A review by academianut
Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller

5.0

Wondrously written, beautifully illustrated book about not just being kind, but the complexities of knowing what to do to be kind - as the narrator wonders after a friend spills her juice and she tries to help but says the wrong thing, "Should I have handed her my napkin? Let her borrow my sweatshirt? Spilled my juice so everyone stared at me instead?" Though she isn't sure, she explores all different ways that people can be kind, from giving both tangible and intangible, acknowledging personhood and others' value, small acts of service, helping even when it frustrates your patience or makes you nervous, and how kindness spreads around the world - right back to her friend, who she gives a picture of purple flowers, and in a beautiful wordless sequence, the friend hangs it on her wall.