Book Review: Kindness is a Kite String

Recently, I got the chance to read and review a newly released picture book titled Kindness is a Kite String: The Uplifting Power of Empathy by Michelle Schaub and illustrated by Claire LaForte.

This is a subject I've thought a lot about. Kindness is so important, yet it feels as though it's more and more rare. What a difference kindness could make in the world! So of course, I jumped at the opportunity to read this book. Kids need to be taught about kindness now, and what better way than through picture books?

This book did not disappoint!

Kindness is a Kite String is a poem that suggests different ways to spread kindness. From hugs, to sharing a book, to visiting sick neighbors, this story gives a lot of great ideas for ways to spread kindness. But more than that, it teaches kids that Kindness is something that grows and spreads whenever you share it.

Kindness is a kite string. 

 Let it out.

See Spirits lift.

Kindness is powerful, and small acts of kindness can make a big difference in the world.

I especially enjoyed the pictures. They built on the ideas in the words, and then showed the interconnectedness of kindness and how it spreads. You'll want to go through the book more than once to see how the lives of the characters intersect, and how a good deed passed on to one person might just eventually come back to you. Also of note is the inclusiveness and diversity shown in the pictures.

Kindness is a topic that we need to talk more about, and this book is a wonderful start for both kids and adults alike. If we all took this message to heart, we just might find ourselves in a better world.

You can learn more about the author, Michelle Schaub, at her website.

You can learn more about the illustrator, Claire LaForte, at her website.

Kindness is a Kite String is available through Bookshop.org, your local indie, B&N, and Amazon.