Friday, November 13th was WORLD KINDNESS DAY, a day set aside by the World Kindness Movement, a nonprofit established “to highlight our good deeds in our communities, cities, and nations; it is for us to further focus on the positive power and common thread of kindness, which binds us together.”
In recognition of the day, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), put together a reading list of books for kids highlighting kindness and other, related, topics. I’m proud to have SOMETIMES A WALL, illustrated by Barroux, included on the list.
Of course, we don’t need to limit celebrating kindness to just one day a year. Here are some other picture books I can recommend that seem especially fitting this time of year:
BE KIND by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jen Hill
These are the things that came to mind as I scrolled through social media today and ran across a conversation that stopped me in my tracks. Someone I knew had expressed some opinions I disagreed with. They were disturbing, not because I was unaware of our differences – there have been many areas in which we haven’t seen eye to eye over the years. More – I was surprised by how quickly the conversation had turned ugly, as the person I knew and the other I didn’t attacked one another online.
It made me think about opinions in general. Mine. And those of others. Sometimes we’re right. Often, we’re wrong. And that made me think about empathy and the power of books. And in particular, the picture book ADRIAN SIMCOX DOES NOT HAVE A HORSE., written by Marcy Campbell, illustrated by Corinna Luyken.
This is a picture book about a boy, Adrian Simcox, who sits by himself, gets the free lunch at school, has a messy desk, and holes in his shoes. “And Adrian tells anyone who will listen that he has a horse.” Chloe doesn’t believe him, and is angry about his lies. The teacher says, “We must try to be understanding. We have to be patient.”
One day when Adrian continues to spin tales of his “beautiful horse with its white coat and golden mane” and the “biggest, brownest eyes of any horse, anywhere,” Chloe gets fed up. Tired of being patient and understanding, she yells from the middle of the playground,”He’s lying! Adrian Simcox does NOT have a horse!”
As soon as the words leave her mouth, Chloe realizes the harm she’s caused. She sees the sad look on Adrian’s face and knows she has spoken too soon.
How Chloe learns to deal with the conflicting feelings she has about Adrian is heartening. As it says on the flap copy: “Sometimes we have to learn to see with kindness.” And while that may not be the answer in all times and all places, we can all learn a thing or two about stopping to see a person as more than the sum total of the words they say in a moment of conflict.
As President-elect Joe Biden said in his acceptance speech, “it’s time… to see each other again. To listen to each other again.” We all know this is not an easy thing to do. But, I’d like to think we can try.
Her keynote was a beautiful ode to wonder and gave me and the other conference goers a sense of her eminently gentle heart and the fascinating path her life had taken. I left the conference with her book, the good good pig: the extraordinary life of christopher hogwood. (highly recommended!)
Fast forward several years – a friend recommended BECOMING A GOOD CREATURE, a picture book adaptation of Montgomery and illustrator Rebecca Green‘s NYT’s bestselling memoir for adults, HOW TO BE A GOOD CREATURE. I ordered it right away and am so glad that I did, as it seems like the perfect book for a time when we could use some of the hope offered by this “beautiful, friendly guide for anyone who wishes to be a better creature in the world.”
Author Sy Montgomery ends the book with a gentle reminder to “Trust Tomorrow” and that “even in the darkest times, there may be wonderful new teacher waiting for you, right around the corner.”
I’ve known author Karen Jameson since the mid-90s when we were both teachers at Peachland School in Newhall, California. The summer I moved from teaching upper grade students down to first grade, Karen took over the incoming class. Over the next 15 or so years, with each of us teaching different grades, our paths overlapped mostly at staff meetings and school-wide events.
But then, for my last three years at Peachland, Karen and I became 3rd grade teammates. That’s when we really got to know one another. Shortly before I retired and moved to Arizona, Karen shared her dream of writing picture books. And so began a fun journey for the two of us. First, as critique partners and, then, cheerleaders for the new books we were each selling!
Karen’s latest, WOODLAND DREAMS, is a gem. Soothing and lyrical, this cozy bedtime read, with luminous illustrations by illustrator Marc Boutavant, is sure to be a new classic.
DW: Welcome, Karen! First things first. Congratulations on your second book, WOODLAND DREAMS. It’s the perfect picture book/poem to send little ones off to sleep. The words are beautifully written – so comforting. And the illustrations? Simply glorious!
KJ: Thanks, Dianne! I hope it brings sweet dreams to young readers. Marc’s art is stunning with its brilliant showcase of autumn colors and attention to detail!
DW: This picture book had an interesting journey to publication. I think of it this way: Conference + Editor Roundtable = One Happy Ending! Can you share the story behind the sale of Woodland Dreams?
KJ: Absolutely! I’d just arrived at the 2017 SCBWI Golden Gate Conference, checked in and picked up my registration packet. A quick glance revealed I’d been assigned to the Editor Roundtable led by Naomi Kirsten of Chronicle Books.
Soon after the opening keynote, I made my way to the assigned building and nervously sat down with six other hopefuls. Following an explanation of the roundtable format – ten minutes for each author to read and receive feedback- the event began. When my turn came, I passed out copies of Woodland Dreams, read it in its entirety, and paused for feedback. Little did I know the next few minutes would be life changing! Naomi didn’t skip a beat before pronouncing it wonderful and asking to take it to acquisitions! It was one of those serendipitous moments authors dream about.
DW: What an amazing story! This is your second rhyming picture book (MOON BABIES was first), and you have two more (FARM LULLABY and WHERE WEE ONES GO) in what I’ll call your “lullaby series” with Chronicle Books.
Each of these books is in rhyme, and your talent is obvious, but rhyming is not as easy as it looks. Can you talk a little about your process? I’m particularly interested in hearing how you arrived at the 2-part structure for each animal’s poem:
Come home, Big Paws.
Berry Picker.
Honey trickster
Shadows deepen in the glen.
Lumber back inside your den.
The first line – Come home … – sets up a structure that you repeat with each animal, and the effect is like snuggling up in a cozy blanket, peaceful and calm.
Was that beginning there from the start? Or was it something that you discovered as you worked? Talk a little about the process of choosing rhymes that not only move the story forward, but are also surprising and simply perfect!
KJ: Yes, the Come home… line was in my first draft. I’d been thinking about how mothers call their children in for the night and imagined what Mother Nature might say to each woodland creature. I wanted her words to be sweet and playful – endearments or nicknames offering clues to the animals’ identities.
I was playing around with some potential structures and remembered a literary device called kennings, which poet, Laura Purdie Salas, used very effectively in her A Leaf Can Be… and other A _ Can Be titles. Shortly thereafter, the lines, berry picker/honey trickster came to me and set up the pattern for the rest of the book. It was a lot of fun coming up with the kennings – a process of trial and error.
A nonfiction couplet completes each stanza, revealing the animal homes and setting the stage for sleep.
DW: People who don’t write picture books don’t always realize that even informational fiction, like WOODLAND DREAMS, can require a fair amount of research. Can you talk about the animals you chose and the setting you had in mind when writing this book? Did you include illustrator notes when you submitted the text?
KJ: North American coniferous forests were my inspiration and I researched the animals found in that habitat. I intentionally chose animals that were fairly well known and included a mix of mammals, birds, reptiles, etc. There were no illustration notes attached.
DW: Were there any pleasant surprises working on this book?
KJ: Being paired with talented illustrator, Marc Boutavant, was a dream come true! His artistic vision of a little girl sketching in the forest, added a new and exciting dimension to the story.
DW: What can your readers look forward to next?
KJ: As you mentioned above, two additional lullabies are forthcoming from Chronicle Books! Farm Lullaby releases in Fall ’21 and Where Wee Ones Go releases in Spring ’22. Although I can’t give any details just yet, a new nonfiction title is awaiting announcement. More picture books are in the works!
Did you know that more than half of the world’s refugees are children? It’s not hard to imagine the upheaval of leaving all that is familiar, including your homeland, friends, and family members in search of a place of safety and hope.
A bed, a book, a gift of things that are liked and needed (a soccer ball and clothing), a welcoming teacher, and new friends. Can such simple kindnesses make an impact? I believe they can.
In a complicated world where sides are chosen and solutions are nuanced and often harder to implement than we would like, each smile, each extended hand, each small kindness reminds readers of the power of a welcoming community.
How easy it is to forget that – as the old Joan Baez song (written by Phil Ochs) goes -“there but for fortune go you or I.”
While the ability to understand and share the feelings of another may not be quite as simple as “putting yourself in another person’s shoes,” it is, at the very least, a place to start.
Other picture books on Kindness:
THE POWER OF ONE – Every Act of Kindness Counts by Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Mike Curato
BE KIND by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jen Hill
Each Monday for the past 2 weeks, I’ve shared a brief lesson that invites students into a conversation about empathy, friendship, and the path from conflict to resolution.
Today’s post is the third in the series of three. Together they are a unit called “TOGETHER. APART. REGRET. NEW START?” that I’ve designed to accompany my newest book, SOMETIMES A WALL…, illustrated by Barroux.
A day in the neighborhood begins with a chalk wall to draw on, a water wall to splash in, a climbing wall to clamber up, and a great wall of kids playing together. But it isn’t long before a wall comes between them, and one child is left out. After all the name-calling and hurt feelings, reflection and regret, is there a way these exfriends can make amends?
Simple rhyming text is layered with playful illustrations to explore the many forms that walls can take – as well as the myriad feelings that accompany them. SOMETIMES A WALL… will inspire readers to scale walls of their own, with imagination and empathy.
BEFORE
Before leading students in a modified PICTURE WALK, use a post-it note or something similar to conceal the phrase (“A valuable lesson in friendship, one wall at a time”) on the back cover, leaving the illustration visible.
Begin with the front cover. Ask: What’s going on in the picture? What will this story be about? Who will be the characters in this story? What do you see that makes you say that?
What might the title, SOMETIMES A WALL… mean? Notice it includes an ellipsis (three dots) to indicate a pause or omission. It’s meant to get the reader thinking: “Sometimes a wall… what?” How would you finish the sentence?
Now, open the book to reveal both the front and back covers. (NOTE: the phrase “A valuable lesson in friendship, one wall at a time” should still be concealed.) Ask: What’s going on in the picture? Does seeing both front and back covers change your predictions about what the story will be about? What do you see that makes you say that?
Uncover and share the phrase on the back. What might “A valuable lesson in friendship, one wall at a time” mean? Make a prediction about what will happen inside the pages of the book between the image on the front and the image on the back cover.
DURING
Guided by the open-ended questions – What’s going on in this picture? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can we find? – continue to encourage students to “read” the story by sharing their interpretations and thoughts about the developing art and narrative.
Additional things to consider when reading: use of color and white space and use of the gutter – the inside margin at the center of a book.
Have each child draw an act of kindness on their own 6×6 paper square. Piece the squares together to create a classroom Friendship Quilt.
Make a Double Bubble Map comparing and contrasting SOMETIMES A WALL with I WALK WITH VANESSA or DRAW THE LINE.
Work with the students to create a “path to peace” poster. What steps did the two characters take to resolve their differences? (see resources below for more about the Peace Path)
Write a short unrhymed poem of apology in the style of William Carlos Williams, “This is Just to Say.”
Today is the second post in a series of three for a unit I’m calling “TOGETHER. APART. REGRET. NEW START?”
Each Monday for the next 2 weeks, I’ll share a brief lesson to accompany a picture book that invites students into a conversation about empathy, friendship, and the path from conflict to resolution.
Today’s book is DRAW THE LINEby Kathryn Otoshi, a story about two boys who draw their own lines and realize that when they connect them together―magic happens! But… when a misstep causes their lines to get crossed. Push! Pull! Tug! Yank! Soon their line unravels into an angry tug-of-war. When the rift between them grows, so does the question – will they find a way to come together again?
BEFORE READING
Open up the book so students can see both the front and back cover. Ask: What’s going on in the picture? What will this story be about? What do you see that makes you say that?
DURING
Guided by the open-ended questions above, continue to encourage students to “read” the story by sharing their interpretations and thoughts about the developing art and narrative.
Additional things to consider when reading: use of color and white space and use of the gutter – the inside margin at the center of a book.
AFTER
Questions for discussion:
At what point did things go wrong? Do you think the boys got into a fight on purpose? Why or why not?
What *could* the kids have done at the moment when the problem began? For example, when the boy on the right laughed, what might he have done instead? What do you think would have happened if he noticed that his friend was angry? What might have happened if they’d paused before reacting?
Is one child in the wrong and the other child in the right? Or is it just “one of those things?” Is it up to one child to step up and apologize?
Have students work in small groups or pairs to create the dialogue (perhaps using Speech Bubbles) of each of the two characters for one or more double page spreads.
EXTENSIONS and Resources
Draw the Line Activity Guide (from Roaring Brook Press/MacMillan) – includes numerous activities for younger learners.
