If Animals Tried to Be Kind

by Ann Whitford Paul, David Walker (Illustrator)

A must-have for any nursery! If Animals Tried to Be Kind is a beloved picture book in the bestselling If Animals Kissed Goodnight series that imagines heartfelt gestures from creatures all across the animal kingdom – making it the perfect bedtime read aloud to snuggle up with at the end of each day.

What if animals did what YOU do?

Porcupine would knit Giraffe a long scarf. Squirrel would help Dog diggity-dig for a bone. And Bear would surprise Snake with a honey cake. Across the animal kingdom, every creature would be kind in their own special way.

Featuring playful rhymes and adorable art, little ones can see how creatures, great and small, show kindness. Families will giggle along as they imagine the critters that inhabit places near and far. A wonderful gift for baby showers, birthdays, new parents, or any occasion!

Don't miss the other books in this adorable If Animals Kissed Good Night, If Animals Said I Love You, If Animals Celebrated Christmas, If Animals Went to School, If Animals Gave Thanks, If Animals Trick-or-Treated, and If Animals Went to Work.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Friendship, Juvenile, Childrens

24 pages, Board Book

First published June 1, 2021

About the author

ANN WHITFORD PAUL, author of 'TWAS THE LATE NIGHT OF CHRISTMAS has always been crazy for Christmas, but overwhelmed by it, too. Afterwards she is worn-out and dreams that someone like Mrs. Saint Nick could help her out with the resulting chaos and mess.

Ann graduated from the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University School of Social Work. She became inspired to write picture books after years of bedtime reading to her four children. She's published 19 different award-winning books. Now she gets story ideas from her three grandchildren. For ten years she taught picture book writing through UCLA Extension. She still enjoys teaching how to write picture books. When she isn't writing or teaching, she loves listening to her cat purr, watching spiders spin their webs and following snails' trails.

You can learn more about her, download writing tips and classroom activities, and contact her through her web-site: www.annwhitfordpaul.net

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am astounded that a book with forced rhymes and poorly done rhythm like this came from such an acclaimed author. Terrible.

[Maeve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book surprised me in the way that from reading the cover (and judging this book by its cover) I was not expecting the twist of plot lines. However, though some areas were positive, it may result in the mixed idea that animals cannot be kind at all, contributing to a negative view of animals. This may be difficult for young ones who are learning to engage and interact with their environment, as fear may be interpreted to house pets such as cats or dogs and outside animals like squirrels or deer.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about kindness where it is not expected, animals being kind to one another when they would not usually. The porcupine trying to knit a long enough scarf for a giraffe is especially cute. It is a fine example to love one's enemies, and to accept one another. Beautifully illustrated.

[Andrés · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to think to hard about why animals needed to be helped in certain ways and why there was ecosystem cross-over. I'm not sure why we kept coming back to porcupine knitting a scarf for giraffe; it wasn't particularly touching, and--which giraffe's neck is long--it's not cold on the savannah. Illustrations also did not impress. Pass on this one.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A KIND book!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A "what if" tale about certain animals being kind to each other using human behavior as opposed to their natural instincts in the wild. A cute tale of sharing and caring.

[Elizabeth]

Is there anything better than a picture book with adorably-illustrated animals being kind to each other?

[Angie Quantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are gorgeous, the rhymes and story seems a little forced. A decent, but not outstanding, group read aloud.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the illustrations. It's such a cute book too. 2 year old liked it too.

[Jill Sheets · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a cute little story.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original Review: May 2024- 5 stars

Updated review: September 2025- 4 stars. It's just not nearly as good as If Animals Kissed Goodnight so I will always be comparing this book to that.