Kindness Grows

Written & illustrated by Britta Teckentrup

Can a simple smile mend broken friendships and spread kindness?

4.6/7 Bookroo experts·4.3/5 Goodreads · 389 ratings

32 pages· 364 words· Est. 3 min read-aloud

$17.99Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon.

Bookroo's summary

Explore how a simple smile can transform harsh words into acts of kindness. As friendships bend under the weight of disagreements, discover the power of encouragement and care. Witness a sapling grow into a flowering tree, symbolizing the strength found in unity and kindness. Can friendships be mended and strengthened through simple gestures?

From the publisher

Angry words can ruin friendships, but a gesture as simple as a smile can cause kindness to bloom and friendships to mend. Die-cut pages feature a sapling that grows into a flowering tree with each turn of the page as kindness is spread. Harsh words, disagreements, and shouting can cause friendships to bend and sometime break. Friends are sad when they’re left out, and once a mean word is spoken, it’s impossible to take it back. But what if we were to spread kindness instead? Offering words of encouragement, sharing, caring for others, and playing together all help to make friendships stronger – and we are certainly stronger together!

At a glance

Format
Pages: 32
Words: 364
Reading age: 3–7
Audience: Picture
Lexile: AD630L

Themes & topics

Books about friendship Books about values and virtues Books about social themes Books about feelings and emotions Books about kindness

The Bookroo review

What our editors thought of Kindness Grows

All about friendship, each page juxtaposes the difference between fostering friendship and tearing them down. Anger, harsh words and actions, and not being there for your friends creates a crack that widens and separates friends, while on the other hand, “with every kindness that we care to show, Something good and magical will begin to grow.”Die-cut pages emphasize these differences. On one side a tree (representing friendship) thrives alongside kind and friendly acts and on the other a crack (conveying hurt and damage) widens. Both the tree and crack grow as the book progresses, until the two sides merge when the children around the sprouting tree reach out “to spread the seed of friendship and touch somebody’s heart,” mending the crack and growing stronger together in kindness. This artistic read focusing on kindness hosts beautiful illustrations, elevated further by the addition of die-cut pages to further illustrate the message Teckentrup shares on kindness and friendship. While the text rhymes well, the cadence is slightly off and the text feels a little preachy. A lovely book, but possibly a read more appreciated by parents.

The verdict

“Die-cut pages and lovely illustrations display the effects of kindness and friendship.”

Bookroo Editorial

Reviewed August 2020

4.6/7

What readers & critics say

Reviews

4.6

out of 7

4.5

“The illustrations are darling, sweet and clever and the message is nice (if a little moralizing), but the imperfect cadence made this a bit of a stumbly read aloud.”

Marmee

Trusted reviewer

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