be kind. I wanted to give examples to my daughter. We lost it and we bought it again. We love this book.