Kind: A Book About Kindness

by Alison Green, Beatrice Alemagna (Illustrations), Steve Antony (Illustrations)

Imagine a world where everyone is kind - how can we make that come true?

With gorgeous pictures by a host of top illustrators, KIND is a timely, inspiring picture book about the many ways children can be kind, from sharing their toys and games to helping those from other countries feel welcome.

The book is endorsed by GRUFFALO illustrator Axel Scheffler, and £1 from the sale of each printed copy will go to the Three Peas charity, which gives vital help to refugees from war-torn countries.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Friendship, Nonfiction, Storytime

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely real and heartfelt book. It was illustrated by a team of many who donated their work for free to a charity who produced this book, and in a lovely way to start off, it is illustrated by two people entering a room by Sir Quentin Blake. Fitting, don't you think?

It talks about the simple and seemingly unnoticeable but very important things we can do for others. Inclusion, sharing, making room for others.. things that in this hustle and bustle world I fear may have taken a back seat. A way way way back seat.

'Three Peas was started by a group of friends from six different countries'. Way to go Three Peas!

www.threepeas.org.uk

This is a timely reminder, for young and old, to think about kindness. What can we do that may be tiny that on the flipside be huge for someone else sharing this lovely planet of ours.

[Ajeje Brazov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libricino per educare i bambini alla gentilezza ed all'inclusione, che (forse) salverà il mondo?
La società in cui la gentilezza non viene apprezzata si disgrega. (Tenzin Gyatso)

Il problema è che se continuiamo a vivere in una società gerarchica, mascherata da democrazia, la gentilezza sarà soltanto una maschera appunto, una macchietta sulla giacca che si laverà via con il prossimo ciclo di lavatrice. La gentilezza deve venire dal profondo e soltanto quella pura ed ancestrale, potrà (davvero) salvare il mondo!

P.S. perchè continuare a perpetrare il modo di raccontare storie importanti e con un ottimo messaggio, però veicolato con animali antropomorfizzati? Io non lo riesco a capire... perchè relegare gli animali a meri oggetti di scena e in modo così distorto?

[Maria Yankulova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Прекрасна книжка, която според мен е абсолютно задължителна за всяко семейство с деца и не само. Това да науча децата ми да бърдат добри, приемам за най-отговорната и най-трудната родителска задача.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Очарователна книжка за красотата на човешките същества и техния безкраен капацитет за добрини! Абсолютно прекрасна и вдъхновяваща :)

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, simple book about kindness with illustrations from some of the very best picture book illustrators in the business.

[Tiziana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and inspiring picture book all about kindness featuring colourful visuals from 38 well-known international illustrators who have donated their work for free to make this book happen. Read through this book with your little one to explore the many ways that children can be kind...from sharing their toys and games, to making sure nobody is left out, to listening to others - especially when they're sad, to helping those from other countries feel welcome. In conjunction with publishing this book, a donation from the sale of each printed copy will go to the Three Peas Charity, a charity that gives vital practical help to refugees, people who have had to flee their homes.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ако трябва да изберете една-единствена илюстрована книга, която да си купите тази година, бих ви посъветвал да се спрете на тази. „От сърце. Книга за добротата“ (изд. „Мармот”) олицетворява всичко, което търся в една истински добра картинна книга. Това е книга с мисия, съдържаща простичко, но силно, смислено и изключително нужно послание. Думите са малко, но внимателно подбрани, а илюстрациите им придават още толкова много нюанси, контекст и изразителност! А самите илюстрации са дело на не един, не двама, а цели 38 различни художника, едни от най-големите таланти в своята област, и това превръща изданието в своеобразен албум на съвременната детска илюстрация, завладяващ празник на многообразие и стилове. „От сърце“ минава за детска книга, но може да бъде четена и препрочитана от абсолютно всеки, независимо от възрастта, като ще донесе на възрастните не по-малко удоволствие и естетическа наслада, отколкото на децата. Няма и капчица съмнение, Алисън Грийн, Аксел Шефлър и компания са творили с много любов и са създали един шедьовър, наистина „От сърце“. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover Recensie volgt later.

[Dilyana Deneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Наистина мила книга, която може да бъде перфектен повод всеки ден и всяка вечер преди заспиване да разговаряте с детето си за смисъла на добрите дела. Илюстрациите са прекрасни, всяка нова страница може да разкрие нов свят за мъниците, защото едно от местата, където добрината пребивава, са именно хубавите книги.

[Akanksha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best children's books this year

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how each page is a different illustrator and offers a different take on how we see the world. A great book to introduce kindness to young children!

[Adam Arzberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a librarian at our local library and it is quite simply wonderful! The pictures really crave your attention for longer than just a cursory quick glance (possibly because each one is by a different illustrator) which demands the opportunity to properly share a picture book with your small people even if you absentmindedly picked it up initially for a quick read. We enjoyed looking out for illustrations that we thought looked familiar and trying to determine which characters they reminded us of from other books.

Whether monkeys, elephants, lions, cats, dogs, worms or people, the emotions displayed on the faces of the characters allow the reader to foster genuine empathy and what better skill to practice in order to learn how to spot opportunities for kindness? With careful attention paid to inclusivity throughout, each ‘idea’ for how to be kind is pitched as exactly that, “it’s good to…”, “can you…”, “we can…”, rather than “you should”, “you shouldn’t…”, “we must…” etc. Likewise, the ideas are all based on how to be kind rather than how not to be mean, when children are used to constantly being told what not to do, I would imagine they may find that rather refreshing.

It is worth mentioning too that £1 from every sale of this book goes to the Three Peas charity, find out more at www.threepeas.org.uk

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We zijn allemaal wel ergens goed in. Geef iedereen de kans dat te laten zien."

Een mooi verhaal met vooral een goede boodschap. Wees aardig voor elkaar. Dat hoeven geen grote dingen te zijn, maar kan ook al iets kleins zijn door bijvoorbeeld naar iemand te zwaaien of te lachen. Help elkaar. En niet alleen de mensen om je heen, maar misschien ook wel vluchtelingen, mensen die je niet kent en nieuw zijn in Nederland. Misschien kun je iemand welkom heten door hallo te zeggen in de taal van de ander of door te delen.

37 illustratoren hebben meegewerkt aan dit boek. Veel verschillende illustraties, maar toch een mooi geheel met aansprekende afbeeldingen voor kinderen. Daarbij wordt met dit boek ook nog geld ingezameld voor liefdadigheidsorganisatie Three Peas.

[Val Stoeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

“От сърце” (изд. Мармот) - нежна и мила книга за разговори между възрастните и децата, която не само показва на мъниците примери за доброта, но и ни припомня колко лесно е да си добър, стига да го искаш от сърце.

[L.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting having illustrations from several different authors. Text could flow a bit better, otherwise a four. I think sometimes adults take good ideologies and put them into children’s books without enough context for a child to really understand the issues at hand.

[Inger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooi boek met een prachtige boodschap. Een aantal bladzijden raakten me echt qua tekst. De afwisseling in de prenten had van mij niet gehoeven, maar gelukkig passen ze wel goed bij elkaar.

[Sharon Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about different ways to be kind , illustrated by 38 different but kind, illustrators .

[Cgltzl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadece çocukların değil yetişkinlerin de okuması gereken bir kitap. Her çocuğun kütüphanesinde olmalı 😍

[Sarah Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. I choked up reading it. What a lovely gift all the famous illustrators did with their art. The world sure could use some more kindness.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking at the other reviews, I feel like a grinch giving only 3 stars.
While I liked the idea of this book, I found it to be a bit long and a little preachy.
It's cool that 38 illustrators collaborated on this book. I definitely liked some more than others (the page with "hello" in different languages had some drawings of people that might haunt my dreams...)
Maybe I'm just tired and grumpy tonight but I just didn't love this book as much as many others seem to.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet. Like the 'spot the illustrator' game you can play!

[RosaDG · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book about the various situations in which a gesture of kindness can be absolutely necessary and decidedly useful both to the person who gives it and to the person who receives it and much more if it is a girl or a boy in a situation of vulnerability due to whatever the circumstances. In addition, it is a solidarity book whose sale is intended to help "3 peas" who help vulnerable children.For this reason, the precious and varied images that illustrate the story have been donated by its illustrators.

Adeitasun keinu bat guztiz beharrezkoa eta guztiz baliagarria izan daitekeen hainbat egoerari buruzko liburu ederra, bai ematen duenarentzat, bai jasotzen duenarentzat eta askoz gehiago ahultasun egoeran dagoen neska edo mutila bada. edozein dela ere egoera dela eta. Horrez gain, liburu solidarioa da eta horren salmentak haur ahulean laguntzen duten “3 ilar” laguntzea du helburu. Hori dela eta, istorioa ilustratzen duten irudi preziatuak eta askotarikoak bere ilustratzaileek oparitu dituzte.

Un precioso libro sobre las diversas situaciones en que un gesto de amabilidad puede ser absolutamente necesario y decididamente útil tanto a la persona que lo da como a la persona que lo recibe y mucho más si es una niña o un niño en una situación de vulnerabilidad por las circunstancias que sean. Además se trata de un libro solidario cuya venta se destina a ayudar a "3 peas" quien ayuda a la infancia vulnerable. Por eso, las preciosas y variadas imágenes que ilustran el cuento han sido donadas por sus ilustradores

[Juf Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een prentenboek vol vriendelijkheid. Dit bijzondere prentenboek is gemaakt door maar liefst 38 illustratoren, die ieder een tekening schonken. Samen vormen ze een inspiratiebron om met kinderen in gesprek te gaan over vragen als: Hoe kunnen we elkaar helpen? Hoe kunnen we samen iets voor elkaar krijgen?

Het boek opent met een voorwoord van Axel Scheffler, bekend van De Gruffalo. Hij benadrukt hoe belangrijk het is om aardig te zijn voor elkaar: “Op dit moment lijkt de wereld meer verdeeld dan ooit, maar ik ben er met hart en ziel van overtuigd dat we door gewoon aardig te zijn – door ons vrijgevig, open en meelevend te tonen – voor onze kinderen een vredige en welvarende wereld kunnen achterlaten.”

Iedere illustrator verbeeldt een manier om vriendelijk te zijn. Soms gaat het om iets kleins – een glimlach geven, luisteren naar iemand die het moeilijk heeft, een knuffel bij verdriet. Soms om iets groters – nieuwe buren welkom heten, of zeggen: jij hoort er ook bij, ook als anderen dat niet vinden.

Dit boek laat zien hoe groot de kracht van kleine daden kan zijn, en hoe we samen de wereld een beetje mooier kunnen maken. Perfect om met kinderen te praten over vriendelijkheid, delen en zorgen voor elkaar.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book which is a very worthwhile and much needed endeavour for a good cause (both in terms of donations and its message)... but I didn't love it. It could (should?) have been Rosen and Blake's Sad Book for kindness but I don't think it quite gets there.

I love the idea of getting so many illustrators in - their work has been donated but what a showcase it is for their talent with some beautiful pictures which would be great to explore with children of a wide range of ages. How bloomin' irritating it is that my library has fastened the cover so that you can't see all the endpapers with all of them on. Fundamentally the problem may be that the project doesn't grasp firmly enough in the words that it is about welcoming others, others who may be different (and specifically, refugees) and talks about (waffles on about) carrying bags and having a jar to pop a marble in every time you do something kind. It's trying very hard not to be didactic, but it had the feel of a book for teachers to use rather than a book which will be loved for its language as well as its message and illustrations.

[Linda Patchett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful book for all public and school libraries and a wonderful gift for a preschooler to second grader. The remarkable illustrations will appeal to children and adults alike. 38 artists from all over the world gifted this book with their unique art style. They donated their work for the Three Peas Charity that published this book. The charity gives practical help for refugees.

The book of kindness wisdom begins with, "How can we help the world be kinder?" Each page has one simple human act of kindness such as giving someone a smile. The ideas are not new - they are stated simply and clearly. As these words float among the magical and rhymical artwork their meaning seems to speak right to your heart. Multicultural art and universal truths about being kind come together. That is what makes this book so truthful and memorial.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about kindness from 38 of the world’s top illustrators - what more could we ask for? This is a gorgeous book that talks about and illustrates the different ways that children can be kind and experience kindness. The endpapers are absolutely wonderful and readers can identify the illustrator to the appropriate pages. All the proceeds from this book are donated to The Three Peas Charity, an organisation that help refugees with practical and useful advice. You will keep coming back to this book time and again. This will be a very special addition to any library collection.

Suitable for 4+

[FM Family · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cool book in that it has illustrations from a bunch of amazing children's book illustrators. But I felt about it like I feel about movies with an ensemble cast, I liked the concept but the actual product didn't really resonate. The book has a series of thoughts and questions about being kind, and about how to be kind to others. But I just didn't find it as effective as a story with a strong narrative about kindness, like Be Kind for instance or Shelter, or Hattie Helps Out. Feels more like a book you'd use in a classroom to start a conversation than it does one that really becomes a part of your frequently read library.

[Jessica Sharland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very easy read for young children to learn what it means to be kind. This book offers lots of different opportunities of how to be kind to their friends, how to respect eachother and develop friendships.
On particular idea in this book that could be implemented in class is a kindness jar. Everytime a child does something kind in the classroom a marble or button can be put into the jar. When the jar is full the class could receive a reward.

Another interesting point about this book is that the illustrations are by 38 different illustrator which helps to exaggerate the points about diversity in this book.

[Apple · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it was educational but felt like a kind relative figure was speaking the teachings so it was pleasant. The illustrations were very varied (multiple illustrators), I liked quite a lot of them. Loved the message, very up to date but keeping it simple and universal. I had this read to me by Paloma Faith on YouTube (https://youtu.be/1VTDokOUPyE) and she did a good job of reading with warmth in her voice :)

[İdil Alter · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sabırlı olmak çok iyidir - özellikle sabırsızlandığınızda!”

Bir yardım kuruluşu için bir araya gelen 38 çizerden iyilik ve nezaketle ilgili naif bir kitap. Hikaye değil. Birinin torbasını taşımak, düşürdüğü bir şeyi yerden alıp vermek, yeni taşınan birine kucak açmak, üzgün birine sarılmak gibi basit eylemler üzerinden iyilik yapmanın dünyayı güzelleştirdiği anlatılıyor. Yeni neslin bunları öğrenmeye ihtiyacı olacak.