K is for Kindness

by Rina Horiuchi and Risa Horiuchi

“We can be kind in so many ways! 

What's something nice that you might do today?”

This month’s book pick is “K is for Kindness” which is written by Rina Horiuchi and illustrated by Risa Horiuchi, and it honestly made my heart feel warm. The Horiuchis take their readers through the alphabet and giving examples of ways to be kind to others for each letter. 

“Iguana brings ice cream when Inchworm feels icky.”

“Queen Bee is quiet while Quail takes a nap.”

What better of a way to teach our children the alphabet than by giving them small, everyday examples of how they can be kind? 

Eleanor and I went through this book, and because she's on the older side of our age range that Bridge to Books covers, I had her tell me what each letter was and we named the sound that the letter makes. Remember, children's books can often be versatile. They can be simply read to your younger ones (because they need to hear lots of words in those early years!) or they can be interactive for your child to go alongside their learning journey. Just because you may have a one year old and a four year old at home doesn't mean that the same book can't be used. Life's great when we can all learn together! Let your younger one name some of the animals in the book and what sounds they make, or try working on the different colors you see! 

Then, after you've read the book, help your child remember what they've read and how to be kind. “Donkey gives Dog her dear dolly to hold.” Maybe say something like, “Do you remember how Donkey shared her dolly with Dog? Why don't you take a turn being kind too and let your sister hold your dolly for a bit?” Or, “Would you like to bake some muffins like Mouse for our friends today?” Use the book as a reminder for the simple ways to be kind and help your child do it too. Being kind is always good.

I hope your August is full of kindness and joy, and I hope your book adventures are thriving! Happy reading my friends!