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KIND by Jess McGeachin

KIND

A Call To Care for Every Creature

by Jess McGeachin ; illustrated by Jess McGeachin

Pub Date: Aug. 1st, 2023
ISBN: 9781684645565
Publisher: Kane Miller

A sweet invitation to link the two meanings of the titular word.

“In this book you’ll find / Many kinds of things,” McGeachin writes. “But kind is more than type / Kind is how to care / For creatures that you meet / And places that we share.” The following verses urge readers to regard wildlife with respect. Accompanying the text are galleries of beautifully rendered butterflies (“those who flutter”), spiders (“those who weave”), and other types of related wildlife, from fish to antelopes. Though including orangutans and gibbons among “those with tails” (an accompanying spread displays 19 species of primate) requires some poetic license, every animal on display throughout is both easily recognizable and accurately labeled. Following an invitation to treat our entire planet with kindness, the author closes with a reminder: “We’re part of nature too / Be kind to other people… / And keep some kind for you.” Picture books about kindness abound, but as they tend to focus exclusively on being kind to other people, the even more inclusive slant here offers a salutary broadening of perspective. In the illustrations, a reflective-looking, tan-skinned child in a woodsy setting stands in for young observers of nature’s small wonders. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Lovely in both message and pictures.

(Picture book. 5-7)