Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

          Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis, is a realistic fiction book that addresses the cruelness that young children can dole out so easily.  Maya is a new girl that tries as hard as she can to become friends with Chloe, Kendra, and Sophie.  She shares smiles, starters for conversation, and invitations to games without success.  Instead Chloe and her friends make disparaging comments about the condition of Maya's clothes and the strangeness of her lunch contents.  When their teacher Ms. Albert does an activity on kindness and Chloe can't think of a single kind thing that she's done to share, Chloe begins to think of Maya and reflect on ways in which she can be kind to her.  Unfortunately for Chloe, Maya's family moves away and her opportunity to return a friendship is missed.
          The illustrations of Each Kindness by E. B. Lewis contribute to the alienation and cold-shoulder the close friends show towards Maya.  The majority of the realistic illustrations are full-bleed images that provide powerful pictures to the text.  In an aerial view the children stare at Maya judging her second-hand clothing while her hands are clasped behind her back in a gesture of shyness.  When Ms. Albert announces that Maya will not be returning to school, we get a two page spread of her empty desk.  While Chloe throws stones in the lake, one for each kindness she wishes she could have shown Maya, we see her small figure with head down in regret and reflection.  The use of point of view in the illustrations is another striking way in which E. B. Lewis emphasizes the feelings or actions of the children.  When Maya first arrives to school and we see her chin down as she stands in the doorway.  We are only privy to her face because the point of view of the picture is from the ground up and serves to highlight how reluctant or scared Maya is to be introduced to the class.
          The characters in the book are developed through their actions.  In Maya we see invitational smiles and good-natured offerings of friendship to Chloe, Kendra, and Sophie.  Each interaction between the girls and Maya causes our heart to sink a little with disappointment.  Though Maya is consistent in her friendliness, Chloe offers her silence and ridicule behind her back, and shares in name calling with her friends.  It is an eye-opening moment when Ms. Albert, Chloe's teacher, tells the children that kindness can ripple like stones in the water and gives them all a stone to place in a fish bowl after they have shared something some kindness they spread.  Maya cannot think of a single kindness, despite Ms. Albert's encouragement that, "Even small things count."
          The story is set at the children's school which invites us to remember all the mean things we suffered as young children and how deeply it hurt our feelings no matter how small.  Young children are vulnerable, and even more so than to their peers.  It is a self-conscious, magnified hurt we feel when we suffer rejection or eyes of others on us when we sit alone at lunch or play by ourselves at recess.  As someone who moved several times because my father was in the military, I remembered the desperate hope that I would make one friend easily who could make the transition smoother.
          This story received excellent reviews and was a Coretta Scott King Honor and a Jane Addams Peace Award recipient.  Librarians, teachers, and counselors love this story that can be used to discuss how we treat others.  Though the girls in the story don't bully Maya and their comments are usually made behind her back, we feel the effects of rejection and the sadness that comes when others withhold friendship despite Maya's admirable dignity throughout the whole story. Even if the concept of regret is one that young children will have a difficult time identifying with, every child understands what it feels like to want to play with someone and not have that feeling returned.

The following links are offered for people who are interested in finding out more information or tracking this book down because they have to read it!

If you are interested in reading a review of the book:
A New York Times review of "Each Kindness"
   
If you are interested in reading this story and check it out at a library near you:

Worldcat Link for "Each Kindness"

Or if you would like to purchase this book:

Buy "Each Kindness" at Amazon