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A review by gymnerdreader
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
5.0
Annotated Bibliography Entry: Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
Annotated text set: kindness
Genre: realistic fiction
Summary:
It was winter when Maya was introduced at her new school. She was seated beside Chloe, who was less than thrilled with sitting beside someone like Maya. Maya wore old and ragged clothes and the other kids, Chloe included picked on her from the very start. At recess, no one wanted to play with Maya even when Maya tried to approach them and offer to play with her. They intentionally isolated themselves from her because they did not want anyone to think they were friends with someone like her. When spring came, Maya tried again and again to make friends, but none of the others were interested. She eventually moved away unexpectedly and the other kids begin to become concerned by her empty desk. The teacher talks to the students about kindness and how doing something kind for people can change their whole day around. She gives the students a stone and they take turns dropping it into a bowl of water and telling their teacher something kind they did for someone else. That is when Chloe realizes how she and her friends treated Maya was wrong. At the end of the book, Maya wishes she would have been kinder to Maya when she was in the class and regrets everything she did not say to Maya.
Personal Response:
A very powerful book about the importance of kindness and being kind to other people. I think this is a book that everyone should read because it is just that important. I also think that oftentimes when children make fun of other people they do not always realize the gravity of what they have done and do not realize how those words could make someone else feel. That is why I liked that this book was realistic in how this situation was portrayed. It does not have a happy empty. The ending is not wrapped up with a nice little bow. Maya is gone and Chloe slowly comes to a realization that the chance to be her friend and showing her kindness has passed. That is usually the reality of such stories and I am glad it was portrayed like that in this book.
Descriptions of illustrations:
Descriptions are very realistic and I love the realistic shading in the book. You could really feel it was winter or it was spring. The shading is not over the top either, which makes the characters look very realistic. I think the pictures will appeal to other children because it will make things seem more real to them since it is so realistically illustrated.
Classroom Connections:
I do think there is a lot that a teacher could do with this book in the classroom. Teachers could use this book as a way to discuss kindness and the things the kids could do to be kind to others. We did a chart board in class where we drew our thoughts on the chart paper and that is something we could do in our classrooms as well. Children could draw what they think on their chart paper. Teachers could also do the same activity the teacher in this book did. Students could drop a marble or stone into a bowl of water and have each of the students say something kind that they did for someone else. As a journal activity, teachers could ask the students to write about how Chloe and her friends could have treated Maya differently. Teachers could also ask students to write about how they would show kindness to the other kids in their class.
Annotated text set: kindness
Genre: realistic fiction
Summary:
It was winter when Maya was introduced at her new school. She was seated beside Chloe, who was less than thrilled with sitting beside someone like Maya. Maya wore old and ragged clothes and the other kids, Chloe included picked on her from the very start. At recess, no one wanted to play with Maya even when Maya tried to approach them and offer to play with her. They intentionally isolated themselves from her because they did not want anyone to think they were friends with someone like her. When spring came, Maya tried again and again to make friends, but none of the others were interested. She eventually moved away unexpectedly and the other kids begin to become concerned by her empty desk. The teacher talks to the students about kindness and how doing something kind for people can change their whole day around. She gives the students a stone and they take turns dropping it into a bowl of water and telling their teacher something kind they did for someone else. That is when Chloe realizes how she and her friends treated Maya was wrong. At the end of the book, Maya wishes she would have been kinder to Maya when she was in the class and regrets everything she did not say to Maya.
Personal Response:
A very powerful book about the importance of kindness and being kind to other people. I think this is a book that everyone should read because it is just that important. I also think that oftentimes when children make fun of other people they do not always realize the gravity of what they have done and do not realize how those words could make someone else feel. That is why I liked that this book was realistic in how this situation was portrayed. It does not have a happy empty. The ending is not wrapped up with a nice little bow. Maya is gone and Chloe slowly comes to a realization that the chance to be her friend and showing her kindness has passed. That is usually the reality of such stories and I am glad it was portrayed like that in this book.
Descriptions of illustrations:
Descriptions are very realistic and I love the realistic shading in the book. You could really feel it was winter or it was spring. The shading is not over the top either, which makes the characters look very realistic. I think the pictures will appeal to other children because it will make things seem more real to them since it is so realistically illustrated.
Classroom Connections:
I do think there is a lot that a teacher could do with this book in the classroom. Teachers could use this book as a way to discuss kindness and the things the kids could do to be kind to others. We did a chart board in class where we drew our thoughts on the chart paper and that is something we could do in our classrooms as well. Children could draw what they think on their chart paper. Teachers could also do the same activity the teacher in this book did. Students could drop a marble or stone into a bowl of water and have each of the students say something kind that they did for someone else. As a journal activity, teachers could ask the students to write about how Chloe and her friends could have treated Maya differently. Teachers could also ask students to write about how they would show kindness to the other kids in their class.