Each Kindness

Each Kindness (Woodson, 2012) is such a positive and touching book.  It is about a new girl entering a classroom.  She is wearing "spring" shoes during the winter and wears used clothes which classmates don't think is OK and do not make friends with her.  She sits next to a girl who won't smile or talk to her and no one will play with her.  The following spring Maya has a new dress but it is used so someone starts calling her "Never New".  One day Maya doesn't show up.  The teacher gives a lesson to the class by dropping a pebble in a bowl of water and "Each kindness makes the whole world a little better" and goes out like ripples in water and continues.  Eventually the teacher tells the class that Maya and her family has moved away.  The girl that sat next to Maya who never talked to her or smiled at her felt horrible that she never took time to be a friend to Maya.  This is a great read aloud story or great in connection for a "PBIS"  (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) or "Character Counts" lesson.  The illustrator is E. B. Lewis.  Woodson and Lewis collaborated on the beautiful story The Other Side (Woodson, 2001).