Prairie Talk: Picture books teach us all – Herald & Review

A friend recently shared a Facebook post listing 13 children's picture books which promote kindness. (The link is titled Community Post: 13 Children's Books That Encourage Kindness Toward Others.) It's often said that a well-written children's book can distill a life's truth in a way that makes it easy for children to understand. Some books created for children hit a chord in the hearts of many adults as well.

When reading through the kindness titles, two additional picture books immediately spring to mind, both dealing with The Golden Rule. I've been heard to lament "What is so hard about the Golden Rule," and then, of course, ultimately too often fall short of it myself.

The first book is called "The Golden Rule," by Ilene Cooper and Gabi Swiatkowska. In it a grandfather has a gentle discussion with his grandson about the Golden Rule and what it means. He gives examples of situations in a child's life to which the boy can relate; yet, brings the tenet to bear on a global scale. A favorite passage in this book is when the wise grandfather says of the maxim, "I said it was simple; I didn't say it would always be easy." Informational material at the end of the book lists the equivalent of the Golden Rule in many religions. The illustrations are full of symbols from various cultures, re-iterating that the Golden Rule is a universal one. Would that we could live it every single day.

The second book is "Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners" by Laurie Keller. This book has a lighter touch, with the same ultimate message of "doing unto otters as you would have otters do unto you."

The Otters have moved in next door to Rabbit. Because otters are different than rabbits, Rabbit doesn't know what to expect of his new neighbors, and becomes fearful of the Otters. Sound familiar? The wise owl of the neighborhood encourages Rabbit to get to know his new neighbors, and Rabbit eventually sees that the Otters have the same basic interests and needs that all animals do, even though some details might be different. In this case, it is favorite foods (Rabbit likes carrots, while the Otters like fish). Throughout, there is punny dialogue and activity jumping all over the pages. Hey video game creators, how about one based on this book? Fun and frenetic activity without violence. How many acts of kindness can be scored?

Rather than showing a passive sort of kindness, many of the books on the list mentioned above, as well as the two Golden Rule books, show that it often takes courage to be kind and stand up for others as well as ourselves and what we believe. These books show that kindness and consideration can gain much more in our every day interactions than bullying and harsh words. We can all learn and re-learn from truths as written for children.

Chris Oyer is a retired District 61 library resource specialist.

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Prairie Talk: Picture books teach us all - Herald & Review