PPBF: I Walk With Vanessa

This week we had the pleasure of sharing some kindness from the kitchen after picking wild dewberries and baking a batch of kolaches. 


Turns out I baked a memory for these grandparents; 
this thank-you text from their daughter fed my soul.


Kindness doesn't have to be great to be grand;
sometimes it's the littlest things that mean the most.

Today's wordless PPBF tackles cooking up kindness at school.


Title: I Walk With Vanessa
Author/Illustrator: Kerascoët
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Birthday: April 24, 2018
Suitable for ages: 4-7
Themes: empathy, compassion, kindness
Brief synopsis: When the new girl at school has an encounter with a cruel classmate, another girl notices and shows empathy, compassion, and kindness 
by befriending her and offering to walk with Vanessa.
Opening page:


Resources:

Read a Publishers Weekly review {here}.
Get ideas for Kind Acts at this Passion For Kindness page {here}.
Download free kindness posters at Ripple Kindness {here}.
Listen to Episode 13 for a Kindness Podcast {here}.
Visit this Pinterest collection for Kindness Integration ideas.
Compare and contrast this wordless book with 
Kathryn Otoshi's Draw The Line ... 


or Henry Cole's Unspoken.


Make a bulletin board to put kindness on the wall.


Why I like this book:  To be honest, I was kind of frustrated when I first opened the book and didn't find any words. I really wanted to know the story. And I really wanted there to be words. But the more I thumbed back through and paid closer attention to the pictures, the more excited I got about letting the students use the absolutely adorable illustrations to tell the story in their words. From their perspective. With their emotions. Brilliant!

I just shared it with a group of 4th graders
and they noticed something I didn't;
the book starts with a stark white background
(maybe it was snowing?)
and ended with kindness adding beautiful color.

Couple that with a bonus in the back of the book for children and adults on how to counter bullying behaviors with intentional acts of compassion and kindness and you've got a recipe for success.

Check out this kindness multiplier; it's the kind of story you'll want to read again and again. Then put on your kindness cape and come to someone's rescue, one kind act at a time.

Visit Susana Hill's blog for other PPBF picks.   







4 comments

  1. I love the increasing number of picture books about kindness. This one sounds like a treasure as it allows kids to use their imaginations to tell the story. As always, I enjoyed your resources.

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  2. Lovely post and so blown away by the kindness stories that are appearing now. So cool.

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  3. what perceptive kids, to notice the color coming in. That's pure poetry. Thanks for all the resources.

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