Compassion and kindness

The Tale Of The Mandarin Ducks (Picture Puffins)

A pair of mandarin ducks, separated by a cruel lord who wishes to possess the drake for his colorful beauty, reward a compassionate couple who risk their lives to reunite the ducks.

Fly Free!

When Mai feeds the caged birds at a Buddhist temple in Vietnam, her simple act of kindness starts a chain of thoughtful acts that ultimately comes back to her. Includes author’s note explaining the Buddhist concepts of karma and samsara, or the wheel of life.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 1

This book has been included in WOW’s Kids Taking Action Booklist. For our current list, visit our Boolist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.

How To Heal A Broken Wing

In a spare urban fable, Bob Graham brings us one small boy, one loving family, and one miraculous story of hope and healing.”No one saw the bird fall.”In a city full of hurried people, only young Will notices the bird lying hurt on the ground. With the help of his sympathetic mother, he gently wraps the injured bird and takes it home. In classic Bob Graham style, the beauty is in the details: the careful ministrations with an eyedropper, the bedroom filled with animal memorabilia, the saving of the single feather as a good-luck charm for the bird’s return to the sky. Wistful and uplifting, here is a tale of possibility – and of the souls who never doubt its power.

This book has been included in WOW’s Kids Taking Action Booklist. For our current list, visit our Boolist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.

The Unfinished Angel

Peoples are strange! The things they are doing and saying—sometimes they make no sense. Did their brains fall out of their heads? And why so much saying, so much talking all the time day and night, all those words spilling out of those mouths? Why so much? Why don’t they be quiet? In the ancient stone tower of the Casa Rosa, in a tiny village high in the Swiss Alps, life for one angel has been the same, well, for as long as she (or he?) can remember. Until Zola arrives, a determined American girl who wears three skirts all at once. For neighbors who have been longtime enemies, children who have been lost, and villagers who have been sleepily living their lives: hold on. Zola and the angel are about to collide. Figs start flying, dogs start arfing, and the whole village begins to wake up. Zola is a girl with a mission. And our angel has been without one—till now. This hilarious and endearing novel by Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech reminds us that magic is found in the most ordinary acts of kindness.

The Girl, The Fish, And The Crown

While on a dangerous quest which requires her to take the form of different wild animals, a selfish young girl learns about compassion and generosity.

Bear’s Day Out

Bear usually spends his days singing to himself and wading playfully through the water in his cave by the sea. But then, one day, he hears the noises of the city traveling on the wind, and he decides to give city life a try. At first, the sights and smells are new and exciting. But when the hustle and bustle of the people, the markets, and the traffic all become too much for Bear, it will take a little bit of kindness from some helpful young strangers to get him back home again. Bestselling author Michael Rosen’s rhythmic text and Adrian Reynolds’ adorable, lively illustrations make this a perfect read-aloud for story time.