The Kindness Quilt
Kindergarten-Grade 2–In this, the fourth book about Minna and her friends and family, the young rabbit and her classmates learn about kindness. The story begins with Mrs. Bloom reading Aesop's The Lion and the Mouse to her students. After discussing it, she instructs them to perform an act of kindness, draw a picture of it, and then share the details about it with the class. Minna performs many acts of kindness and cannot decide which one to use for her project. In a burst of creative genius, she decides to create a quilt featuring a number of them. Her classmates love the idea and continue to piece together a classroom patchwork. The enthusiasm then spreads to the whole school. As the project grows, so does the quilt, taking over a bulletin board and moving onto a hallway wall. The cut-paper collage illustrations are sure to keep young children's interest, especially as youngsters try to discern all of the many projects featured in the squares. Wallace's illustrations include origami, recycled paper, markers, crayons, and colored pencils. Teachers will want to share this title with everyone in their school community.–Maren Ostergard, Bellevue Regional Library, WACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.