“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” Thinking about efforts towards social justice, peace and what we can do to shift society, let's explore the idea of giving of ourselves, our time, talent, listening skills, to help someone else. The idea of a gift economy where we give without expecting something back helps connect us to each other and the world. Here are some books that explore the concept of kindness.  Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein When Mrs. Higgins sees Amelia's smile, she smiles too and sends her grandson, Lionel who lives in Mexico, some homemade cookies setting off a chain of events. Smiles, good feelings, kindness and love travel across the world. This quote inspired the book--"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  "This beautiful and powerful illustrated edition brings my father's inspiring message of freedom, equality, and peace to the youngest among us--those who will one day carry his dream forward for everyone." Dr. Bernice A. King Two time Caldecott honor winner Kadir Nelson has created magnificent and moving paintings that have immediacy and the power to inspire awe.  Each kindness makes the world a little better Chloe and her friends won't play with the new girl, Maya. Maya is different--she wears hand-me-downs and plays with old-fashioned toys. Every time Maya tries to join Chloe and her gang, they reject her. Eventually, Maya plays alone, and then stops coming to school altogether. When Chloe's teacher gives a lesson about how even small acts of kindness can change the world, Chloe is stung by the lost opportunity for friendship, and thinks about how much better it could have been if she'd shown a little kindness toward Maya. Publisher's description Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson  In Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson, Mary starts a chain reaction of good deeds in a way similar to Amelia and her smile. Each five people inspired to help others by her deed multiply until 6,103,515,625 people are touched.  Minna has a class assignment to do something kind and make a picture of it. After observing many acts of kindness she makes a quilt with all of them on it. When the class sees it, they want to take all their pictures and make them into a quilt. The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.  Have you Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud. An invisible bucket that everyone carries can be full or empty. Full buckets are happy making and empty ones make us sad. We need people to fill our bucket and others need us to fill theirs. Kindness, compassion, love and caring are fillers. Being mean, exclusive, and insensitive can empty the bucket of others as well as your own. Filling someone's bucket can fill your own too. Some of the third grade teachers have a bucket "system" in their rooms.
This is a good time to introduce new poetry books. Take a look at these offerings and come by to check out these and other books to help you celebrate poetry in your home or classroom. Award winning poet Joyce Sidman gives these reasons for reading poetry: 1. Capture the moment. 2. Choosing joy. 3. Easing the heart. 4. Everything is connected To read more about her rational follow this link: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/newsletters/newsletterbucketextrahelping2/893901-477/why_i_write_poetry_a.html.csp  Never Forgotten, illustrated by the incomparable team of Leo and Diane Dillon, this story is spoken by the Griot (African storyteller) whose words have the rhythm of drum beats. In lyrical verse, it tells of Dinga the blacksmith whose wife dies leaving him to raise their son Musafa. Elements of folklore weave through the story as Earth Mother, Fire Woman, Water Maiden and Wind Spirit nourish and seek to protect the boy when he is kidnapped by slave traders. The spirits follow Musafa across the Middle Passage to find him enslaved and working as a blacksmith like his father before him. This message returns to Dinga who celebrates "With the Mother Elements by his side, Celebrating the son who was taken, But never forgotten." The Griot reminds us that Musafa was one of millions. Patricia McKissack gives voice to the taken and the left behind.  Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts About Peace explores the meaning of peace."Can peace creep up on us, seep into our souls, or do we have to search it out, coax it, give it space?" Anna Hines explores the subject of peace at home, in the world and within one's self. Each evocative poem is illustrated with handmade story quilts.  In Amazing Faces, Lee Bennett Hopkins has collected a multicultural array of people who reveal the universal emotions we all share. Whether happiness, sadness, excitement or pride, these feelings express the experiences that make us human and let us make connections to others. "A young soldier returns home-----keeping miles of memories sealed within One heartbreaking boyish grin." Guyku a Year of Haiku for Boys  Haiku at its most fun. Throughout the seasons, boys frolic and play. In winter “Two splotches of white / on a black tree trunk. I aim / my next pitch—strike three!” Bob Raczka captures moments in nature complemented by Peter Reynold's delightful cartoons in which each seasons is depicted in a single hue.  Dear Hotdog by Mordicai Gerstein celebrates ordinary things from toes to toothbrushes. Three children spend their day; they play, eat, and enjoy everyday things. Illustrated by the author, these are poems in which young readers will see themselves. "Leaves" tells us, "In spring, yellow-green and tiny, you pop out and dress big trees in baby clothes."  Step Gently Out--this title is good advice for being mindful of the beauty in the smallest creature. The stunning close-up photography of Rick Lieder reveals the lattice of a damselfly wing or lets you share the dew sparkling web with a spider. Helen Frost leads you on this journey of discovery with her words, "In song and dance and stillness, they share the world with you." Watch her world below.  I Lay My Stitches Down by Cynthia Grady is a moving tribute to the African American spirit. She says this in the introductory page, "Quiltmaking and poetry share similarities in craft. In one, color and shape are organized into an overall pattern; in the other, sound and structure create the pattern, Each poem...is named for a traditional quilt block and reflects a metaphorical patchwork of circumstances encountered by enslaved people in America."
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