Messages of Strength and Kindness for Today

Sometimes when I venture to the library and have no specific plan but to browse for any book that appeals to me for one reason or another, I grab a bunch of picture books. Not long ago I brought home over a dozen books. Of these, I discovered two I especially liked beyond their large titles, bubbly fonts, and large-eyed characters pictured on the covers. Both books provide messages that I feel are definitely timely thanks to the climate (and I'm not talking about weather right now) in the world presently.

Poor Little Guy Written and illustrated by Elanna Allen (c) 2016
Dial Books for Young Readers (publisher)

A new addition to my Wrinkle Award list features a little yellow fish with glasses who the other ocean creatures, of varying sizes, think is adorable. Not only is he adorable to look at, he's adorable to play with, and according to the octopus, the little guy probably even tastes cute.

The story reminds me of the time I saw a cat playing with a chipmunk. The cat held it and then released the chipmunk, who would take a few steps away, and then appear to wait before becoming a play toy again. Unlike the yellow fish, the chipmunk seemed resigned to its fate and I had to stop watching because I did not want to be around when and if the poor little guy met its demise. The yellow fish, or Little Guy, though, is not resigned to his potential fate and has a surprise in store. Looks can be deceiving.

Allen illustrated the pages in shades of sea green, white, and eventually grey-blue that increasingly darkens as the story approaches its climax, and then lightens after the satisfying conclusion. The hand lettering for the story text follows the flow of each illustration. Only Little Guy, the fish, is in bright yellow.

Unlike chapter books, I did not "vet" this book before I read it to Little Sapling. It is a bit disturbing, dark, yet funny, but Little Sapling thought the book was a little scary. Despite the darkness in the tale, Little Sapling claims to like the book, especially when seeing the faces of the other animals in response to Little Guy's surprise.

I love stories where the "little guy" wins. This picture book is a simple and fun story that reminds us that no matter how little we may be or how others view us, we each have power in some form, to fight back.
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If You Plant a Seed Written and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson (c) 2015
Balzer + Bray (publisher)

I like picture books where the illustrator brings me to the level of the characters where I can literally see what they see through their eyes, at their eye level. The story begins with a rabbit and a mouse planting a tomato, a carrot, and a cabbage seed. By taking care of the seeds, over time, they grow. As the animals enjoy their eventual bounty, five birds fly down and want to share the food. The rabbit and mouse do not have interest in this idea. Through the detailed, realistic, and colorful images, the reader and viewer of the book can see the emotion in the facial expressions of the animals, and the chaos when selfishness ensues. It is only when everyone takes a look at themselves that they appear to recognize the ridiculousness of how being selfish does nothing but create a mess. Being kind is what leads to everyone getting along, and it really does not even take long.

Nelson's message is simple and honest with few printed words. Instead, it's his vivid illustrations via full color oil paintings with near life-sized animals that tell the story by beautifully bringing the viewer to the eye level of the animals. One can argue that the story is not necessarily so great as it was the rabbit and the mouse who lovingly cared for their seeds and grew the vegetables. Did they have to share with anyone else? Perhaps not, or perhaps they created more than they truly needed and we know that fresh produce does not always last long once picked. The birds could have easily just helped themselves, but instead they approached the rabbit and mouse first. In the end, when everyone tries to get along and work together, the rewards are greater than they would have been had the rabbit and mouse kept everything to themselves.

The intended audience is within the age range of 4-8 years olds. My daughter, at age five, has not questioned about the rabbit and mouse doing the initial work and why they even needed to share. She identified the lack of sharing and was able to see that when the animals did share, it made everyone happier. She could name this through her listening to the words and her interpreting the illustrations.

Simple messages are welcome in this complicated world we now live. If children understand these messages, adults should be able to, too.

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What are some books or stories that you feel share messages of strength, sharing, and kindness? Leave a comment with some of your favorites (geared for any age group) below.

Thank you again for reading my musings.

Today and tomorrow,

~Tamara Riva