Each Kindness

"Something of the flipside to the team's The Other Side (2001), this is a great book for teaching kindness. (Picture book. 5-8)"

When a new and clearly impoverished girl named Maya shows up at school ("Her coat was open and the clothes beneath it looked old and ragged"), Chloe and her friends brush off any attempt to befriend her. Even when Maya valiantly--and heartbreakingly--tries to fit in and entice the girls to play with her, she is rejected. Then one day, Maya is gone, and Chloe realizes that her "chance of a kindness" is "more and more forever gone." Combining realism with shimmering impressionistic washes of color, Lewis turns readers into witnesses as kindness hangs in the balance in the cafeteria, the classroom, and on the sun-bleached playground asphalt; readers see how the most mundane settings can become tense testing grounds for character. Woodson, who collaborated with Lewis on The Other Side and Coming On Home Soon, again brings an unsparing lyricism to a difficult topic. The question she answers with this story is one that can haunt at any age: what if you're cruel to someone and never get the chance to make it right? Ages 5-8. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Dwyer & O'Grady. (Oct.)

Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

EMPATHY; PERSPECTIVE-TAKING; RESPECT FOR OTHERS

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

* "This quiet, intense picture book is about the small actions that can haunt. . . . Woodson's spare, eloquent free verse and Lewis' beautiful, spacious watercolor paintings tell a story for young kids that will touch all ages." — Booklist, starred review

"Unfolds with harsh beauty and the ominousness of opportunities lost. . . . The matter-of-fact tone of Chloe's narration paired against the illustrations' visual isolation of Maya creates its own tension. . . . Lewis dazzles with frame-worthy illustrations, masterful use of light guiding readers' emotional responses." — Kirkus Reviews

* "Always on-target navigating difficulties in human relationships, Woodson teams up with Lewis to deal a blow to the pervasive practice-among students of all economic backgrounds-of excluding those less fortunate. . . . Lyrical and stylistically tight writing act in perfect counterpoint to the gentle but detailed watercolor paintings. . . . Gives opportunity for countless inferences and deep discussion . . . invite[s] readers to pause, reflect, and empathize. . . . With growing income disparity, and bullying on the rise, this story of remorse and lost opportunity arrives none too soon." — School Library Journal, starred review

* "Combining realism with shimmering impressionistic washes of color, Lewis turns readers into witnesses as kindness hangs in the balance. . . . Woodson . . . again brings an unsparing lyricism to a difficult topic." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Woodson's fluid writing and deft particularity makes the girls' bullying rebuffs of Maya absolutely heartbreaking. . . . In his watercolors, Lewis embraces the effects of light like an Impressionist, while his creative, often cinematic uses of point of view add resonance to the story. . . . Offers an alternative view to rosier stories of forgiveness and bully-victim friendships." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Beautifully heartbreaking . . . sure to touch a tender spot. . . . The situation should resonate with young people who are sure to recognize themselves in either Chloe or Maya. Lovely watercolors perfectly complement this simple yet strong story." — Library Media Connection

"Woodson's affecting story, with its open ending, focuses on the withholding of friendship rather than outright bullying, and Lewis reflects the pensive mood in sober watercolors . . . in subtly detailed portraits. . . . A good conversation starter." — The Horn Book