What do you think?
Rate this book
Try a Little Kindness
In this picture book, illustrator Henry Cole shows kids different ways to be kind.
Each page features a different way to be a good person, like using proper manners, telling someone they are special, or sharing a treat! The text is accompanied by two or three related vignettes of different animals giving examples of ways to be good. And in one illustration out of each set, one animal (like a cat peering into a fishbowl!) may not be doing the best job of being kind!
Each page features a different way to be a good person, like using proper manners, telling someone they are special, or sharing a treat! The text is accompanied by two or three related vignettes of different animals giving examples of ways to be good. And in one illustration out of each set, one animal (like a cat peering into a fishbowl!) may not be doing the best job of being kind!
32 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
2 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Henry Cole
260 books169 followersHenry Cole was a celebrated science teacher for many years before turning his talents to children's books. He has worked on nearly one hundred and fifty books for children, including Nesting, Unspoken, Big Bug, A Nest for Celeste, Jack's Garden, and On Meadowview Street. Henry loves being outside where he can sketch and write.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
January 12, 2019
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is Try A Little Kindness by Henry Cole, a sweet and sometimes silly guide to simple acts of kindness.
Alternating between rhyming text, instructional sentences and vignetted dialogue, readers are encouraged to try to add a little kindness to their daily routines. First, they can start by waking up with a smile and a positive attitude. Examples such as sharing toys, giving hugs, being an ally and inviting someone to play are accompanied by whimsical illustrations of animals doing just those things. And when the day is done, you can feel good about having shared your kindness with others.
Mostly cute. I really enjoyed the various examples the story gives on how children can infuse goodwill into their days, especially in ways that are often overlooked or forgotten about (such as writing Thank You notes). The slightly haphazard jumps between text rhythms was a little jarring at times, but not so much that it couldn’t be gotten used to. My only main issue is apparently a selling point of the book – in many of the art sets that accompany the acts of kindness, there will be one vignette not like the others – such as a cat “opening to door for others” to a birdcage, or a chicken nervously “playing” with a gang of foxes – that is meant to provide humor but honestly sort of undercuts the message of the book. While this is the kind of gag that older kids would probably love, it flew over JJ’s head and was just sort of bothersome to me. However, for the most part, this is a great way to encourage little ones to find ways to be friendly, generous, and sweet, and it’s hard to argue with that. The length was fine, JJ enjoyed it, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
March 21, 2019
This is a mish-mosh. At least the Berenstains hit you straight in the eye with their preaching.
Some of the sequences here have jokes more for the adults (a chicken nervously waiting as a line of foxes play "Red Rover"). Sometimes the suggestions seem insincere, sometimes they are straight lines. There is no cohesion here.
Cole is a talented artist, but as a storyteller here, it's just not working. Want a book about sharing, caring and all the rest of it? Go for the late great Amy Krouse Rosenthal's wonderful
Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons which breaks things down in a way kids will get and somehow manages to be sweet rather than preachy.
Some of the sequences here have jokes more for the adults (a chicken nervously waiting as a line of foxes play "Red Rover"). Sometimes the suggestions seem insincere, sometimes they are straight lines. There is no cohesion here.
Cole is a talented artist, but as a storyteller here, it's just not working. Want a book about sharing, caring and all the rest of it? Go for the late great Amy Krouse Rosenthal's wonderful
Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons which breaks things down in a way kids will get and somehow manages to be sweet rather than preachy.
May 24, 2019
This book is about a group of animals that teach us several different ways to show kindness. Each page tells us a different act of kindness with examples of each. After the examples, the book tells us why it is important to be kind and how it will make us feel good about doing it. It encourages to never stop and keep finding new ways to spread kindness!
I loved this book! I loved that it used cute animals to show examples of kindness. The book gives kids so many different ways of how to be kind. It is all things that the children can do on their own. It really shows the importance of being kind and how you can keep it up.
I think this book can be used at any time during the school year, but the beginning for sure! This book is a great way to teach students about kindness and why it is important. This book can lead into several activities or discussions about ways to be kind.
I loved this book! I loved that it used cute animals to show examples of kindness. The book gives kids so many different ways of how to be kind. It is all things that the children can do on their own. It really shows the importance of being kind and how you can keep it up.
I think this book can be used at any time during the school year, but the beginning for sure! This book is a great way to teach students about kindness and why it is important. This book can lead into several activities or discussions about ways to be kind.
July 9, 2021
The illustrations in this book are cute, and I love the overall message and the fact that Cole showed different animals as getting along; that always goes over well with my kids. I'm giving this 3 stars rather than 4 because of the occasional "humorous" moments where you didn't know if a predator and prey were actually friends or if it was another trick. It's funny in theory but kind of undercuts the whole message of the book in my opinion.
June 28, 2018
Felt more classroom focused: encouraging the youngest students to think of ways to be kind to each other.
March 6, 2019
Check out full review here: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsnon...
This young children’s book features a poem setting the stage at the beginning, middle, and end, filled with ideas for how to be kind in daily life, illustrated with varied animals performing the tasks. For instance, you can be the last in line or hold the door open for a friend. With images featuring animals typically depicted at odds (e.g. wolf and pigs, cats and dogs), the illustrations are lovely and fun, calling the young one to think of ways to be kind to others.
What I loved: The overall message here is great- spread kindness in your daily life. The text is very simple, featuring primarily phrases of how to be kind with several images of animals demonstrating the idea. This is great for young toddlers who can take the messages to heart with tasks that are mostly feasible for them (e.g. inviting someone to play, telling someone they are special). This is a fun way to introduce the concept of doing nice things for others to young children.
The cartoon animals are fun and at times, funny- perhaps some of the humor might go over the youngest children’s heads (e.g. the wolf helping three pigs build a brick house and thinking that the work is making him hungry). These are nice features for adults who will be reading alongside children. Several images reference fairytales that we are all familiar with (for example, a hare allowing a tortoise to go through a finish line first), and older children will probably also recognize them and see the humor.
The poem featured at the start, middle, and end of the book is really cute and sets the stage nicely. I would have loved even more of these rhyming phrases throughout which draw in the young listeners.
What left me wanting more: Most pages feature an instruction in kindness with multiple images of animals which are related to the stated idea. It would be great to have more descriptors alongside the images, so that they can expanded or detailed. Regardless, children can really get into pointing them out, naming the animals, and discussing what they are shown doing. Some of the ideas might be a little old for young children (e.g. writing a poem or taking a selfie with friends), but this also makes the book appeal to a wider age range.
Final thoughts: Overall, this is a cute book full of adorably fun cartoon animals and ideas for being kind. Young readers will enjoy looking at the many images that accompany ideas for kindness in daily life.
This young children’s book features a poem setting the stage at the beginning, middle, and end, filled with ideas for how to be kind in daily life, illustrated with varied animals performing the tasks. For instance, you can be the last in line or hold the door open for a friend. With images featuring animals typically depicted at odds (e.g. wolf and pigs, cats and dogs), the illustrations are lovely and fun, calling the young one to think of ways to be kind to others.
What I loved: The overall message here is great- spread kindness in your daily life. The text is very simple, featuring primarily phrases of how to be kind with several images of animals demonstrating the idea. This is great for young toddlers who can take the messages to heart with tasks that are mostly feasible for them (e.g. inviting someone to play, telling someone they are special). This is a fun way to introduce the concept of doing nice things for others to young children.
The cartoon animals are fun and at times, funny- perhaps some of the humor might go over the youngest children’s heads (e.g. the wolf helping three pigs build a brick house and thinking that the work is making him hungry). These are nice features for adults who will be reading alongside children. Several images reference fairytales that we are all familiar with (for example, a hare allowing a tortoise to go through a finish line first), and older children will probably also recognize them and see the humor.
The poem featured at the start, middle, and end of the book is really cute and sets the stage nicely. I would have loved even more of these rhyming phrases throughout which draw in the young listeners.
What left me wanting more: Most pages feature an instruction in kindness with multiple images of animals which are related to the stated idea. It would be great to have more descriptors alongside the images, so that they can expanded or detailed. Regardless, children can really get into pointing them out, naming the animals, and discussing what they are shown doing. Some of the ideas might be a little old for young children (e.g. writing a poem or taking a selfie with friends), but this also makes the book appeal to a wider age range.
Final thoughts: Overall, this is a cute book full of adorably fun cartoon animals and ideas for being kind. Young readers will enjoy looking at the many images that accompany ideas for kindness in daily life.
September 16, 2018
Try a Little Kindness by Henry Cole. PICTURE BOOK. Scholastic Press. October 2018. $18. 9781338256413
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Our friends from the animal world show us a variety of ways that we can choose to be kind.
Such a good heart in this book, but kind of odd in execution. A couple of the suggestions have several illustrations demonstrating the idea, but most of them have only one illustration. I found that a rhythm killer, being unable to predict how much information I was going to receive, or that those concepts were less important. Also, maybe it was a way to entertain himself and the adults reading the book to children, but many of the illustrations are sarcastic – like a chicken playing Red Rover with a group of foxes, a fly admiring a spider’s web, a pig asking a wolf what’s for dessert. These character pairings are so improbable and even small children will notice the unusual pairings and probably comment on them without understanding the sarcasm of them.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Our friends from the animal world show us a variety of ways that we can choose to be kind.
Such a good heart in this book, but kind of odd in execution. A couple of the suggestions have several illustrations demonstrating the idea, but most of them have only one illustration. I found that a rhythm killer, being unable to predict how much information I was going to receive, or that those concepts were less important. Also, maybe it was a way to entertain himself and the adults reading the book to children, but many of the illustrations are sarcastic – like a chicken playing Red Rover with a group of foxes, a fly admiring a spider’s web, a pig asking a wolf what’s for dessert. These character pairings are so improbable and even small children will notice the unusual pairings and probably comment on them without understanding the sarcasm of them.
Cindy, Middle School Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
September 8, 2019
I liked it because it showed many examples on how to be kind to others. But out of all the pictures there was always one that kind of benefited the other person giving the kindness.
Example: Be last in line. The beaver was more then happy to be last because he was at the dentist.
Invite someone over to play gave the picture of wolves holding hands playing Red Rover with a chicken. Or a wolf serving a pig and the innocent pig asking what's for dessert? In tell someone they are special you see a cat with a smirk on his face telling that to a fish. Be a great ally the wolf helping
the pigs building their house announces he is hungry. In general there are many great ideas to be kind. The book offers words of encouragement throughout the story making sure that you start each day being nice. Funny and great drawings.
Example: Be last in line. The beaver was more then happy to be last because he was at the dentist.
Invite someone over to play gave the picture of wolves holding hands playing Red Rover with a chicken. Or a wolf serving a pig and the innocent pig asking what's for dessert? In tell someone they are special you see a cat with a smirk on his face telling that to a fish. Be a great ally the wolf helping
the pigs building their house announces he is hungry. In general there are many great ideas to be kind. The book offers words of encouragement throughout the story making sure that you start each day being nice. Funny and great drawings.
January 8, 2019
Adorable animals depicted in pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations offer guidance on how to be a better person. There are many books available these days that encourage youngsters to choose to be kind, but this one offers some specific suggestions. They are easy to put into practice and don't cost a thing, and readers just might find that doing these things will make them feel better too. The tips come in rhyming text, suggesting letting someone else go ahead of you in line, reaching out to others, sharing a toy, writing a thank you note, even sharing a book with a friend. The images will make readers smile since there is often something amusing in their contents. This is a solid offering that might help readers think twice before they choose to be rude to or ignore someone else.
Read
July 14, 2020In this funny picture book, bestselling illustrator Henry Cole shows kids different ways to be kind with his hysterical cartoon animal characters.Each page features a different way to be a good person, like using proper manners, telling someone they are special, or sharing a treat! The text is accompanied by two or three related vignettes of different animals giving examples of ways to be good. And in one illustration out of each set, one animal (like a cat peering into a fishbowl!) may not be doing the best job of being kind!The animal characters and simple text will help readers learn the importance of kindness in a fun way with lots of kid appeal. Our animal friends will show youExactly how it is doneMake sure to look closely Kindness can be very FUN!
January 23, 2020
Absolutely do not read this for children that cannot understand sarcasm yet. There are scenes throughout (but not for every example of kindness) that depict a sarcastic manipulation of a kind gesture. For example, best to be the last in line at the dentist's office or a cat that hungrily tells the worried goldfish that it's special. Older children might laugh but it kinda defeats the purpose of a book showing ways to be kind.
Kinda weird and nothing special amidst a growing list of books on kindness.
Kinda weird and nothing special amidst a growing list of books on kindness.
January 28, 2020
"Try a Little Kindness" by Henry Cole is a great book about kind actions to add to your classroom. Full of cute and funny animal illustrations this book helps give guidelines for positive behavior. Each page has a few examples of kind things to do for others. Easy and in large print, this is accessible for younger readers to begin their reading adventures. This could be a great beginning of the year group reading. A good way to remind students, future students, and siblings of classroom rules and etiquette.
January 13, 2023
I find the book to be an oxymoron because although the message is about kindness the illustrations are contradicting. Illustrations such as a spider waking up a fly and saying, ' rise and shine breakfast time!', a chicken playing red rover with foxes, a fox building a house with pigs, a cat sharing a toy with a mouse, and so on. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps he was thinking about being nice to someone different from you with a little bit of humor however, the humor comes off as being the opposite of kind being mean.
July 19, 2021
I really enjoy reading the book! I loved how it uses animals to show several examples and ways of kindness . The book gives kids so many different ways of how to be kind and examples. It's a great book for a first and second grade teacher can share the importance of being kind to each other and how it can make you feel good about it. This book is a must share with children it the best way to spread kindness with them as a group/ class or individually.
August 26, 2021
A very sweet and simple book about kindness.
In a world where people tend to forget how much impact our words and actions can have even on complete strangers, it's nice having books that remind us of it.
A lot of acts of kindness are mentioned in this book and there is plenty of encouragement to think of other ways too.
Really liked it, would use it not only for kindergarteners but for older children as well, because it could lead to great conversations.
In a world where people tend to forget how much impact our words and actions can have even on complete strangers, it's nice having books that remind us of it.
A lot of acts of kindness are mentioned in this book and there is plenty of encouragement to think of other ways too.
Really liked it, would use it not only for kindergarteners but for older children as well, because it could lead to great conversations.
May 2, 2022
I really like this book because by the title its message it so spread kindness which should always be emphasized to students and children. I love that the bear in the book does all these things out of kindness which can spark ideas for students or children to do. I also enjoyed the illustrations and thought they were extremely cute. I would recommend this book to any teacher or parent to read to remind their children/students they should always be kind.
December 29, 2018
As usual, I would say this is a first purchase as our world always needs acts of kindness to help us through tough life moments. I adore the animals in the illustrations and love the choices for each act of kindness throughout this book. Thank you, Henry Cole, for the magic you bring to my library shelves!
January 10, 2019
This is the sweetest book! Cute little illustrations and not a lot of words. It's a rhyming book and a very fun read-aloud. Can be read to very young children or lower elementary. Lots of examples of showing kindness, and can be a great discussion starter with children on showing kindness. Also a wonderful reminder to adults on showing kindness too!
April 15, 2019
Short rhyming story about how to be kind to others. There's a statement about how to be kind and an illustration modeling how to do it. On some pages, there are multiple examples of how to complete the kind act. Good for K-1. Students could read it and complete another page of a book with their own way to be kind.
August 23, 2019
Adorable, illustrated animals share ideas on being a better person. Contains admonishments to share toys, encourage others, hold the door for others, even write thank-you notes. The illustrations include many animals who are following the directives, but a few who aren't which will help greatly when teaching this book with students.
January 15, 2020
I'm not sure I'd recomment this one as a read-aloud. It goes back and forth between rhyming and not which creates a very awkward cadence for the reader. I also agree with another reviewer that some of the examples of ways to be kind seem like weird jokes while others feel truly sincere. It's very strange.
October 2, 2018
This is a cute little book. I do a kindness unit with my students and this will be an excellent addition to my books.
It's not a perfect read aloud, but I especially love the little drawings of the animals doing cute things and this will help students brainstorms ways to be kind.
It's not a perfect read aloud, but I especially love the little drawings of the animals doing cute things and this will help students brainstorms ways to be kind.
October 15, 2018
Rhyming story that is very, very cute! Great ideas for kids to practice kindness. Each illustration has humor and lots of irony in it. It would spark some great discussions about irony. Kids will want to look closely at each scene and figure out what’s up with it. Highly recommended for Grades K-5.
March 23, 2020
This book should read and shared with others. It provides great insight on how to be a better person each day that you live. Great pictures of different animals helping each other, and doing good deeds.
April 25, 2020
Excellent book to open the discussion on what kindness looks like and how much does it cost. Must purchase for school and classroom libraries. You will want to read this aloud at the beginning of the school year!
April 6, 2022
This is a good book that provides numerous examples of showing kindness that kids can learn from. Since there is not much substance to it, it is hard to create a lesson from it. But, overall there is a lot to learn from the book that is valuable!
May 2, 2022
A sweet and silly book about showing kindness. Some of the illustrations were very silly but it still gave us opportunities to focus kindness w/o being too distracted by them funny pictures. Appropriate for toddler and up
August 13, 2022
Try a Little Kindness: A Guide to Being Better
by Henry Cole
Talking about kindness and acts of kindness, how they can be passed on from one person to another, and how you may not know your kindness can comeback around.
October 16, 2023
This is a book in my practicum classroom. I really like this book because it is a great way to model kindness. It describes different ways that you can be kind to others and would be a great book to read at the beginning of the school year.
September 17, 2024
This was well-received by my elementary students. The illustrations are colorful and have several puns. The words were lyrical, short, and sweet. We used this book in conjunction with "Say Hello Week." It was a strong opener for thoughtful discussions about kindness.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews