My Bag of Kindness

Danielle McLean is a children’s book writer and editor, living in London. She is mom to Olive and Henry, who are her biggest fans, and who love books as much as she does. She’s written books about a lot of fun things like magical mermicorns, mysterious sparkly poop, friendly fungi, and much, much more.Lisa Koesterke is a German-Australian designer and illustrator with a love of bright colors, quirky characters, and endless summer days. If she's not in her studio, you can find Lisa at the beach going for a swim and eating gelato.

A child’s bag of kindness is full of simple ways to give and show gratitude.In this board book shaped like a backpack, each item in the book reminds a child about an act of kindness or a moment of gratitude. The book’s irregular trim is designed such that it appears as if each item peeks out from the top of the backpack. There’s a pair of clean and dry socks a teacher gives the child after soggy puddle-play (“YOU ARE THE BEST!” the child tells the teacher in response); books that the child’s grandmother buys as a gift and shares; and a note from the child’s mother with a reminder to “spread…kindness far and wide!” The book’s shape and its cutout designs are visually appealing and will draw little readers in. The text is adequate; the rhymes do not consistently roll off the tongue when read aloud. The colorful illustrations feature geometric shapes: All of the faces have perfect circles for eyes and cheeks and triangular noses. The protagonist has brown skin, as do the brother and grandmother. The book’s theme is certainly a well-visited one, and this story does not provide a fresh take. That said, the concept of a “bag of kindness” works as a way to make an abstract concept approachable and digestible for a young child.Predictable but worth sharing. (Board book. 2-4)--Kirkus