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Have You Filled A Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids
by
Through simple prose and vivid illustrations, this heartwarming book encourages positive behaviour as children see how rewarding it is to express daily kindness, appreciation, and love. Bucket filling and dipping are effective metaphors for understanding the effects of our actions and words on the well being of others and ourselves.
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Paperback, 32 pages
Published
May 1st 2006
by Nelson Publishing & Marketing
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Start your review of Have You Filled A Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids

"Have You Filled Your Bucket Today?" is a book about feelings and making the right choices. This book is a simple guide for children to share and learn good thoughts and good feelings. The book uses an invisible bucket, that everyone has, to help illustrate how to fill your bucket and how you would feel with your bucket full. In contrast, it speaks of a bucket dipper and how that feels when you become a bucket dipper. For example, the author writes, "A bucket dipper says or does mean things that
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I love the simple concept, but a mighty important one, of introducing wellness early on to children, which is why I'm a big fan of this book. I'm glad to see many teachers endorsing it at the schools I visit.
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I borrowed this book from my son's elementary school library (where I volunteer weekly) after learning about the author at an anti-bullying workshop the school held. I was looking for Growing Up with a Bucket Full of Happiness: Three Rules for a Happier Life but our library didn't have it (eventually I ordered it for the library). They did have this title instead. I pre-read any book that I read to my children to make sure it's appropriate and this book has a really good message. It teaches chil
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"Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud and David Messing.After reading this book to my class they have adopted all that it stands for. I hea...moreHave You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud and David Messing.After reading this book to my class they have adopted all that it stands for. I hear my second graders saying "Not me, I'm a bucket filler not a bucket dipper!" I have even brought in a bucket that sits on a book shelf where my students can write quick notes of good deeds th
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This is a wonderfully written and illustrated book for children between the ages of 4-9.
The idea of this book is to teach and guide children in learning how they can "fill the imaginary bucket that everyone in the world possesses, and the buckets of others" by treating people with kindness and respect.
They are also taught that you can empty their bucket and the bucket of others by being unkind and disrespectful. ...more
The idea of this book is to teach and guide children in learning how they can "fill the imaginary bucket that everyone in the world possesses, and the buckets of others" by treating people with kindness and respect.
They are also taught that you can empty their bucket and the bucket of others by being unkind and disrespectful. ...more

Normally I wouldn't add a children's book to my list, but here's an exception. I was so impressed by this book when I first saw it that I went out and bought it for a future child I might have (whenever that may happen)! The story line makes it very easy for a young child to learn the difference between doing good and doing bad with the use of an invisible bucket that 'everyone in the world carries with them.' When you do good things you fill the buckets of others and your own. When you do bad t
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This is used by the teachers in the K-2 of my Kidd’s school, along with How Full is Your Bucket? The message of both is easy for kids to understand, and I think it is helpful. It is a nice way to get kids to think about how what they do effects others.
Totally downgrading this review upon reread because I don't know how I failed to notice the terribly stereotyping illustrations at the beginning. I can get over the gawdawful font choice, but not the kid in a sombrero and the cartoonish version of ...more
Totally downgrading this review upon reread because I don't know how I failed to notice the terribly stereotyping illustrations at the beginning. I can get over the gawdawful font choice, but not the kid in a sombrero and the cartoonish version of ...more

I dislike this book so much! I get that it's a response to bullying and the message is meant to teach children to get along with one another...but let's step back into reality for just a minute. Emotions and feelings come in both the good and bad variety...sometimes others actions affect how we feel. I can be sad and still have a "full bucket"...I can be happy and have an "empty bucket" on a deeper level. We should be nice and helpful but sometimes we will have a bad day...and all of my emotions
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A lovely metaphor for how to be kind and bullying. If you are a bucket filler, you are kind to each other to make others happy. If you are a bucket dipper, you are a bully and take from others to make them sad but that doesnt fill their bucket. This can help children to think about their words and actions affect others. Children can make examples of things that will fill others buckets. This can create a positive, kind ethos in the classroom. It is simple but effective. Children could even make
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What a great message that all humans walk around with an invisible bucket, and it is our job to "fill" people's buckets through positivity and kindness.
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Apr 21, 2020
Gabriella Carvell-Turner
added it
“Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” is a book about feelings and making the right choices. This is a guide to use with others in order to learn and share good ideas and feelings with one another. Carol McCloud describes how everyone in the world has their very own invisible bucket and through actions and words you will either fill a bucket or dip a bucket. To help the children understand what makes a bucket filler examples are given such as smiling and saying ‘hi’ to the bus driving or letting the
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This is not a story really. It's sort of like non-fiction for kids. Any book that makes me super emotional in a good way gets five stars. Yes, it teaches and preaches, but today that worked for me. The metaphor that we all have buckets that need filling is not new, but it is explained well in this book. The book gives good suggestions too. It all rings true to me. I like the illustrations too. I would recommend this book.
A bit later: I just told my daughter who is a second grade teacher about th ...more
A bit later: I just told my daughter who is a second grade teacher about th ...more

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I found this to be a lovely book, which highlights in a concrete and tangible way the importance of showing kindness towards ourselves and others. The concept of everyone having a bucket that can either be filled or emptied through the kind (or thoughtless) acts of others, is intuitively graspable for young children. This book could be used as a starting point for stimulating further discussion relating to how we can show kindness and respect, both in and out of the classroom. I felt that this b
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Recommended for children of all ages. This colorful, simple book shares a beautiful message. Everyone throughout the world carries with them "a bucket". In that bucket we carry all of our good feelings and thoughts about ourselves. Other people fill our bucket when they say and do nice things. And we can do the same for other people. Kids are encouraged not to be "bucket dippers". Bucket Dippers try to fill up their own empty buckets by dipping into other people's buckets by being mean and bully
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Dec 10, 2011
A Mae
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Peacemakers
Recommended to A Mae by:
school
Hey Caroline,
That book was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That book was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A must to read book to children to teach them how to be part of their community in a positive loving way. It's message is really powerful and very, very easy to understand in the way that it is presented. Children and parents can realize how easy and rewarding it is to express love and kindness with everybody around them. High quality book. The illustrations are very vivid and colorful. Multicultural. Ages 4-10.
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In Have You Filled A Bucket Today? basically takes you through the gentle procedure of filling buckets and finding happiness in doing so. The text is short and to the point giving a variety of activities and instances in which you can share happiness and joy in filling buckets. The illustrations by David Messing are really cute and engaging.
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review of my honest opinion and was not compensated.
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review of my honest opinion and was not compensated.

For a book all about helping others and treating others with respect, it sure is messed up that people with disabilities and people of color are primarily shown as the people who need "help" and support. The "you" is almost always a white kid, and the initial picture at the beginning setting up how everyone in the world has a "bucket" is super tokenizing.
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This book shapes our classroom philosophy! We always talk about being bucket fillers to others (and ourselves). This book shows children how they can express feelings, show respect for other people, and give of themselves. I have also heard of this book being read to help children learning about friendships have more success with peers.

Mar 20, 2012
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
read-childrens-books,
read-goodreads-authors
I LOVE this book!! What a simple concept, and easy to visualize, to encourage kids to be kind to one another, and thereby make themselves happy as well. I've got to order this for my library. Outstanding for the young, and a nice reminder for older readers. Highly recommended!!
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Aug 07, 2013
Sydney McClure
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
friendship,
picture-book,
life,
non-fiction,
based-on-truth,
morals,
award-winning,
responsibility,
concept,
contemporary
This is a great book to read to all students in any grade because it helps students to reflect on how they treat others. This correlates with anti-bullying programs and procedures at schools.
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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2019 Roe Reading ...: Have You Filled A Bucket Today? | 1 | 1 | Oct 01, 2020 02:59PM | |
Book Review SUNY Oneonta - Children's Literature | 1 | 3 | Jun 17, 2016 10:49AM |
Carol McCloud, the "Bucket Lady," is the author of ten books, which began with the ever-popular "Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids" in 2006. By trade, Carol is a speaker, author, and certified emotional intelligence trainer. Her books have sold more than three million copies and have been translated into many different languages and in different formats. A champio
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