Each Kindness

Woodson, J. (2012). Each Kindness. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.

This poignant and beautifully illustrated book tells the age old story of succombing to peer pressure and excluding someone who looks a little different.  When a new girl arrives at Chloe's school Chloe follows the unwritten rule to exclude her.  The whispering and name calling grow until the teacher tries teaching a lesson in kindness. Dropping a pebble in water, the teacher says "This is what kindness does, ...Each little thing we do goes out, like a ripple, into the world."  Chloe decides too late to show some kindness - the new girl has moved again.  When I read this to the grade 3's you could have heard a pin drop.  They all wanted Chloe to get her chance back. We took time to talk about the ending they wished had happened. This book is a great conversation starter about bystanders, upstanders and chances for kindness.

Late Primary, Intermediate picture book, Teacher resource