David Ezra Stein, author and illustrator
Candlewick Press, Fiction, September 2012
Suitable for: Ages 4 -8
Theme: A child’s smile inspires happiness, kindness and love
Opening/Synopsis: “Because Amelia smiled, coming down the street…Mrs. Higgins smiled, too. She thought of her grandson, Lionel, in Mexico and baked some cookies to send to him.” Lionel shares the cookies with his class and teaches them an English song. His act inspires a student in his class to film her kickboxing skills, who in turn inspires a ballet club in England. These acts of kindness start a ripple effect that takes the reader to England, Israel, Paris, Italy and back to New York City and Amelia. It only takes one big smile from a little girl to ignite a chain reaction from people around the world.
Why I like this book: Stein’s book shows children the power of how we are all connected to people we know and don’t know. Everything thing we do has an impact on someone else. And, with the internet and social media, our actions within our global family becomes even more important. With Amelia her unknowing act of kindness spreads like wildfire around the world. Too often we see the negative and it is an inspiring message to share with children and adults. And Stein urges readers of his book to “Pass it on.” The illustrations are very detailed and done with pencil, water-soluble crayons, and watercolor. Stein is the author-illustrator of Interrupting Chicken, which was awarded a Caldecott Honor.
Resources: This picture book alone stands as a powerful tool for parents and teachers to encourage children to do acts of kindness at home, school, and in their neighborhoods and communities. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a great resource for classroom activities. Candlewick has a page about the story behind the book.
Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.