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

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This award-winning prequel to Have You Filled a Bucket Today? 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.  Winner of:
Best You Can Be Foundation, Top 10 Children's Books
2009 Mom's Choice Awards, Gold Recipient: Developing Social Skills
2013 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, Honorable Mention: Picture Books — 5 & Younger
2013 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, Honorable Mention: Family Matters

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

8 people are currently reading
429 people want to read

About the author

Carol McCloud

24 books36 followers
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.

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5 stars
253 (56%)
4 stars
118 (26%)
3 stars
60 (13%)
2 stars
6 (1%)
1 star
7 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for Stacy.
1,003 reviews90 followers
March 20, 2021
A nice little book about happiness, and how it is not entirely accidental.
Profile Image for Vera Godley.
2,002 reviews56 followers
August 2, 2016
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.
Profile Image for Jessica Jones.
91 reviews2 followers
November 8, 2019
very inspirational for kids, helping them learn to be kind, caring and share. To do their chores and to help others be happy.
Profile Image for Nicole.
586 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2020
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.
Profile Image for Addie Benham.
20 reviews
Read
November 19, 2020
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.
Profile Image for KhiN’Millie Friesen.
310 reviews2 followers
July 31, 2024
"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
48 reviews
April 25, 2023
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.
50 reviews
April 23, 2023
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.
Profile Image for Jacinda.
359 reviews4 followers
August 29, 2017
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.
Profile Image for WSU-CW.
20 reviews
December 11, 2018
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.
25 reviews2 followers
September 6, 2017
A very good book to explain to young children about "filling buckets".
Profile Image for Allison.
37 reviews8 followers
December 27, 2017
What a wonderful book to teach young children about happiness and empowering themselves to be happy!
Profile Image for Taylor Ingram.
20 reviews
November 20, 2020
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.
Profile Image for Victoria.
107 reviews
May 4, 2022
I like this book. It teaches you how to be nice and polite.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
731 reviews36 followers
Read
October 22, 2023
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!
Profile Image for Kimberly.
494 reviews12 followers
March 12, 2024
Classroom management and beyond. More geared towards home than school.
50 reviews
May 4, 2024
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.
Profile Image for Earl.
4,109 reviews42 followers
May 21, 2017
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!
Profile Image for Therese Thompson.
1,740 reviews20 followers
June 3, 2023
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.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
472 reviews2 followers
March 19, 2015
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
Profile Image for Dena McMurdie.
Author 5 books134 followers
December 19, 2014
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
Profile Image for Julie.
1,035 reviews24 followers
February 8, 2017
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.
Profile Image for Shannon.
961 reviews4 followers
March 21, 2016
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.
Profile Image for Sarah.
33 reviews1 follower
February 12, 2010
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! :^)
Profile Image for Ana.
113 reviews
April 23, 2010
This book is for young children. A MUST HAVE!
Profile Image for Amanda.
16 reviews
Read
July 7, 2010
sweet book with a great lesson for little kids!
59 reviews4 followers
April 19, 2011
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.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews

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