Finding Kindness

by Deborah Underwood, Irene Chan (Illustrations)

Celebrate kindness in all its many forms. A rhyming story of community, compassion, and generosity of spirit!

Kindness is sometimes a cup and a card, or a ladder, a truck, and a tree. A scritch and a cuddle. A rake and a yard.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Friendship, Storytime, Fiction, Juvenile, Poetry

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 29, 2019

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are not in a style I love but they are fun. There are so many details and they do show a real sense of community and I did like that. I appreciate all the cats & dogs shown and all sorts of scenes that have appeal for children and grownups. The text sort of reminds me of the book A Friend is Someone Who Likes You, but I’m coming to it not for the first time as a six-year-old but someone well into adulthood and it felt a bit lacking to me. I think children will enjoy this book though and its heart is in the right place.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many ways to be kind.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finding Kindness by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Irene Chan. PICTURE BOOK Henry Holt, 2019. $18. 9781250237897

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Kindness can be found in many small gestures if you look around. Sometimes it’s a friend sharing a treat or family taking care of each other. Sometimes it looks like forgiveness or service. However kindness appears, it makes the world a better place.

This colorfully illustrated book takes on the topic of kindness in simple acts. What ends up happening however, is an odd list of objects and disjointed moments that can get lost on young readers. I read this out loud to my kids and by the end it sounds like a list. The word “it” replaces the word “kindness” so much that you have to remind yourself what you are reading a list of. This might work with a guided discussion about how we can see goodness around us.

Reviewer, C. Peterson
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Karen Arendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gentle reminder that kindness is possible and comes in many different forms.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where so many people seem angry and ready to be mean, it's awesome to have a book to share with young readers that celebrates all the ways people are nice to each other. When you take your eyes off of the news and away from your tablet or phone, you can see that there are lots of good people in our communities and we should follow their example. This could definitely generate a good conversation about all of the ways we can be kind and to look for the people that are helping their neighbors in our world. This could also inspire young writers to write about their own experiences being kind or enjoying the kindness of someone else.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: FINDING KINDNESS by Deborah Underwood and Irene Chan, ill., Henry Holt/Godwin Books, October 2019, 32p., ISBN: 978-1-250-23789-7

“How can people be so heartless
How can people be so cruel
Easy to be hard
Easy to be cold”
-- Galt MacDermot, James Rado, and Gerome Ragni (1969)

This week, I’ve been reading an “adult” book published a couple of years ago. THE COLOR OF LAW: A FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF HOW OUR GOVERNMENT SEGREGATED AMERICA is a couple of hundred pages of horrific, historic unkindness practiced by Americans against Americans. It’s a great book that makes me think less of our so-called great nation.

I sure need something inspiring to get the bad taste out of my mouth. So I am grateful that FINDING KINDNESS arrived at the doorstep.

“Kindness is sometimes a tip in a case
or a tap when a lace is untied;
it’s taking a photo
or making some space,
it’s a racket, a rocket, a ride.”

There are endless numbers of books designed to help grow little kids into more enlightened, more engaged people. I’ve found many of them impenetrable, watered-down versions of adult self-help books.

FINDING KINDNESS, an illustrated eight-verse poem, is more my speed. It begins and ends with a girl who carefully captures and frees a ladybug that’s gotten stuck in the house. In between, the verses and illustrations depict all sorts of large and small ways that one can be kind.

There is a potent interaction of verse and images here. While the rhythm and rhyme make it quite enjoyable for reading aloud as a straight poem, many of the kindnesses portrayed cannot be understood without the accompanying illustrations.

“Kindness is sometimes a song or a stick
or a ‘Hi!’ and a bat and a ball.
It’s soup when a neighbor is sneezy and sick
or a scoop if one happens to fall.”

The book illustrates simple gestures, like giving up one’s seat on the bus to a mother with an infant in her arms, offering to take a photo for a family, or holding a door open. It also shows more involved ones, like bringing soup to a sick neighbor, or helping a neighbor with a building project. Or providing free lemonade to the neighbor and others helping with the building project.

Kindness is a mindset and a habit. When practiced regularly, it can become second nature. Unfortunately, the opposite can also be true.

So, try a little kindness. And check out this wonderful book.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Underwood's knack for optimism and Chan's colorful illustrations, Finding Kindness is an homage to helping others and remaining kind and open.  There are lots of ways to be kind, it turns out--including doing a favor, sharing some food, and pushing someone on a swing.  This is a great book to read aloud to a little one, and perfect for stirring up conversations about what we can do for others.  Great for grades K-2, and awesome for those who want to read something similar to Todd Parr's Kindness Book.

Review cross-listed here!

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feeling inspired by the kindness in this book!

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quiet, gentle, lovely, funny, happy, wise, and very very kind book. What more could you ask for?

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book is a 3.5 for me. Many teachers share the book, Wonder, with their students as a read aloud or assign it as a book for discussion, and students often finish it with questions about what it means to "choose kind" or uncertain about how to behave in kind ways. They can find plenty of suggestions in this picture book. Starting with a girl at a window, the pages show other scenes throughout her neighborhood that demonstrate simple acts of kindness--a firefighter rescuing a cat, a boy raking someone's yard and then being rewarded with a cookie, giving a hug to someone, just sitting nearby to offer support, noticing others who are being overlooked, sharing simple pleasures, and becoming part of a loving community, all through the simplest of actions. And in the end, readers will see how all these acts spread, making this small community a good place in which to live. The last scenes feature that very same girl found on the first page but with some additions. The illustrations were created with watercolor and then digitally enhanced. The artist has also included her son's crayon and oil drawings on the card featured at the start and the conclusion of the story. This one is perfect for sharing with youngsters so that they have something tangible to do when they are inspired to be kind, and maybe, after a little while, kindness becomes second nature to them. After all, finding kindness is a lot easier than we might think.

[Lisa Momblanco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story by Deborah Underwood! The examples of kindness are simple and plentiful. They should give kids lots of good ideas about how to be kind. It shows how to be compassionate and makes the reader feel good.

The illustrator, Irene Chan, does a great job of inviting the reader in with the bright, vivid pictures. I loved the full page on its side to illustrate the large city!

[Maria Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a tender, circular concept book on kindness. Where sometimes, all one needs is a cup and card to show compassion for another living being. The illustrations, featuring a diversity in race, age, ethnicity, and ability, carry the reader on a journey through a child's town demonstrating how everyone can show kindness, empathy, and compassion in big and little actions throughout their day. The gently rhyming text shows both small gestures (returning a dropped key, holding open door, or waiting for ducks to cross the road) and large gestures (planting trees in the park, adopting "the animals others ignore," or helping build a house) of kindness. Overall, this is a magnificent book with a positive message of community and practicing kindness to others, ourselves, and our world. One that would be beneficial in classrooms and for our society as a whole.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork brings the text to life with some unexpected interpretations of kindness. For example a bird feeder is both a seed container hanging from a tree and a person feeding the birds. The illustrations move seamlessly from one example to another by drawing attention to the preceding and forthcoming examples of kindness in the same picture, making kindness not just isolated incidents, but common everyday occurrences.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Beautiful illustrations and diverse characters that show that kindness can be seen in the smallest of actions that make a big difference. I appreciate that it acknowledges that kindness includes being kind to yourself, too.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love love love the poem but not so much the illustrations, but don't know why. Perhaps it would be fun for teachers to have kids make their own illustrations. Might like it best as a one on one read or bedtime talking about kindnesses encountered throughout a day. Can see some aspects of search and find in pointing out illustrations. Can't wait to hear other reactions and uses.

I've been reading Michelle Borba's Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me Word
and always look for books about courage and kindness. One of the most impactful thing I took from hearing Chelsea and Hillary Clinton talk about their new book, Gutsy Women, was Chelsea tell about her bedtime ritual of reminding her daughter tomorrow be courageous (brave) and tomorrow be kind. Looking for books with examples of both.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming book that captures lots of little ways to be nice (catching a bug and letting it go outside, filling a birdfeeder, taking a picture for someone, making room on a bench, etc). Sometimes I had to really examine the illustration to figure out what the kind action was that the text was referring to. Bright and happy illustrations and I like the way the beginning and ending lines framed everything.

[Flossmoor Public Library (IL) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

This picture book is such a great conversation starter! In this book, numerous examples of kindness are described throughout a city. Caregivers can read this book with young children and use it as a tool to discuss different ways to show kindness. It is a difficult concept for young people to understand. This book gives them real-life examples from which adults can explain how that character was made to feel happier. Well done!

- Miss Emily

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Kindness is a sweet, rhythmic, heartwarming story that celebrates kindness and community. Kindness can be found in so many small actions, such as reading a story, waving hello or sharing a sandwich. This story reminds the reader just how easy and catching kindness can be. Irene Chan’s bright watercolor illustrations depicting a diverse community brings this story together. An important book to share with young readers. Recommended for everyone

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

9/5/2020 ~ This is one of those picture books where there is so much happening in the illustrations, that you need to take time to re-read and pore over the pages. Each page has a connection to the page that came before, as the characters hand off acts of kindness to the subsequent characters. In this Utopian town, we can find acts of kindness in each interaction. This would be a good book to start the year in a classroom, establishing norms for small (and large) kindnesses throughout the day.

[Vincent Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book goes through many ways a person can show kindness. It lists big and small gestures or things that happen just about every day. The story is sweet, with an uplifting message on how anyone can show kindness. This book would be good for little kids and shows them how even little things they do matter and can impact someone. The art is appealing, and the book sits at a good length. Nice, heartwarming read, I would recommend it.

[Daisy Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shows children so many different ways to be kind.
This is a great book to share with young readers that show all the ways people are nice to each other. I loved the illustrations, which enveloped a diversity in race, age, ethnicity, and ability. This book will surely show the reader how to share kindness, empathy, and compassion in various actions throughout their day.
Great learning tool for showing others on "Finding Kindness".

[Samantha Mairson-Dougherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did everyone else make of the cup and the bug that open and close the book? I don't fully understand that piece of the story. Is it a symbol? What would the creators say about it?

Love the rhyming and the message about kindness. I also love that the story demands extra time and attention to the relationship between words and illustrations.

[Tiziana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely picture book demonstrating many different forms of kindness: from waving hello, holding a door, cuddling with a pet, helping a neighbour, to offering up your seat on the bus, among so much more. A nice story that begins and ends with the same character, and I loved how each character and page was connected to the last. Pretty, colourful illustrations.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

From New York Times-bestselling author Deborah Underwood comes Finding Kindness, a heartfelt picture book illustrated by Irene Chan.

Celebrate kindness in all its many forms. This is a powerful story of community, compassion, and generosity of spirit--perfect for sharing!

Kindness is sometimes a cup and a card, or a ladder, a truck, and a tree. A scritch and a cuddle. A rake and a yard.

[Alexander Fernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published at Mr. Alex's Bookshelf: https://mralexbookshelf.com/2020/05/1...

Oftentimes the concept of kindness is hard to grasp for young minds. If you need proof, look no further than adults who don’t understand the concept. This book goes a long way in helping to explain kindness to everyone.

Quick Rating: Buy, Use, Donate, Gift?

Summary
In simple prose, Underwood provides relatable examples of kindness with which children can easily identify. My personal favorites: It’s soup when a neighbor is sneezy and sick or a scoop (of ice cream) if one happens to fall.

Illustrations
Chan, an artist, illustrator, and graphic designer for children’s books and a host of other media, uses vivid colors and lots of details to flesh out Underwood’s themes. The art enhances the book, making it available to non readers and early readers alike.

No Space on My Bookshelf
Aimed primarily at four to eight year olds this is a good, solid book and one that should definitely be read with a child. More than once. The question for me, as always, is whether or not this book is a keeper. The answer is a qualified no. Once the book’s theme is exhausted and the examples are learned, it’s time for the book to move on and help another child.

This is not a book that contains a story that can be revisited over and over. And, although it is true that there is nuance in the examples provided by Underwood, the attention span of the average child may not support multiple readings without character development. [End.]

[Kim Zarins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would pair this with a video of Mr. Roger's famous quotation from his mother saying that in tough times, if you look around, you'll see people lending helpful hands. Such a good, uplifting message, and the flow of images reinforces the idea that all these acts of kindness are happening on an ordinary day in an ordinary city. I think I'd like to live in this book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book about all the ways we can show kindness. I love that the pictures generate their own conversation with the reader about what the kind act is and hopefully provides the opportunity to recognize and be more grateful for the acts of kindness we receive and provide new inspiration for ways we can be more kind.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Kindness is sometimes just taking a break or sitting with someone who’s day,
forgiving yourself when you’ve made a mistake or forgiving a friend who got mad.”

Often times, kindness is a very simple act, but the impact isn’t any less. Kindness is for humans and for animals, for others and for ourselves. A simple text with an important message.

[Jurnee Terry- · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must read in the classroom! I enjoyed this story so much, it is a cute story of how kindness is everything. In this society being kind is the most important thing especially with everything going on in the world. I think this story is very appropriate in the climate we live in today.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rhyming series of examples of the many actions that can be forms of kindness.

A fantastic little picture book with attractive artwork and just the right amount of well-rhymed words to give littles a vast array of examples of simple and not so simple acts of kindness. Highly recommended for those looking for ideas for how to be kind.