I’ll be suggesting this story to my school for our world book day next year! It was such a lovely message and I really enjoyed the Q&A afterwards

The story was cute, but the author interview at the end sounded really choppy. I enjoyed the rhyming in the audiobook and the overall message.

This is a beautiful book for young readers! It teaches about the importance of kindness and how being kind to others can go a long way.

I can see this wonderful book being read in school libraries and classrooms. The illustrations are vibrant and engaging to keep readers pulled into the story.

This book was perfect for the age group it specified for. It was a fun and entertaining read for multiple ages. And this story had a great message along the way.

Genre ~ children's (ages 4-8 and beyond)
Publication date ~ May 7, 2024
Page Count ~ 32
Audio length ~ 14 minutes
Narrators ~ Orion Jean, McDonald Jean

Orion is an inspiring young philanthropist, and was recognized as Time Magazine's 2021 kid of the year ~ what an honor that must be!

A lovely little rhyming book that gives us a reminder to:
K ~ keep your eyes open for deeds to be done or kind words to be spoken
I ~ include others
N ~ nothing is too small to make a big mark
D ~ do something about it

"One small step is better than nothing at all."

Orion began spreading kindness at just 9 years old. He used prize money he won in a contest, and along with community help, was able to donate over 600 toys to a children's hospital. Then went on to provide over 100,000 meals for those in need and over 500,000 books were donated to schools and illiteracy non-profits.

"The ripple effect that comes just from the small amounts of kindness can change the world."

"Kindness is not measured by scale, one act of kindness does not out scale the other. It's not about the size of the act, but about the intent behind it."

Narration notes:
I am so happy that Orion narrated his own book. He's sounds so grown up. After the story there is an about the author section and an interview with Orion.

Audiobook
Narrator: Excellent
Speed: 1.00 Story & 1.25 Bonus Content

5 ⭐’s, this is an inspiring call to action story with both a sense of urgency and great suggestions kids can do. I enjoyed the lyrical sound of the story, especially hearing the author reading it.

My 8 year old said “I liked the way it rhymed and the good ideas. His (Orion’s) voice is nice. I wish there were pictures.” She likes the pictures we could see online, so I will be buying a hardcopy of this for our shelf.

We both liked the bonus content and it's inspiring for her to see another kid involved in publishing a book and doing so many acts of service. Great idea to add this content to get to know more about such a cool kid!

We will reread this many times and I recommend you read this as well!

Great book to share with 3rd grade students. The colorful illustrations add to the happy and joyful mood of the book. I really think this might be a book I will share for years to come with my future students.

I babysit often for my friends and I’m always looking for new stories to read to them. This books was so cute and will definitely be added to my list. Race to Kindness is a beautiful story that reminds kiddos to lead with kindness in everything they do.

The narrator was very nice to listen to and really pulled you into this little story.

I will definitely recommend and share this story with the kids I babysit

Race to Kindness by Orion Jean
I love this book; who doesn’t love kindness!!! The story is one kid’s journey to spread kindness. The poetic format makes this book very user friendly for kids. I appreciated the biographical content of Orion Jean’s accomplishments as an ambassador of kindness.

Thanks to @netgalley for an Earc.
Keep your eyes open...
Including others...
Nothing is too small...
Do something about it!
Orion Jean is a bright young star who has written this beautiful kindness story. I listened to it in an #audiobook version. I definitely need it in physical form asap!
Really great listen with rhymes and explains wonderfully how we can all be kind to others. It explains to the readers signs of when someone could really use an act of kindness, explains how to understand others feelings and making sure kids open their eyes and hearts to kindness.
Great book for parents and teachers alike.

Thank you to Zonderkidz and NetGalley for providing me with access to the audiobook of Race to Kindness in exchange for an honest review.

I think this was a great book, but I think that it loses some of the meaning in audiobook form. Many options for spreading kindness are mentioned in this book. In my opinion, the age of your normal audience for this book will not be very engaged with this audiobook. I do think they'd love the actual book though, if the pictures match what I am assuming they will be like.

I am going to rate this at 5 stars because the book is 5 star worthy, even though I think the audiobook deserves more like 2 or 3 stars.

This book was just lovely. It came up with simple ideas of how to be kind to others. I’ll love reading this to my children and my class.

This is such a sweet book! I really enjoyed the audiobook and it was fun to listen to in the car with my kids. This audiobook would be a great way to start the day and listen on our drive to school. I would definitely get this book for my family. I recommend it! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I lovved this book!!! It was very quick and easy to listen to!!! With great meaning as well!!! I will be recommending this book to others!

I haven't read the book but having Time Kid of the Year already sold me. I like the narration of Orion Jean and the story itself. So engaging and encouraging to the listener specially kids who will want to be like Orion.

I loved this book so much! It is such a great lesson in things we can ALL do to be more kind. It’s definitely one I want for my library!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. This is a very sweet book, well written and the rhyming was perfect! The whole idea is to use the word KIND to remember to be kind and all the things that going into being kind. It’s very positive and I loved it. The interview with the author was very cool, too! Great for families!

Race To Kindness is a wonderful listen! It has a beautiful message of the importance of kindness for children and adults! The audiobook was engaging and easy to listen to. By looking at the cover illustration, it’s clear that the physical book will be a beautiful addition to every bookshelf!! Thank you to Orion Jean, Zonderkidz and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book prior to publishing.

This audiobook of the picture book is read by the author. In Jean’s voice you can hear the passion they have for the message of kindness this book gives. The message of kindness is presented in an acrostic poem and you can feel the rhythm of the words through Jean’s voice. The cover that we are shown seems to have a diverse cast of characters and I hope to read the physical version of this book to see the illustration that accompany the beautiful and important words Jean has written.

"Race to Kindness" by Orion Jean is a children's picture book about the many things you can do to be kind to others. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author in his calm, clear voice. The book is written in rhyme with ABAB quatrains, and it reads very smoothly. It is inspiring to me, and I bet it would inspire children and adults alike!

Each letter of the word KIND is explained with examples of being kind.

K for "Keep your eyes open for deeds to be done or kind words to be spoken." Brighten the day of someone feeling down.

I for Including others, such as inviting others who might need a meal if you're able.

N for "Nothing is too small to make a big mark." Donate some things you don't use anymore.

D is for "Do something about it." Be kind. Take action. You can make a difference.

In the audio version, there is an About the Author section followed by an interview with the Author.

At 9 years old, Orion Jean won the Think Kindness National Kindness Speech Contest in 2020. After that, he collected 500 toys, then 100,000 meals in one month, and after that, he collected 500,000 books for donation. He has been sharing the "Be kind" message all around the country. In 2021, at age 11, he won the Times Magazine Kid of the Year for his accomplishments!

I highly recommend this book to everyone!! School libraries, classrooms, and family homes will benefit from this book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Zonderkidz, and author Orion Jean for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.