Publishers, give us more children's books from Native and First Nations communities!!

At first, I thought this book was a sequel to <i>We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga</i> by Traci Sorell, which just goes to show my own ignorance of children's literature from Native authors. (Although I've been meaning to read Monique Gray Smith's <i>You Hold Me Up</i> for a long time!) Not long ago, my group of Youth Services Librarians discussed new book displays and how we wished we could do a display featuring Native authors and books, but we just didn't have enough books in the collection to do so. I hope <i>When We Are Kind</i> and Smith's other great books will continue a trend of more accessible, beautiful books featuring the Native experience.

This book was great--I loved the simple, poignant writing, and how it has universal appeal and a unique cultural perspective. I liked most of the illustrations. On some pages, the size perspective seemed to be off--some of the children looked like full sized adults, just shrunk down to a child's height. Or the adults looked way too large compared to the children. Maybe the illustration style is simply not my taste, but I got the sense that this was a somewhat amateurish attempt at digital illustration.

Taken on the whole, I think this is a great book that I would recommend we purchase for my library. We need to see more diverse faces and experiences in children's literature!

This is a simple yet powerful book. It teaches ways for kids to be kind. The second half of the book shows kids what it feels like when others are kind to us. The illustrations were beautiful as well. My favorite was the inclusion of a wheelchair user in the th group of friends.

Great book for very young readers on the meaning of kindness. The simple text, along with the illustrations will help little ones grasp the meaningful messages on the reach of being kind to ourselves and others. Representation was a standout in this book, as well as the eco-conscious aspect.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book explains to kids how they can be kind and how it will make them feel. The text is simple and easy for kids to understand. The pictures are very colorful and fit well. The characters are Native American, but I think any kid of any race, color, or creed will get something out of it.

FANTASTIC book for young children!! Where was this book when I was raising my young girl, telling her so often "Kindness is the most important gift you give"? BRAVO to Monique Gray Smith and illustrator Nicole Neidhardt! Done with simplicity in high effective manner, this is a glorious fulfillment to teaching need for young children on the importance of kindness.

Imagine if the world over, every child was taught what it is to be kind, how it makes a person feel, how they can feel giving that gift? And how kindness can help animals and nature continue to support us as humans?

"I am kind when I only take from the earth what I need."

This book evolves from a beginning section "I am kind when..." to "I feel .... when I am kind to..." as a perfect illustration of what happens when we are kind, the inexorable bond between action and feeling. The illustrations are perfect for young eyes, colorful and bold and simple and still conveying emotion and tone and feeling. They do beautifully well what illustration is meant to do. It is digital illustration, yet still carries a homespun tone with good detail. And the cast is diverse, gratefully.

When a smile spreads across your face while reading a young children's targeted book, you know it is a winner. This is a winner. It's good for parents to read to the youngest ages, each page a simple sentence conveying deep meaning. Every young child should have this in their young library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for an advanced review copy. I will remember this book for gift giving time.

When We Are Kind tells a story of acts of kindness in a young child's life. What I loved about the story, besides the illustrations and the Indigenous connection, was that kindness took different forms. Kindness took the form of the child being kind to others and how that makes them feel, and how the child feels when others are kind or when the earth is kind. I thought self-reflection and this showcase of how and where kindness can be found was a great lesson for kids! This book would be easy to incorporate into an education world and I would highly recommend it for parents/guardians to read as well. The words were relatable and easy to understand. Kids would easily grasp this concept! Loved it!

When We Are Kind by Monique Gray Smith is a simple straightforward book which specifically shows examples of kindness. There are pages which provide ways that individuals can be kind and pages which show how kindness can make one feel. Nicole Niedhardt's illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. The pictures are bright and colorful without being busy or distracting. This would be a perfect book for an early childhood teacher to use during a read aloud and to use anytime of year to talk about and encourage kindness. As a special educator of students with autism, this would be an excellent tool to use during social skills instruction to help teach introduce the concept of kindness. I would be happy to add this to my classroom library.