Illustrated by Christopher Fay
Published December 1995
Why we chose this book:
To reinforce the concept of our interconnectedness. Paulist Press provided a review copy upon request.
Mom's Review
A little boy hugs his mother, setting off a chain of kind acts that conclude with an image of a different boy bringing a gift to baby Jesus.
The entire point of this book is to demonstrate how we impact one another, and the text succeeds. Cause and effect, chain of events, and personal impact are all easy concepts to teach using the story. Young readers can trace how each person affects the next and discuss how one character's actions make another feel. At the conclusion, Vollbracht states, "Truly, it is the small acts of kindness [...] that become the greatest gifts of love." The illustrations continue, showing a boy bringing the gift he received to a village. Some readers will recognize the nativity as his destination, but it is not necessarily clear. When I asked T if he knew where the boy was going, he didn't understand that it was to visit baby Jesus. After explanations and a who's who at the stable, he accepted the illustrations intent.
I would like to briefly comment on the illustrations, as I was surprised by them. The cover is color, as you can see, but the inside images are unexpectedly black and white. Most characters are drawn rather realistically. One stands out, disconcertingly, as having exaggerated features. While T did not draw any particular impressions from it (many picture books show characters with exaggerated features), I found the difference between the merchant and the other characters concerning. Despite my concern about the illustration, I thought the text's presentation of how we impact one another was effective.
Son's Review
(age 3)
Mom: What is this book about?
Son: It's about kind, being kind.
Mom: What happens when people are kind to each other?
Son: They give presents.
Mom: What are your feelings when someone is kind to you? How do you think all these people felt?
Son: Happy. Happy.
Mom: Did you have a favorite act of kindness in this book?
Son, pointing: This one. The widow is giving a scarf to a passing soldier.
Mom: What do you like about that one?
Son: Because I like giving scarves.
Mom: And if you could help one person in this book, whom would you help?
Son: The soldier.
Mom: If you could meet someone, whom would you meet? Whom would you want to talk to first?
Son: I would meet all of the people. The soldier.
Mom: What would you ask him?
Son: "Why are you a soldier?"
Mom: What do you learn from this book?
Son: Um. I learned that you should be kind to other people.
Mom: What do you see at the end of the book?
Son: The shepherd boy is going to baby Jesus to give him the precious oil.
Mom: And how is this related to kindness?
Son: You should be kind to baby Jeeeeesus.
Mom: When is it a good time to read Small Acts of Kindness?
Son: When it is night time because I just like to do that.
Mom: And what is the most important thing to know about the book?
Son: That you should give presents to even soldiers.
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