Kids books that showcase kindness
Two classics and a new-to-me read that inspire all the warm-and-fuzzy feelings, plus why you should always smell the vanilla when you bake with your kids.
I recently learned about an interior design term that has revolutionized my day-to-day life: sight lines.
A sight line is what you can see from a certain vantage point in your home. For example, when you are standing at the sink doing dishes, what do you see? When you are sitting in your favorite reading chair, what is in your sight when you glance up from your book? Do these views bring you joy and a sense of peace? If not, they should!
I’ve begun identifying spots in my home where I spend significant time, noting the view, and decluttering/organizing/beautifying those sight lines so that when I look up from doing dishes, folding laundry, or making dinner, I have something delightful to see.
This has been such a mood booster, and it has also been a successful home organizing tactic. Instead of feeling overwhelmed at decluttering my entire home, I’m tackling one intentional space at a time!
Recipe: Ina Garten’s chicken pot pie (Make this with rotisserie chicken, frozen veggies, and puff pastry, and you will have this dinner on the table in no time!)
Easy way to be a fun mom: When you bake with your children, have them smell the vanilla before you add it to the recipe. Sense of smell is a powerful way to recall memories and the emotions tied to them. As your children grow, every time they smell vanilla, they will think of baking with you!
Fun read: 12 French provincial kitchens that should be on a Nancy Meyers film set
“A Sick Day for Amos McGee” written by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
This classic book is so tender and sweet. A zookeeper spends time with his animal friends every day, doing the things they enjoy. But when he doesn’t show up one day, the animals go to him to repay the kindness.
“A Sick Day for Amos McGee” does what good children’s books do best: instill a virtue without beating you over the head with it. This book demonstrates kindness without saying the word once, and it does so in such a way that your children will be inspired to do something kind for someone as soon as they put down the book.
“The Helping Sweater” written and illustrated by Rachel Más Davidson
“The Helping Sweater” discusses kindness and helpfulness in a more straightforward way, but the vibrant illustrations and unusual idea of using a sweater to help others kept my children enchanted by this story.
Maya is ecstatic to wear her favorite sweater, but—oh no!—it snags on her chair at breakfast! The long thread makes her cat happy, though, so it cheers up Maya a little. And so begins a series of instances in which Maya creatively uses the sweater’s thread to help the people around her.
“The Little Engine that Could” written by Watty Piper, illustrated by Loren Long
This lovable story has been charming children since 1930, but the timeless tale hasn’t lost an ounce of relevance. A little blue engine helps toys and dolls make it over the mountain when no other engine will. I love this abridged board book version with Loren Long’s illustrations.
What are your family’s favorite tales about kindness?
“Imagine if people could understand how important everything related to children is—their books, their movies, their music, everything, everything. Because it shapes them for their entire lives.” — Astrid Lindgren
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I love Amos mxgee
Sight lines! Brilliant, I’ve been thinking about this lately but didn’t realise there was a term for it