Fill a Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Young Children

by Carol McCloud, Katherine Martin, David Messing (Illustrator)

An award-winning prequel to Have You Filled a Bucket Today? this book illustrates what it means when children have their buckets filled and learn how they can fill other people's buckets too—understanding  how special, valuable and capable they are.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Friendship, Parenting, Nonfiction, Back To School

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

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 champion for bucket filling, Carol works with a powerful presenter team who strive to help people of all ages and occupations lead happier lives by growing in kindness, self-control, resilience, and forgiveness.

For more information, visit bucketfillers101.com or on your favorite social media channel at @BucketFillers1.

Reviews

[Stacy]

A nice little book about happiness, and how it is not entirely accidental.

[Vera Godley]

This is such a sweet and cute book. It begins by telling how a wee little baby is loved and cared for and how that fills the baby's bucket (his loving heart) and it fills the caregiver's bucket (their heart). It goes on through the child's life showing how kindness and care can fill the child's bucket and buckets of others as well. A lovely book to give a beginner's concept of being kind and how that kindness helps you and others. Charming!

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review.

[Jessica Jones]

very inspirational for kids, helping them learn to be kind, caring and share. To do their chores and to help others be happy.

[Nicole]

Great content!! A wonderful guide for teaching kindness, emotions, and how our actions effect others. I will be using this in my story time in the upcoming month and each child will be getting a little bucket they get to take home!
The illustrations aren't my favorite, but they get the point across.
Overall, worth using if you are an educator, parent, guardian, grandparent, etc. The bucket is a effective metaphor that everyone should use when teaching children about encouraging words/actions.

[Addie Benham]

I love the cute little song in the beginning of the book. This would be excellent for younger elementary to ensure that students are filling other people's buckets. It emphasizes how other people fill our buckets so we should do the same. There are so many things we can do to fill our own buckets and the buckets of other people. It is good to go to sleep with happiness and love and the book emphasizes that. It also leaves a challenge for students at the end asking them how they can fill someone else's bucket today.

[KhiN’Millie Friesen]

"Everyone can have empty or full buckets."
"What are some things that fill your bucket?"
"I feel happy when I got to the playground, eat paw patrol gummy's, and be with my family."
"Those are all things you can do to fill your bucket! Do you think someone else can fill your bucket?"
"Yeah you do when you snuggle me and read me books"
"Those things fill my bucket too. But it's not your job to fill others buckets."
"No we each have to fill our own buckets but maybe mine is so full it fills yours?"
"Yep exactly!"

Convo with my three year old after reading

[Summer Gaines]

The story revolves around the concept of kindness and how we can all make a positive impact on the world by filling each other's "buckets" with acts of kindness. When we do something kind for someone, we fill their bucket and also our own. On the other hand, when we're mean or hurtful, we empty someone's bucket and ultimately, our own. The book teaches children the importance of kindness, empathy, and positive interactions with others.

[Kayla Doney]

The story describes how everyone has an invisible bucket that can be filled or emptied depending on the actions of those around us. When people treat us with kindness, respect, and empathy, they fill our bucket, making us feel happy and fulfilled. Conversely, when people are mean, selfish, or disrespectful, they empty our bucket, leaving us feeling sad and lonely.

[Jacinda]

This book beautifully illustrates the idea of having your bucket filled and how you can help fill other peoples buckets in simple terms for young children. My 2 year old son is absolutely captivated by the concept and the illustrations of the book.

[WSU-CW]

What a great book, shows kids how to treat one another and how being mean hurts others. It gives a great visual representation to how being nice to others help them and makes you feel good too. Would highly recommend reading in classrooms.

[Shannon Au]

A very good book to explain to young children about "filling buckets".

[Allison]

What a wonderful book to teach young children about happiness and empowering themselves to be happy!

[Taylor Ingram]

This is a great book to use with students to explain how their actions affect others. They can help fill other buckets and why they are feeling sad when their bucket is empty.

[Kelly Chester]

Super cute book

[Victoria]

I like this book. It teaches you how to be nice and polite.

[Marsha Barry]

Excellent book for friendship and how to make someone feel better.

[Kimberly]

I thought this would be a guide on parenting little children. dx

It's a good children's book, about showing others love. The pictures are pretty!

[Kimberly]

Classroom management and beyond. More geared towards home than school.

[Sydney Dierig]

love this book. so cute and promotes kindness and doing things to fill everyone's buckets. I think this is a big lesson to teach kids and it is very important to teach kids to be kind.

[Victoria Tromboukis]

Inspirational for kids to give compliments and be nice to people.

[Earl]

The concept of filling other people's buckets (and their own) teaches kids about kindness and will inspire them to think of things they can do.

This is a sweet book for young readers to understand it. I wish it were in board book format!

[Therese Thompson]

Excellent concepts reference a child learning to gain/protect self esteem, but way over Mr. P’s head. But he really wanted to get it. Good to know that toddlers are as attracted to book covers as I am.

[Jennifer]

Feelings 1

This was a good book for talking about feelings, good deeds, and bullying. A lot of teachers on Pinterest love this book and do projects based on it. My host teachers has at least 2 books from this series. She read it at the beginning of the school year. When the class does something that makes her feel warm & fuzzy inside,she puts a fuzzy into her small bucket & talks about how full it is.

Winner of Four Awards: http://www.bucketfillers101.com/fill-...
2008 - Top 10 Children's Books, Best You Can Be Foundation
2009 - Gold Medal, Children's Picture Books, Developing Social Skills, Mom's Choice Awards
2013 - Honorable Mention, Family Matters Books, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
2013 - Honorable Mention, Picture Books - 5 & Younger, Purple Dragonfly Book Awards

[Dena McMurdie]

This is a short introduction to the concept of bucket filling and a prequel to the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? It talks about how everyone carries an invisible bucket and how children can fill them up. It mentions things like hugs, smiles, sharing toys, and saying "please" and "thank you". When your bucket is full, you feel happy, but you feel sad when it's empty.

This is a good primer on the concept of bucket filling and helps young children understand that when you do something nice for someone else, it makes both of you happy.

My blog: Batch of Books

[Julie]

This book is a great addition to any bucket filler curriculum program in schools as well as a great reminder for all to Choose Kind. It's an important message about filling buckets rather than dipping into others buckets.

[Shannon]

Back Cover:
... is the perfect gift for anyone with little ones they love. When children have their buckets filled and learn how they can fill other people's buckets too, they understand how special, valuable, and capable they are.

[Sarah]

LOVE this book! My 2 1/2-year-old daughter has gotten so much out of it. We now talk about filling each other's buckets daily! :^)

[Ana]

This book is for young children. A MUST HAVE!

[Amanda]

sweet book with a great lesson for little kids!

[Liz B]

This book is another version of "Have you Filled a Bucket Today?" for even younger children. It helps them think about how to positively make a difference in their life and others.